[TheForge] Tempering and hardness

[Paul]

On 12/05/2011 10:25 PM, Bruce Freeman wrote:
<<SNIP>>
>
> But if you weren't forging SS, then SS was pretty much irrelevant to
> the question. He might as well have spoken about copper or brass,
> which you anneal by heating to red and plunging into water, and harden
> by work-hardening (e.g., hammering or drawing through a die).  Try
> THAT with tool steel and see how "soft" it gets!

To this I would only add that the quenching of copper or brass is 
irrelevant to the annealing process, it only peals the scale off (a good 
thing) and allows you to start work hardening it quicker... meaning you 
can pick it up with your bare hands...


> The effect of hardening and tempering, along with grain growth, can be
> demonstrated fairly easily with a test piece, if you want to go to the
> trouble.  I would have told this know-it-all to go fire up a forge and
> try it himself if he didn't believe me.
<SNIP>

Sounds like his wife has to rescue him quite often...

-- 
paul
WB9HCO
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