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Thread: annealing problem

  1. #1
    Senior Member randyt's Avatar
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    Default annealing problem

    I'm having some trouble annealing some found steel. One is a trap spring and the other a piece of crosscut saw. I heat to non magnetic and bury in ashes. A couple times now and the steel comes out too hard to file. I'm thinking the ashes are too cold, I keep them in my shop and it's 10 degrees in there. So I heated some scrap steel and warmed the ashes up a bit and still no luck. I'm going to bring a bucket of ashes in to the house and anneal in the basement. Any thoughts?
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  2. #2
    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    No experience trying to anneal in those temps, but I've had good luck using vermiculite that I picked up at the big box hardware store.
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  3. #3
    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    When it is this cold go inside and use a bucket of sand.

    It holds the heat longer.

    Something like a trap spring will cool so fast you will have trouble with it cooling between the forge and the sand at 10 degrees.
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  4. #4
    Senior Member randyt's Avatar
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    thanks for the replies. I noticed that if I grind the steel a bit a file will cut it. I think I'll try a 5 gallon bucket of sand in the basement.
    so the definition of a criminal is someone who breaks the law and you want me to believe that somehow more laws make less criminals?

  5. #5
    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    A file will take about three hours to cool enough to handle it in a bucket of sand during the summer.

    Thicker stuff is not usually a problem but thin stuff can be.

    If all else fails put it into the oven at 500 degrees for and hour, then bury it in the sand.

    And one good thing you have discovered. You have air hardening steel to work with and it will require heat treatment after tempering.
    If you didn't bring jerky what did I just eat?

  6. #6
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    try to aneneal on your vise

  7. #7

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    Some steels harden with an "air quench". You can try just pulling it out of the coals, and leave it in the forge near the coals until it loses color, then take it out all the way.

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