How to Heat Treated A2 Steel
American Iron and Steel Institute grade A2 tool steel is a high carbon, alloy steel designed to harden in room temperature air. Because it hardens so readily, it can be difficult to anneal, or soften the steel to shape it or prepare it for further heat treatment such as hardening or tempering. With proper techniques and patience, you can anneal AISI A2 steel and prepare it for machining before hardening and tempering the steel for final use. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the steel part in the oven and allow it to come to temperature. Once at the temperature, hold it at that temperature for at least 2 hours. Anneal the steel by slowly lowering the temperature by 50 degrees each hour until the steel's temperature drops to 1,200 degrees then allow to cool in air until it reaches room temperature.
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Preheat the oven to 1,200 degrees F. Place the steel in the oven and allow it to heat to the oven temperature. Follow the cooling steps for annealing and lower the temperature by no more than 50 degrees per hour until it reaches room temperature. This process relieves stress and prepares it for hardening.
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Place the steel in a furnace set to 1,725 degrees F and allow the steel to come to temperature. Allow the steel to soak for 20 minutes. Remove the steel from the furnace and allow to cool in the air to harden.
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Heat the steel to 400 degrees F and allow to cool in the air. This process produces a temper with the best combination of hardness and toughness.
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Tips & Warnings
The slower the steel is cooled in the stress relief and annealing processes the better the end result will be.
Heat treating steel uses extreme heat. Follow proper safety equipment and procedures to prevent serious injury.
References
Resources
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