How to Heat Treat Soft Steel
Steel is a mixture of iron, carbon and other elements. The proportions and number of alloying elements vary greatly, from a simple mixture of carbon and iron to high-alloy specialty steel with more than a dozen alloying elements. Despite the variations in steel, it remains a crystalline substance with definite physical stages that relate to hardness,toughness and malleability. These stages are achieved through heat treatment. One of the most important stages is the annealing stage, which puts the steel at its softest stage. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Heat the steel to its critical temperature in the heat treat oven or forge. This is the point at which the steel becomes non-magnetic, usually about 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Hold the steel at this temperature until it has been heated throughout. The time required will depend on the thickness of the steel, but it usually takes at least 30 minutes.
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Drop the temperature of the steel slowly by about 30 degrees per hour until the steel is about 800 degrees. At that point, turn off the heat treat oven and let the steel cool to room temperature. At this point the steel should be a form known as pearlite, its softest.
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Tips & Warnings
The slower the temperature is dropped, the better the chances the steel forms into pearlite.
Heat treating steel requires extreme heat. Proper safety equipment is required to prevent serious injury.
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