Tempering Silicon Bronze?

[Norman Messinger]

I find that after I heat silicon bronze, alloy 655, enough to bend it easily
and let it air cool, it does not return to its preheated resistance to
bending. I was given to believe that tempering copper alloys worked just
the opposite of steel, i.e. quench to anneal, air cool to harden. Must not
be so, eh? Is it possible to restore the preheated resistance to bending?

I sure appreciate the opportunity to lurk about this forum and thank you for
your help.

--Norm

[Jason Nass]

This is true to an extent, but slowly cooling a copper alloy does not harden
it as it does with steel. The hardening you get in this manner is much more
subtle. I personally know of no way other than work hardening to get this
kind of alloy harder. Anyone else?????

--
Jason "Freedom" Nass,
Master Armorer
www.ancientartifact.bizland.com

"Norman Messinger" <n.mes...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:IWMJ5.1075$5b4....@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...

[Ernie Leimkuhler]

In article <IWMJ5.1075$5b4....@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>, "Norman Messinger"
<n.mes...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:

The bronze will regain some hardness by slow cooling, but to restore the full hardness, you much
mechanically deform the metal.
This can be done either by hammering, rolling, shot peening or tumbling.
Tumbling is a very gentle process where you place the part is a drum polisher with steel shot and
allow the part to tumble for a day or so.
It slowly hammers the surface all over.

It is often used in jewelry fab for rehardening pieces after soldering.

--
STAGESMITH - Custom Metal Fabrication - Renton, WA, US

"Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind."
William Shakespear
[osX]Ironman

[Dave]

Annealing bronze, copper, brass, etc happens because of the
heating, not the cooling. Quenching in water simply cools the
piece off so you can handle it sooner, but has no noticable
effect on the anneal level.

Work hardening is the only way I know of to harden
copper/bronze/brass. Someone else may, though, know more than I
do <and that isn't always hard to do>.

Dave

Dave Brown
Heritage Smithing
Green Bay, WI

[Dave]

I have heard some people claim that you can regain some hardening
of bronze by putting the piece to be hardened on top of speakers
and crank the decibles up on some seriously hard music.

I have no idea of this works, only that there have been
discussions on this in other groups and certain people claim it
will/should work. I, on the other hand, haven't a clue if it'll
work or not and don't plan on testing the theory anytime soon.
All I'm doing is spreading the hypothesis/rumor.

Dave

On Thu, 26 Oct 2000 01:16:39 -0800, Ernie Leimkuhler
<grand...@stagesmith.com> wrote:

>In article <IWMJ5.1075$5b4....@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>, "Norman Messinger"
><n.mes...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>

>The bronze will regain some hardness by slow cooling, but to restore the full hardness, you much
>mechanically deform the metal.
>This can be done either by hammering, rolling, shot peening or tumbling.
>Tumbling is a very gentle process where you place the part is a drum polisher with steel shot and
>allow the part to tumble for a day or so.
>It slowly hammers the surface all over.
>
>It is often used in jewelry fab for rehardening pieces after soldering.
>
>--
>STAGESMITH - Custom Metal Fabrication - Renton, WA, US
>
>"Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind."
> William Shakespear
>[osX]Ironman

Dave Brown