21
Pro tip: my old boss was right about letting the steel talk to you
When I first started, my boss Frank would always say 'stop looking at the clock and listen to the steel'. I thought it was just old guy talk. But last week I was rushing a batch of 20 leaf springs for a custom order, trying to hit color by eye on a tight schedule. I pulled one too early at a bright orange, maybe 1600F, and it cracked right at the base on the quench. Frank's advice finally clicked. The steel wasn't ready, and I wasn't listening. Now I wait for that dull red, around 1400F, and let it tell me when it's done. Anyone else have a piece of advice that sounded silly but saved your hide later?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
the_viola11d ago
Frank was onto something, but that 1400F dull red is actually still way too hot for most spring steels. You want more like 1450-1500F for a proper austenitize, then quench. The color shift is subtle.
2
adamk9511d ago
Nah, Frank's color trick works fine for most garage work.
6
martinez.kim10d ago
Subtle color shift" is why my garage projects always end up looking like abstract art. I'm out here trying to hit a specific shade of red hot like it's a paint swatch match. Maybe we should just admit our eyes aren't precision pyrometers.
2