[Shop-talk] Annealing Copper bars

[Bob Spidell]

Question for the List: Is it proper to quench--in water, presumably, or 
oil maybe--copper to achieve softness after it's been heated 'cherry red?'

Bob

On 8/8/2020 6:43 AM, old dirtbeard wrote:
> I sort of like your idea about the self-cleaning oven cycle. It would 
> be very even heat, the right temperature, should not hurt the oven.
>
> Maybe just wait to do it while the wife is away for an hour or so...  :-)
>
> best,
>
> doug
>
> On Sat, Aug 8, 2020 at 5:37 AM Pat Horne <patintexas at icloud.com 
> <mailto:patintexas at icloud.com>> wrote:
>
>     Pay a local shop with an oxy/acetylene rig to heat them? Muffler
>     shop, body shop, A/C contractor? A/C contractor sometimes use
>     air/acetylene. Will that get hot enough?
>
>     Peace,
>     Pat
>
>     Pat Horne
>     We support Habitat for Humanity
>
>
>     On Aug 7, 2020, at 11:25 PM, Jack Brooks <JIBrooks at live.com
>     <mailto:JIBrooks at live.com>> wrote:
>
>     
>
>     I have fabricated a number of 1/8 and 3/16^th inch thick busbars
>     for an Van RV build electrical system which I am assembling in my
>     shop.  The busbars are already bent to shape, but I’d like to
>     anneal them, because the copper was purchased in the  “Half-Hard”
>     state and making them “Dead-Soft” will insure that they lay
>     completely flat to maximize the conductivity when I final assemble
>     the system.
>
>     I usually anneal copper by getting it hot enough to glow with a
>     propane torch and then allow it to cool.  With the mass of these
>     busbars, I can’t get them up to a temperature to where they glow
>     with propane.  An Oxy/Acetylene torch would work, but I don’t have
>     one.  MAPP gas is hotter, but I don’t think it’s a lot hotter.
>
>     I am considering running them through the cleaning cycle in the
>     self-cleaning over, as a self-cleaning oven will typically runs up
>     to around 900°F.  Copper needs 700-1,200°F to anneal, so it should
>     be fine.
>
>     I’d prefer almost any other solution.  Thoughts?  The last time I
>     used our oven for a shop project, it was to cure the paint on the
>     jugs (cylinders) of my ’74 Norton motorcycle.  Mrs. Jack was not
>     happy.  Copper bars should be fine as they won’t stink up the house.
>
>     Thanks in advance,
>
>     Jack
>
>

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://autox.team.net/pipermail/shop-talk/attachments/20200808/95bef857/attachment.htm>