On Tue, 04 Apr 2006 00:00:08 GMT, "Carl Ijames"
wrote:

Just throw the whole chunk into the woodstove or burn pile--and let it
cool
down back down with the ashes, pick it out the next day.

Wish I had a woodstove. But this is Central California desert.

I do have a kiln though..small one..big enough for heat treating. What
temp should I get it up to?

Go to www.mcmaster.com and put 3460 in the search box to go to that
page, then click the link at the top for additional info. This gives
composition and physical properties for most common steels, and heat
treating data on the tool steels (but not 4014, big sigh ;-)). Then put
3464 in the search box and repeat to get data on stainless steels.
Again, they give annealing data for most alloys but not for 17-4 and
17-5 PH, again, big sigh. Anyway, a useful grab for the future. Hold
times at temperature seem to be 1 hour per inch of thickness. This
assumes good heat circulation and if you stack your plates directly on
each other they will look like one really thick plate. Put some little
spacers in between each plate so the air can circulate.


I ah..ahum....put them in the kiln last night. Its a Cress ceramic
kiln..with no ramping control....simply a temp gage and a
hotter/cooler pot.

And I promptly forgot about them.

This morning..I walked by the kiln..and noticed it was warm..then
remembered. The thermometer showed 2100F

Opening it up...was not pretty. they had sagged somewhat..or at least
it appeared that they had...

So I fiddled around and got the temps down to 1500 F..and held it
there for a couple hours. then ramped it down to 1000F over another
couple hours..then opened the hatch and let em air cool

They are still hot..and the one closed to the hatch has a thick layer
of something black on the outside..and a gentle tap broke much of it
loose..and it looks like a gravel road underneith it. All bumps and
whatnot. I think this is some sort of scale.....cringe...


I think..before I try this again anytime soon..maybe I can trade
someone here Stuff to make me a temperature controller with times etc
etc...

sigh....well..it was a nice idea. Ill take em out in the morning
before I head south..but suspect they are literally..toast.

Gunner

"I think this is because of your belief in biological Marxism.
As a genetic communist you feel that noticing behavioural
patterns relating to race would cause a conflict with your belief
in biological Marxism." Big Pete, famous Usenet Racist