"matt" wrote...
On Wed, 19 Jul 2006 18:18:35 +0100, "Andrew Mawson" wrote:


Take a normal screw and anneal it. Modern screws are hardened and so
rather brittle. Heat to a dull red and let it cool slowly, and you
will find you can bend it as you wish.

Does that apply to all types of screws, ie steel, brass, etc?

Nope, brass, copper and aluminium are the opposite to steel, heat [1] and
quench in cold water to anneal, heat and allow to cool as slow as poss' to
harden.

Hope that helps,
Dave H.
(The engineer formerly known as Homeless)

[1] - Brass and copper until dull red, aluminium and its alloys until soap
rubbed on the workpiece blackens. If you want to anneal just a part of the
workpiece (eg rifle/pistol/howitzer cartridge case mouths which need to be
soft while the rim of the case needs to be hard), stand the bit you want to
remain hardened in water, heat and tip it over into the water.