"Trevor Jones" wrote in message
news:J30Ai.9739$vP5.6944@edtnps90...
snip------

For the most part, too hot to touch the part, right after a cut, is way
too hot, IMO. It's a good place to start, for me, anyways.

While it's not comfortable to hold, such a part will not have its hardness
effected. The soak temperature for artificial aging is much higher.

For annealing aluminum, I have used a sharpie marker, and heated until
the line dissapeared. That leaves the area dead soft. It will naturally
age harden to about a -T3 temper in a few weeks. In a general sense,
anyway.

Only if it is taken to a full solution anneal first. That requires a
temperature of about 950 degrees F for a period of time. Once a piece has
been heated to the point of losing its T condition, it will not return
without the solution anneal, even by furnace.

The specific heat treat schedules for specific alloys have to be followed
if you want exact type results.

Precisely!!

Harold