It does depend on the steel. But freon will get ordinary steel cold
enough that it will shatter. My son witnessed this on the streets of
NYC and told me about it. I did not believe that freon would get
steel cold enough, so looked in the set of reference books at work and
found that steel gets brittle at temperatures not much below freezing.
I forget the actual temperature.

Of course I never believed the stories of loggers warming up their
axes before using them on cold days either. But apparently they are
true.

Dan


Kamus of Kadizhar wrote in message news:pan.2004.06.23.13.18.38.335806@NsOeSiPnAeMr. com...
I've got a purely hypothetical question:

ISTR that at one time, freezing locks with Freon was a popular way to
break them. The theory being that you freeze the lock mechanism or
shackle until it becomes brittle, then use a hardened hammer to smash it.

Now I'm being told that's an urban myth.

I come here seeking expertise on frozen metal - is it practical / possible
to freeze steel to where it becomes brittle using a can of Freon? The
technique was to use Freon under pressure, then "spray" it on the lock.
The Freon cools as it expands, freezing the metal.

--Kamus