Hi. I have a pretty big problem...
I have a pretty small spring from an airsoft gun, wich i heated with a gasburner so that i could stretch it...
The problems is that the spring is now very soft! It's very very easy to bend out of shape, and it does a very poor job of a spring.
Why is that? And what should i do to make it go back to the hardness it was before?
Before i did it, the spring was shinny, but now it's dull...
A magnet can stick to the materials, wich i guess means it isn't aluminum. So i can't anodize it...
Metal/spring problem?!
Moderator: Mike Everman
DISCLAIMER: This is what I have done for high-carbon steel. I have not done this for very thin metals like springs and so it may not work or it may not have the desired outcome.
What you have done is annealed the iron. What you now need to do is harden the iron. What you should do is heat the spring to the same temp that you used to anneal it (red or nearly so) and then quench it in water. It will now be hard but it will actually be too hard and brittle. This is glass hard. You now need to soften it some. Heat it again but only until you start to see the metal turn a gold or straw. Once the straw color shows up, quench it in water again. You should now have a properly hardened iron.
-Aaron
What you have done is annealed the iron. What you now need to do is harden the iron. What you should do is heat the spring to the same temp that you used to anneal it (red or nearly so) and then quench it in water. It will now be hard but it will actually be too hard and brittle. This is glass hard. You now need to soften it some. Heat it again but only until you start to see the metal turn a gold or straw. Once the straw color shows up, quench it in water again. You should now have a properly hardened iron.
-Aaron
Thank youheada wrote:DISCLAIMER: This is what I have done for high-carbon steel. I have not done this for very thin metals like springs and so it may not work or it may not have the desired outcome.
What you have done is annealed the iron. What you now need to do is harden the iron. What you should do is heat the spring to the same temp that you used to anneal it (red or nearly so) and then quench it in water. It will now be hard but it will actually be too hard and brittle. This is glass hard. You now need to soften it some. Heat it again but only until you start to see the metal turn a gold or straw. Once the straw color shows up, quench it in water again. You should now have a properly hardened iron.
-Aaron
I will give it a try. It can't really hurt it more 
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El-Kablooey
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