Non-ferrous metal - heat treating

I make arrowheads I have found that copper is the best material to break the rock with. My problem is that copper in its natural state does the job but it’s much too soft to hold its desired shape. Hammering it or twist it to obtain a work hardened state works somewhat but I would love to know if there is another step I can take to get it a little harder that. I don’t know if there’s a way to do this but I need to hardened copper rod a little harder on its tips, that’s the part of the rod that I use. I’m hoping that you guys know a secret to achieveing a little more toughnesses or even maybe a slightly hard casing. Right now if it’s too soft it won’t hold its shape and I…

What is the temperature range for oxide colors on copper?

hi sorry if non-iron posts are not allowed here. I need a low-toxicity, low-melting point metal (before casting), to cast hardware parts. After casting, the parts must not crack under torque or impact, and should remain hard up to 100 deg C. My plan is to make a Tin/Bismuth alloy, since low-toxicity, low-melting point. I've heard a tiny amount of silver can make this alloy less brittle. Any suggestions? Could be a different alloy, or a hardening process. I'm not committed to tin, bismuth, or silver. But need to keep things relatively low-toxic and low-temp. (home, indoor fab). Need to minimize shrinkage/expansion of cast part. thx!

Hi! I'm Janghas from London and I am looking for help in learning to smelt cassiterite concentrate (tin). I'm looking for any schools, courses or private teachers from were I can get a hands on feel of the process involved. I can travel in the UK and would like to have any feedback that could help. Thanks.

Many different alloys involved in this question, but it is doable to find the melting temperature for each. -Could the annealing temperature be expressed as a constant relative to these melting temperatures? -Do these even need annealing, do they work harden?

Is anyone familiar with coating a piece to be heat treated with clay, sand, or something to prevent warping during the process? If so, please elaborate. Thank you!

Does bronze (specifically tin bronze) need to be quenched after annealing (to soften it)? I've read many times that it does, but this seems to contradict that copper and bronze can only be hardened by cold working. Would heating and letting air-cool leave the bronze workable, just as with quenching? From what I understand, it's the heat that's relieving the stress, so I'm wondering what effect quenching has on the microstructure. Thanks!

has any one here ever quenched copper in oil? i'm curious to see what the finish would be.

well i know the whole "copper doesn't absorb carbon like iron" thing, but if one was to take copper and encase it in a container like iron, but instead of carbon and carbonates, why couldn't one use either a tin ore or an amount of tin (pewter maybe) in the container, along with a small amount of carbon(to consume the O2)? wouldn't the surface turn to a hard bronze and the center stay copper? i don't know why i was thinking about this, there was a possible application, but i forget waht it was. an 18 year old shouldn't have this bad of a memory :wacko:

I plan to start on a new project in a week that part of which will involve me making a rather large (18") somewhat shallow bowl in copper or brass sheet in 16ga(0.60"). I've done alot of metal forming in sheet steel and aluminum form light to heavy gauge. In aluminum I've always annealed it. Having very limited time with copper, the question is; Do I need to anneal it to work it? I believe yes, but I'll leave it to those with experience. Two; if yes,, how? As usual all info will be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!! Thanks Phil