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Heat Treating Steel, Normalizing


Glenn
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IForgeIron Lessons in Blacksmithing
Copyright 2002 - 2008 IFORGEIRON, All rights reserved.

LB0013.0004 Heat Treating Steel, Normalizing
by Gerald Franklin



LB0013.0004 Heat Treating Steel Normalizing will be given a number after several other lessons are posted in order to keep the sequence in ordere.



Normalizing is very similar to annealing except that the piece is allowed to cool in still air until it can be handled with bare hands. The effect of normalizing is to soften the steel so that it can be worked cold but it will not be as soft as it would be if it were annealed. The process follows.

Step 1 Slowly bring the piece of steel up to a non-magnetic heat. Again, do this inside if possible. It is hard to see actual colors in the bright sunlight.

Step 2 Once the steel is at non-magnetic (red) heat, set it aside so it can cool slowly in still air. Also, it is best to prop the piece up off the table or floor with a brick at each end. Surface contact will cause irregular cooling and prevent proper normalizing.

Step 3 Go do something else until the steel has cooled to the touch.

Why normalize instead of anneal? It all depends on what you want in the end. Annealing will give you more softness than toughness. If you want maximum machinability, then anneal. If you want to reduce brittleness/hardness while maintaining toughness (resistance to bending), then normalizing may fill the bill. If you are forging a pry bar or a vise handle, then look at normalizing the finished piece.

Some of the more exotic tool steels cannot be normalized in this manner. Steels like S-7 and H-13 and others are Air Hardening, so cooling in air will not give you the desired effect.


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