At 10:36 AM 1/20/99 -0500, you wrote: >OK, Ron, I have a friend who is a metallurgist. I will ask him what >happens re: > >metal fatigue >annealing >work hardening > >and I will get back to you. > > Newton My Tool Engineers Handbook (ain't estate sales great?) indicates an annealing temperature for (generically) high carbon steel at 1400-1450 F. I don't have specific temps for music wire, but it's in a similar range. Tool Steel Simplified says to cool slowly in the furnace after heating to anneal. Hardening with heat requires 100 degrees, or so, higher temperatures and more rapid cooling, usually by quenching. Tempering is a sort of controlled partial annealing from maximum hardness. Bending doesn't heat the wire nearly enough to either anneal, heat harden or temper it. It does, however work harden. I would like a good explanation of why metals work harden, if you'll ask your friend about that while you're at it. Thanks, Ron
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