Speeding up heat treat

[Neverhome]

Anyone ever tried this or a variation to speed up age hardening?

Update: Seems to work!

https://patents.google.com/patent/US2148741

[JCherry]

I have hardened straight wheel weight bullets (basically the alloy he was using) in a small toaster oven and gotten hardness as he described. I have noticed as he did that if the tin content is increased it lowers the temperature at which the bullets will slump. I never have done the second heating as he described. For me the bullets hardened significantly in such a short time that when I heat treat bullets I make a point of sizing and checking them right away as if you wait a day they become very hard to size. The hardening I have encountered is at least as hard as he describes if not harder.

Have Fun,

JCherry

[Neverhome]

I'm trying it now. Don't cost nothing to attempt except an hour watching tv while I wait

[Neverhome]

Well it actually seemed to work! Bullets that started out at about 12 pre heat treat are now between 22 and 26 a mere 4 hours later.
Interested in knowing if anyone else has tweaked the methods mentioned in the link or has any personal experience with speeding up age hardening.

Mine was a hour 460 heat treat followed by about 2 hours of just sitting and then a second bake at 185 for an hour.

[JCherry]

Neverhome,

Why do you need the bullets hardened so quickly? I find that if I do not size & lube my bullets right away after quenching they get hard enough to be difficult to size by the next day.

Have Fun,

JCherry

[popper]

Very old news. Just finalizing the hardening without a complete 'start-over'. Another process that makes it really hard is to add pressure (swage) in the cooler process, then reheat. Battery grid makers been doing it for years. Shows that you can get a patent for anything. One reason I have cautioned those OP who are doing H.T. tests to fully document what they are doing - minor changes in process bring different results. The re-heat/chill does help very low Sb alloys. The real trick is to get repeatable results at the BHN YOU need.

[fecmech]

As Popper said this is old news. If you want to speed up the aging process use heat if you want to slow it down use cold. When sizing water dropped bullets I size them right after casting( much easier on my arm and sizer). If for some reason I need to delay sizing I store the cast bullets in the freezer. I can size up to a week later with the same ease as fresh cast water dropped.

[bangerjim]

YES, who do you need them hard so fast? Time takes care of that.

2nd - why do you need boolits in the mid 20's hardness? What are you shooting/trying to do?

banger

[Neverhome]

Very old news. Just finalizing the hardening without a complete 'start-over'. Another process that makes it really hard is to add pressure (swage) in the cooler process, then reheat. Battery grid makers been doing it for years. Shows that you can get a patent for anything. One reason I have cautioned those OP who are doing H.T. tests to fully document what they are doing - minor changes in process bring different results. The re-heat/chill does help very low Sb alloys. The real trick is to get repeatable results at the BHN YOU need.

I well DUH I KNOW it's old news! The patent application was from 1937! The OP was simply asking anyone's experience with it. I guess it was implied, Did it work? Has anyone found a better way? Etc...
I certainly wasn't claiming to have discovered the Holy Grail or anything.

[Neverhome]

YES, who do you need them hard so fast? Time takes care of that.

2nd - why do you need boolits in the mid 20's hardness? What are you shooting/trying to do?

banger

As implied by my screen name, I'm NEVER HOME. Certainly not retired with the luxury of casting, loading, shooting whenever I want. I'm literally underway over half the year. I am typically gone for 10 weeks and home for 8. So my entire inport is fairly tightly scheduled. Waiting 2 weeks for something to level off sometimes isn't feasible. Sometimes it is but sometimes it isn't. Any shortcut allows me to do more of what I enjoy in the little time I have avail.

Regarding the hardness in the 20s question, I don't NEED them that hard. This test run was simply a proof of concept. Now I can dial in for the hardness I'm actually interested in getting which is 16-18. I don't even actually NEED that as I have no leading but I want to test some of my good loads with a harder bullet.

[bangerjim]

As implied by my screen name, I'm NEVER HOME. Certainly not retired with the luxury of casting, loading, shooting whenever I want. I'm literally underway over half the year. I am typically gone for 10 weeks and home for 8. So my entire inport is fairly tightly scheduled. Waiting 2 weeks for something to level off sometimes isn't feasible. Sometimes it is but sometimes it isn't. Any shortcut allows me to do more of what I enjoy in the little time I have avail.

Regarding the hardness in the 20s question, I don't NEED them that hard. This test run was simply a proof of concept. Now I can dial in for the hardness I'm actually interested in getting which is 16-18. I don't even actually NEED that as I have no leading but I want to test some of my good loads with a harder bullet.

Join the club! I also am not retired (just tired!) and still run my engineering firm every day and cast & load in the evernings and on weekends when I need boolits. Many on here ARE retired and have time on their hands to do all kinds of stuff.

Banger