Annealing or hardening?

[steve in kc]

So I've seen the same process posted as both???

Put boolits in the oven for x amount of time at x degrees and let them cool down in the oven. I have seen people call this process annealing AND hardening. ???

I had thought that this process was called hardening.
I had thought that annealing involved bringing something up to x degrees and quenching with water (aka annealing brass with a torch then dropping into water).

But then again, we water drop to HARDEN lead?

Is this process backwards or different because of the metal you're working with?

I'm confused.

Thanks.

[felix]

Yes, it is confusing to say the least. That is because of the word anneal is used differently for different subject material. It is best to say hardening or softening in conversations when speaking of a specific material. For lead softening, put in oven and then let the lead cool with door closed. For lead hardening, put in oven and then water drop. For copper softening, put in oven (actually, hotter than that is needed) and then water drop to stop the hardening. Time of cooling and/or hardening is paramount and is temperature dependent. ... felix

[sqlbullet]

Annealing is to increase a materials strength or hardness properties through the application of heat.

When you heat most lead alloys above the recrystallization temperature, and then allow it to slowly cool, you make it softer, but increase it's ductility/strength. If you quench it, the rapid cooling will increase the hardness, but decrease it's ductility/strength.

So, both are proper use of the term anneal. Depending on the annealing method (slowly cool or quench) determines the outcome of the annealing process.

[white eagle]

different materials
brass cases anneal soften heat w/q soften
lead cast w/q harden