charliechitlins Posted July 28, 2004 Report Share Posted July 28, 2004 I'm not a metallurgist, but I do play one on TV... I was trying to bend the brake pedal on my kid's GG, so he could get his foot on it and learn how to use it properly, and....what the heck is that thing made of? It wouldn't bend with a 2# hammer! An experience similar to one I had trying to drill a simple (?!) hole in his skidplate. Hard stuff! Anyway...I annealed the pedal and presto! I could bend it any way I wanted. Despite the fact that I probably wouldn't bother hardening it again, I don't know how? Just out of curiosity, does anybody? I guess you'd have to usa an oven, because you cant see colored oxides like with steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan bechard Posted July 28, 2004 Report Share Posted July 28, 2004 I thought you and I agreed to disagree on this one, but anyway, here goes. Whats you need to do.... is bring the material up to temperature, and allow a long enough soak time so that the material is consistently that temperature throughout. This allows all the little molecules to find their nice comfortable nesting location. Then, dependent upon the base stock, and the desired temper (which you are probably shooting in the dark on both) you will evenly quench the part and then depending upon desired temper again, you will age harden, or artificailly age harden at a lower temperature. The powder coat guys ovens will probably get about hot enough to do it. I will try and remember to grab the book with the #s in it tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charliechitlins Posted July 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2004 Yeah...pretty much what I figured...thus and so material brought to such and such a temperature.... Just like steel. I just do it by eye with the color. I've often annealed aluminum (with white soap or, most recently, with acetelyne soot) that has been bent and work hardened, but, for some reason, it just never occurred to me that people were heat treating aluminum. If we knew what skid plates were made of, we could anneal them, bring them back to shape and harden them again instead of using floor jacks, tiedowns, a come-along and a sledgehammer to put them back on! I think the only place we disagreed was where I quench aluminum when I anneal it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullfrog Posted July 29, 2004 Report Share Posted July 29, 2004 Somewhere around here I have information on re-hardening T-6 aluminum after annealing and forming. I can't remember the temps - but it was a two step process. I'll see if I can find the data. Step 1 - bake the part in the oven for several hours. Let cool slowly (leave in the oven till cold.) Step 2 - same as step one except with a different temp and different time. in both cases, temps were not all that high and the times were measured in hours. Seemed to work well. My Bullfrog skidplate was rubber before treatment and is pretty dang hard (and stiff) now. (Sheesh, I hope that line doesn't encourage anyone to say anything untoward!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copemech Posted July 29, 2004 Report Share Posted July 29, 2004 Charlie, most skid plates are from 7075 alloy which is about the strongest aluminum there is, probably hardened to T3, i don't think it gets very soft even if you anneal it, it will crack before it bends in many cases. ps- It does not weld well either! Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan bechard Posted July 29, 2004 Report Share Posted July 29, 2004 Charlie, (or anyone else) e-mail me and I have my Airframes Text here with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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