Posted by Gerald J. on December 28, 1999 at 22:08:56:
In Reply to: Re: Annealing -- can it be 'undone'? posted by T. J. Ricer on December 28, 1999 at 16:28:28:
Brass and copper are different from steel.
Steel you heat red, then cool rapidly to harden, cool slowly to anneal.
Copper and brass are annealed by heating red, whether they are cooled rapidly by quenching or let to cool slow they anneal. Quenching them doesn't make them hard. working the metal is the most reliable way to harden, but when the metal is the size and shape you want that's hard to do without changing dimensions.
Gerald J.