Hobbyists & Industry luminaries alike learn on every visit
(we earn from 'affiliate link' purchases)

Curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET

finishing.com -- The Home Page of the Finishing Industry

  The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing 1989-2025

-----

How to soften steel after welding

hi I need some information on how to make regular steel more malleable I repair musical instruments and after I weld them they get so hard that the sound changes and produces a ugly metallic sound especially cowbells and steel drums. Is there any procedure to bring the metal back to the original soft sound. Thanks

Jesus Delro
hobbyist - Hialeah, Florida
January 17, 2009

Hi, Jesus. I am not sure that I agree with your premise that the ugly metallic sound is caused by the steel being too hard, but I have no musical instrument experience. But you soften steel by annealing it, that is, raising it to red hot temperature of about 900 °C, and then cooling it very slowly.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
January 20, 2009

(No "dead threads" here! If this page isn't currently on the Hotline your Q, A, or Comment will restore it)

Q, A, or Comment on THIS thread -or- Start a NEW Thread

Disclaimer: It's not possible to fully diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The internet is largely anonymous & unvetted; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations might be harmful.

If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories: