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Just realized annealing my mild steel with a torch saves way more time than the forge
I've been heating up my whole forge just to soften a few small brackets for drilling, which took like 20 minutes. Last week I tried just hitting the spot with a propane torch until it glowed red and let it cool slow, worked perfect. Has anyone else switched to torch annealing for small parts, or am I just late to this trick?
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violaramirez1mo ago
Man that hits close to home. I did the same thing for way too long with small parts. Firing up the whole forge for a couple of little brackets or a tiny repair job feels like driving a semi to the corner store. The torch method is a game changer once you get the hang of it. I started doing it for knife handles and small tool adjustments and it saves so much time and propane. You're definitely not late to this, plenty of us were stuck doing it the hard way for years.
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anderson.piper1mo ago
Jumped on that torch method a few months back and never looked back. Those little brackets and small repair jobs used to eat up way too much forge time. @piper_kim gets it, that "semi to the corner store" comparison is spot on. Now I just grab my torch for things like adjusting tool handles or softening a small piece for bending, way less hassle and way more control. The key is just keeping the heat even and letting it cool slow enough, especially on mild steel.
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