Trying to forge a leaf keychain for my niece and the stem keeps cracking

Been using 1/8 inch mild steel and quenching in water after a normalizing cycle, but it snaps every time at the thin part. Should I be using oil or just letting it air cool?

4 comments

4 Comments

ninar1221d ago

My buddy had the same exact problem making small decorative pieces. He was quenching in water too and it was just too harsh for the thin sections. Switched to letting them cool in the air after the last heat and it stopped the cracking completely. Water can shock the metal when it's that delicate. Oil might be a middle ground, but for something that small and decorative, air cooling should be fine. Isn't it frustrating when the simple fix is just to do less?

wendy13120d ago

It's like how the best cooking sometimes means just leaving the food alone.

charles_mitchell20d ago

Ever snap a thin piece by quenching it too fast? Lilya76 is totally right about the water being too harsh. I was making some small plant markers last year and had the same cracking issue on the thin wire parts. Switched to just pulling them from the forge and laying them on a firebrick to cool down. No more cracks. For a keychain that doesn't need to be hard, air cooling is the way to go. Oil just makes a mess for no reason here.

lilya7621d ago

Yeah, water's way too harsh for something that small. You're basically thermal shocking it to death. Switch to air cooling for sure. It doesn't need to be hard, it just needs to be a keychain. Oil would work but it's extra mess for no real gain here. Just let it cool on the rack.