Wilsons Sandbox

Ed, I thought annealing to soften required heating then letting it cool slowly. I am pretty sure all the heat treating we did at P&WA where we quenched things was to harden them. Have I had it backwards all these years? I looked at the link below and I think you are hardening your oil plug washers. On the up side they are most certainly sterile when you're putting them back together. A clean, and sterile, bike is a happy bike I guess http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annealing_(metallurgy) Chris, or Skypilot, which ever works for you! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DSN_KLR650/message/189047;_ylc=X3oDMTJyZG50ZW NxBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzQ4ODM4NQRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUxMjYyNjIEbXNnSWQDMTg5MD Q3BHNlYwNkbXNnBHNsawN2bXNnBHN0aW1lAzEyMzEwNzQxNTY-> Oil drain plug washers Posted by: "fasteddiecopeman" fasteddiecopeman@... http://profiles.yahoo.com/fasteddiecopeman> fasteddiecopeman Sat Jan 3, 2009 8:37 pm (PST) For those who don't know: IF your washer is copper, you can ANNEAL it and re-use it forever. If it's NOT copper, go buy one and start from there. To ANNEAL: heat the washer to glowing red and drop it into a pan of water to QUENCH it. (ANNEALING re-softens the copper so it'll conform to the plug and sump, as it has WORK- HARDENED while sitting there since last oil change). If you're REALLY anal, buy several and rotate them thru, while ALWAYS ANNEALING the one you just removed so it's ready for re-use! Happy New Year All! Ed : > ) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Skypilot, What you did at P&WA pertained to ferrous materials, e.g. steel. Here's a write-up pertaining to copper and aluminum: http://www.motorcycle.co.uk/reference_a ... inium.html or http://tinyurl.com/7dd4et HTH, Mike Martin, Louisville, KY ________________________________ From: Skypilot To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, January 5, 2009 9:42:35 PM Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Re:Oil drain plug washers Ed, I thought annealing to soften required heating then letting it cool slowly. I am pretty sure all the heat treating we did at P&WA where we quenched things was to harden them. Have I had it backwards all these years? I looked at the link below and I think you are hardening your oil plug washers. On the up side they are most certainly sterile when you're putting them back together. A clean, and sterile, bike is a happy bike I guess http://en.wikipedia .org/wiki/ Annealing_(metallurgy) Chris, or Skypilot, which ever works for you! http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/DSN_ KLR650/message/ 189047;_ylc= X3oDMTJyZG50ZW NxBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1B GdycElkAzQ4ODM4N QRncnBzcElkAzE3M DUxMjYyNjIEbXNnS WQDMTg5MD Q3BHNlYwNkbXNnBHNsa wN2bXNnBHN0aW1lA zEyMzEwNzQxNTY- > Oil drain plug washers Posted by: "fasteddiecopeman" fasteddiecopeman@ yahoo.com http://profiles. yahoo.com/ fasteddiecopeman> fasteddiecopeman Sat Jan 3, 2009 8:37 pm (PST) For those who don't know: IF your washer is copper, you can ANNEAL it and re-use it forever. If it's NOT copper, go buy one and start from there. To ANNEAL: heat the washer to glowing red and drop it into a pan of water to QUENCH it. (ANNEALING re-softens the copper so it'll conform to the plug and sump, as it has WORK- HARDENED while sitting there since last oil change). If you're REALLY anal, buy several and rotate them thru, while ALWAYS ANNEALING the one you just removed so it's ready for re-use! Happy New Year All! Ed : > ) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hello, I have had experience working in a professional knife making shop. I was taught that the process of ANNEALING is accomplished by heating the metal and then putting it into something like lime to let it cool over a long period of time. The metal we used was annealed from the factory, which made it easy to grind. Heating copper, or any metal, and putting it in water (cooling it instantly) hardens the metal. The way we tempered knives is heat to certain termperature and then put them in oil. If I were to tell tell you what that temperature is I would have to kill you. Robert Waters [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

It DEFINATELY softens them! Just give it a try. Slow-cooling is how to harden copper. I've been annealing like this since 1963 the first time I removed/installed the head on my 650 Triumphs which had a copper figure 8 head gasket. And they held the 12-1 compression on my Triumph fuel drag bike! Cheers, Ed PS When I 'fish' the washers out of the water after quenching, I can EASILY bend them with finger pressure.

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Skypilot" wrote: > > Ed, > > > > I thought annealing to soften required heating then letting it cool slowly. > I am pretty sure all the heat treating we did at P&WA where we quenched > things was to harden them. Have I had it backwards all these years? I looked > at the link below and I think you are hardening your oil plug washers. On > the up side they are most certainly sterile when you're putting them back > together. A clean, and sterile, bike is a happy bike I guess > > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annealing_(metallurgy) > > > > Chris, or Skypilot, which ever works for you! > > > > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DSN_KLR650/message/189047; _ylc=X3oDMTJyZG50ZW > NxBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzQ4ODM4NQRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUxMjYyNjIEbXNnSWQD MTg5MD > Q3BHNlYwNkbXNnBHNsawN2bXNnBHN0aW1lAzEyMzEwNzQxNTY-> Oil drain plug washers > > Posted by: "fasteddiecopeman" > ers> fasteddiecopeman@... > http://profiles.yahoo.com/fasteddiecopeman> fasteddiecopeman > > Sat Jan 3, 2009 8:37 pm (PST) > > For those who don't know: > > IF your washer is copper, you can ANNEAL it and re-use it forever. If it's > NOT copper, go > buy one and start from there. > > To ANNEAL: heat the washer to glowing red and drop it into a pan of water to > QUENCH it. > (ANNEALING re-softens the copper so it'll conform to the plug and sump, as > it has WORK- > HARDENED while sitting there since last oil change). > > If you're REALLY anal, buy several and rotate them thru, while ALWAYS > ANNEALING the one > you just removed so it's ready for re-use! > > Happy New Year All! > > Ed : > ) > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >