How Does Steel Tempering Work?
The Purpose of Tempering Tempering is a process by which steel and other alloys (as well as glass) are hardened in order to create a stronger final product. Steel tempering requires multiple steps, with each producing slight changes in the steel that result in the metal becoming harder. Care must be taken while tempering steel, as it’s possible to cause the metal to become brittle if it is heated or cooled too quickly or to too much of an extreme during the tempering process. Austenizing and Quenching The first step in tempering steel is a process known as austenizing. The steel is heated to over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit in order to create a solid solution of carbon and iron, a process that occurs because of chemical changes occurring in the steel alloy at such a high temperature. Once the steel has been austenized, it must then be quenched in order to bring about the next change in the metal. Quenching causes the metal to cool quickly, dropping it past the point where the metal’s stru
