Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Forming and Tempering spring steel

Hi,

I work Clydesdales Horses. Many pieces of old equipment come with broken Spring tines, as these are not available today I wish to have a go at making them myself. I have a forge and play fairly successfully but have no knowledge of spring steel or how to temper it.

Hoping you can help.

Regards

Lindsay Crawford
Hobbyist - Paynesville, Victoria, Australia
2005

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2005

Springs are tricky, if I may suggest a better field for this question?
www.anvilfire.com
www.iforgeiron.com

Additional, getting a spring to be a spring is all about the temperature, timing, and quench.

Heat your steel to critical heat (just before it starts to burn or go molten)

Quench it in oil to harden it

Polish one surface of the spring to be

Heat in a mild fire to a light to moderate blue (the trick here is to heat the entire spring at the same time, otherwise you will have inconsistent stregnth on the spring).

Quench in oil or brine.

Marc Banks
- Elizabeth City, North Carolina

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Any idea what type of steel you will be working? each one works slightly different. They have many different steels marketed as spring steel 1018,1050,1080,1084,1095, etc.

The heat treating temperature is usually right around 1500degrees fahrenheit...melting point is usually about 2,500 degerees...personally I wouldn't heat treat at anything near a melting point..waste of energy and has negative effects on the steel. Only time I would go that hot is during forge welding(2,300 degrees).

Jason Aube
- Flint, Michigan
2005

Heat the steel until a magnet won't stick! I'd call it a hair past cherry red.

Jeremiah Shine
- Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
January 25, 2011

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Hi,
I need an advice.
I have the spring stainless steel sheet thickness 1 mm, mat. 1.4310, it is bent approx. at 90° (approx. 20 x 20 x 20 mm). I need it to keep mechanical characteristic for approx. 10 years and do not change.
So I need to stress relief, what temperature I have to use for it and how long for? I know how to temper spring wire but not sheet.

Thanks

Roman Proks
spring production - Bohumin, Czech Rep.
March 8, 2012