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Q&As since 1989


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Annealing dental tools

I would like to learn about annealing stainless steel. Specifically I have some used dental tools that I would like to make into useful tools for myself and my students. I do not know what type of steel is involved. I would be grateful if someone would tell me how to soften the steel sufficiently so that I could bend the tips without breaking them. Can the metal be hardened after bending?

Thank you very much.

Coral Shaffer
Enamelist - Seattle, Washington, USA
2004

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2004

The metallurgists who frequent this board will hopefully issue disclaimers about the limits of the following idea, but long before I was an engineer or a metal finisher, I had occasional need for curved sewing needles. I found that it was easy to heat them on an electric stove to red hot, and let them cool slowly--which left them soft. Then I bent them, reheated them, and threw the red hot needles into water, which made them hard again.

There are better quenching solutions than water (like oils), depending on the steel you are working with, and there are correct temperatures and cooling curves you should follow. But if you just want to "play" and it's not a serious issue if one of the tools snaps, this very simple procedure should work.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey