How to Mark Steel so It Stays After Heating
- 1). Use methylacetylene gas with a torch to heat the metal to the desired color and temperature. Observe the color to determine when the metal is ready for striking. The metal will exhibit a bright cherry red to yellow orange color when it is ready to be removed from the flame.
- 2). Place the hot steel on a flat piece of 1/8-inch plate steel on a workbench to strike the metal so the hot steel does not burn through your workbench. Quickly clamp the steel to the flat steel with a C-clamp before the metal loses its color.
- 3). Strike the standard screwdriver or chisel with a ball-peen hammer. Use one hand for your hammer and the other on the screwdriver or chisel. Strike hard while the metal still has a cherry red color. You can make several marks and strike several times until the metal loses its bright cherry color.
- 4). Move the metal with channel locks to the pail of water once you have made the desired marks on the steel. This process cools the steel rapidly and is called quenching.
- 5). Remove the metal almost immediately from the pail. The cool down is rapid and the metal is ready for handling.
