Heat Treating Aluminum

I've been working with 2024 T3 sheets of various thicknesses, and am looking for some other alloy that can be heat treated at a lower temperature.

Is there a table of Aluminum alloys and their heat treating times/temps available? Are any suited for home heat treating without spending a lot of money on HT equipment?

Anyone have experience taking aluminum to state W, working it, and then having it harden?

Thanks,

Chuck Giese

Reply to
Chuck Giese
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Try going to the Alcoa website and see what they have. If not on the site, the aluminum maker reps should have all of the info on the types that they make.

-- Bob May Losing weight is easy! If you ever want to lose weight, eat and drink less. Works every time it is tried!

Reply to
Bob May

I've done some 6061 that was extruded and heat treated. I needed to make a 90 degree bend. I used a propane torch to heat along the bend line, using soap as a temperature indicator. When the soap burned to a dark brown, I plunged the piece into running water. WOW! It got REALLY soft, and bent without cracking or tearing at the outer surface. The rest of the piece was still in a good enough heat treat condition that I could drill and tap it without any problems.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Elson

Do a Google search for 6013 alloy. It is able to be solution and precipitation heat treated, but is most commonly purchased in the T4 condition. It is almost as formable as

2024-O, weldable, and corrosion resistant comparable or better than 6061, all in the T4 temper. Age it up to T6 @ 385F for 4 hours. Tensile strengths for 6013-T6 not quite up to the 2024-T3 levels, but close.

It is NOT readily available, and expensive, I've heard. Depends >

Reply to
nic

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