how heating metal and quenching makes it stronger, but heat cycling over time makes it more likely to break

Question

I’m just an amateur guy who messed with metal on occasion

And straight up not following the logic

I know heating and quenching makes it harder, which is good for knives and such, but also makes it more brittle I guess? And likely to crack?

The descriptions on this subject are literally “over explaining the scientific molecular composition of metal” or “so anyway make hot then make un hot, dat good”

But I was trying to bend some metal today, heated it up a few times and got it near its shape, then cooled it by quenching so no one would grab it and burn their hands on it while I stepped away, came back and heated again and it just broke lol

In: Other

Answer 1

Alright, here’s a simple way to think about it: When you heat and quench metal, you’re making it harder by changing its internal structure. But this hardening also makes it more brittle, like turning a rubber ball into a glass marble. Repeated heating and quenching can make the metal’s structure more uneven, which can lead to it breaking more easily when you bend or stress it. It’s like if you keep freezing and thawing a sponge, it starts to crack and crumble. For better results, try to avoid overheating and quenching too many times and follow proper heat treatment guidelines!