[Jewelry making - Article 01649] - Re: [Orchid] To quench or not to quench, that is the question

[leonid Surpin]

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    I will try to be as clear as I can on this subject. My apologies for
    the nuclear physics stuff. 

    When we anneal, we want to move atoms in the original position or
    close to it. 

    In order to do it, atoms need energy. The energy is supplied by the
    torch. When we heat the metal, we transfer energy of the torch to the
    atom composing the metal. 

    When we transfer so much energy that atoms can really move freely,
    the metal start behaving like liquid. It melts. 

    But we do not want to do it in our case. We need to bring metal to
    the temperature when atoms just starting to move. 

    How can we tell this magic moment? When the temperature is right,
    some of the atom on the surface of the metal, due to direct contact
    with the flame would acquire so much energy that electrons of such
    atoms would start moving in high energy positions. Once these
    positions are reached, they cannot be sustained for long, so such
    electrons would fall back to the lower energy position, but not
    necessarily to the original. In this process of falling back, the
    excess of energy would be released and we can see it as metal begins
    to glow. 

    The more intense the process, the brighter color of the glow. We want
    to stop at the bare beginning, which can only be detected in the
    dark. 

    I hope that trying to relate this process to the color of the
    cherry, I did not cause anybody going to the supermarket and seeing
    yellow cherry on display, going back to his shop and trying to anneal
    at that temperature, because it would certainly cause metal to
    evaporate. 

Leonid Surpin
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