Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more
General => General Chat => Topic started by: RedLeader on September 23, 2012
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I used an aluminium frying pan (one that doubles as a pot lid) on a fairly hot open fire (to make Bannock) and I noticed when I went to wash it that it has now become very soft - I can bend it easily. Can aluminium lose strength if it hits a certain temperature? Just to note, it was a pretty cheap (but perfectly serviceable pot set) like these but up until now they had seemed perfectly hardy.
(http://i.imgur.com/c4YTk.jpg)
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If you heat aluminium to a certain point it anneals (becomes soft). Normally with a wet meal this wouldnt occur since the heat is easily dissipated by the food. Perhaps you have overheated it. Unfortunately, it will be difficult to restore the hardness.
Fred
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heat it up hot, like really hot and plunge it into a sink of cold water and the hardness will be back. Probably Harder than before to be fair.
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That's the sort if experiment I can get behind! So what's the sciencey goodness that's going on here?
heat it up hot, like really hot and plunge it into a sink of cold water and the hardness will be back. Probably Harder than before to be fair.