Cooling

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is there anything one can do to speed up the cooling process - fan i would guess; spray bottle of water? or does that lead to cracking? - ice? - thanks ed (yes i am a noob!)
Reply:Yes - don't sit and wait for it, go work on something else.  Seriously, I used to think the same thing. Then I realized it's a waste of time to sit there and cool the work. Now I just go work on something else while it cools.John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:I just dip it in a bucket of water if the work piece is small.-Clarke 130EN-Miller MaxStar 150STL-Miller Elite 29' Roadster
Reply:300 series stainless steels and other austenitic nickel alloys like Inconel can be quenched and will not harden.Generally it is a good idea not to quench carbon and alloy steels, as they will harden and become brittle to varying degrees depending on the alloy content.A very low carbon steel, like AISI 1010 (10 points carbon, 0.10% by weight), will not gain much hardness from quenching.I had production assembly line, automated MIG welds on a low alloy steel that had to be quenched to protect internal components.  The quenching was proved acceptable by hydrobursting.