I’ve always wanted to torch color a stainless steel yo-yo and now I have one, but should I do it? Is there any down side? Can it introduce vibe? What do you think?
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I wouldn’t…heat that colors steel can do things to the crystalline structure of the steel.
In can induce warping, brittleness, softness, all sorts of things. I wouldn’t take the risk, maybe depending on if you knew the alloys and the TTT heat treatment diagrams for it…but even then I wouldn’t personally.
And I’m talking as a guy that has his own heat treatment setup for various steels.
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Good to know. That’s what I was afraid of.
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This is just my opinion on torching steel…
Think of it this way> You have a 1 in 3 chance of improving the yo-yos looks.
If you torch a steel yoyo(even if you know what you are doing(metalurgically speaking)(not sure if that is even an official word), it can come out 1. Looking better…2. Looking worse… or 3. Looking about the same level of nice.
The actual technical effect the heat will have on the steel, depends in part on what your source of heat is. A body shop torch? A propane or butane or MAPP gas torch?
And the setting(if using a commercial type torch with interchangeable tips) is very important. If you use the wrong tip it, that is the start of the problem. If you use a suitable size tip, then you have to consider the type of flame you adjust>
If you use too much acetylene, you have a carburizing flame. If you use too much oxygen, you have an oxidizing flame.
Metals are cast or forged into very unique molecular matrixes. <Just think of it as filling a shoebox with marbles of the same size. The marbles settle very evenly and the spaces between the marbles are ‘the same’. The cool metal then has a individual set of characteristics that meet certain criteria: yield strength, sheer strength, ductility, elongation, etc.
Heating steel incorrectly, moves the ‘marbles’ around and is not a good thing.
I am no yo-yo torching specialist…. Not even close. But I am a Structural Welder and fabricator and have over 50 years of experience ‘doing things to metal’, lol.
Torching your yo-yo may be a fun and interesting adventure. It may be seriously fun.
Just make sure you are prepared to not get upset if you destroy your toy.
What do you intend to use to torch the yo-yo? That would be a good start to moving in the right direction.
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Thank you. I’m not going to do it.
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This might be an option. When Dressel dropped the Assassin I had emailed this company to see if there was any toxicity etc. on a hand held user item. Two emails went unanswered and I didn’t care enough to call. There may also be something in the literature I failed to see and already answered which is why I didn’t get a reply?
Edit: The link I thought I posted… https://steelfxpatinas.com/shop/stainless-fx-stainless-steel-patina/
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That could be a good option provided the important bits are masked. Although that might not even matter much.
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Let me know how it turns out, I’ve got a heist. I also have cryo available…….