sage5907---In post #45, lonniemike states in part: "Heating brass softens it. It doesn't matter how it is cooled. Fast or slow or water cooling does change the softening effect.
You can not or do not quench brass as steels would be by properly cooling."
Brass is hardened by working it. It is softened by annealing, but all that dropping it in water does is to immediately halt the anneal process. Immediate termination of the anneal prevents the (remote) possibility of sufficient heat spreading down into the web area, softening it. Water quenching is simply an extra safeguard, sort of a belt and suspenders sort of thing.
You can not or do not quench brass as steels would be by properly cooling."
Brass is hardened by working it. It is softened by annealing, but all that dropping it in water does is to immediately halt the anneal process. Immediate termination of the anneal prevents the (remote) possibility of sufficient heat spreading down into the web area, softening it. Water quenching is simply an extra safeguard, sort of a belt and suspenders sort of thing.