How is best to anneal brass headlamp rings

[alsfarms]

I am starting to restore the headlamp rings on my 1929 Nash. Because of the way they were formed, they are very prone to stress cracking. What is the procedure for softening (annealing) the headlamp ring so they will stop trying to stress crack. I plan to silver solder the cracks and shape them for new plating. Would you suggest annealing before and after repairs or just before plating? I do not want to see any additional stress cracks again.

Thanks,

Alan

[Coley]

Don't think I would anneal them.

Just solder up the cracks and replate.

What you are seeing is the same type of cracking old pot-metal parts have from the lead in early alloys.

Not so much forming stress as poor alloys + way too long time out in the regular world.

[Coley]

I just today, made the same repair on a 1927 Henney headlight.

Took out a couple dents and repaired the hole on the bottom that holds the screw for the bezel.

[Guest martylum]

Alan-I have items for early cars renickled or chromed on a regular basis. My chrome plater has an annealing furnace with which they treat all items to be plated subject to work hardening and cracking.

E mail me for my plater's name if interested.

Marty@oldercar.com

Martin Lum

[Guest Mochet]

Brass is much easier to work if annealed first. It becomes "work-hardened" after stamping, spinning and shaping, and this makes it hard to straighten and shape. You cannot harden brass with heat like you can with steel, so heating it will make it softer. You may heat it with a propane torch, then let it cool slowly, or quench it in water; either way is OK. Here is a good article on the subject. It applies to re-loaders, but the same process will work on headlights and other brass parts.

Phil