We anneal stainless AISI 430 shells at 550 degrees Celsius and cook between tuning rounds at 325. Both recipes have a warm-up time of 30 minutes and two hours of actual peak temperature. Opening the door at peak temperature will cause a faster cool down and will mostly make your steel feel harder when tuning, it might also have an influence on the final sound.
Temperatures are thus considerably higher than with DC04 and we recommend to experiment close to the aforementioned temperatures. It’s also worth considering not every oven is calibrated the same, the placement of the shell and the thermometer in the oven can also have an effect on the actual temperature of the shell and the temperature you read on your oven’s display.
What is your preferred recipe for annealing and between tuning rounds?
