It shouldn't matter whether you quench them or let them air cool, it's 
the process of heating the metal that has the major effect, but if you 
quench the washer then you definately won't get burned when you try to 
pick it up with your fingers, so maybe it's not a bad idea.
--
evan
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 > From vanagon@lenti.med.umn.edu  Mon Oct 17 14:16:27 1994
 > Date: Mon, 17 Oct 94 16:04:48 CDT
 > Errors-To: gsker@lenti.med.umn.edu
 > Reply-To: vanagon@lenti.med.umn.edu
 > Originator: vanagon@lenti.med.umn.edu
 > Sender: vanagon@lenti.med.umn.edu
 > From: walshp@ippdsgi3.nawc-ad-indy.navy.mil (Pat Walsh)
 > To: Multiple recipients of list <vanagon@lenti.med.umn.edu>
 > Subject: Re: copper washers??
 > X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas
 >
 > Evan Estern writes:
 > >I've been heating and reusing the copper washers on oilfill plugs for 
 > >years.  I used to be a goldsmith, did alot of model making in copper.  
 > >Copper gets brittle when worked and requires annealing by heat to make it 
 > >soft again.  As you continually reheat and reuse (i.e. reharden) the 
 > >metal it will start to get flatter and wider.  After 3 or 4 times you'd 
 > >be better off replacing the wAsher with a new one.
 > So do you quench them or let them "air cool"?  :-)
 >
 > Pat Walsh, '71 Westy, walshp@ippdsgi3.nawc-ad-indy.navy.mil
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