Bottle Opener - Heat Treat?

For general topics and questions that do not fit into any of the other categories or forums.
Post Reply
shawnbassplayer
1/2 Star Member
1/2 Star Member
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2014 12:03 pm

Bottle Opener - Heat Treat?

Post by shawnbassplayer »

So I want to plasma cut out some bottle openers for friends and family as well as possibly selling them.

I'm sure quite a few people have done it in here... so I figured I'd get some good advice before I do it.

I'm looking at the 2 most common styles... flat metal with a hole cut in it. And the style made with thicker plate with a notch cut into the side.

What thickness should I do? Do I have to heat treat and temper afterwords?

Any advice would be appreciated.
Endless_Plasma
1/2 Star Member
1/2 Star Member
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2018 4:27 pm

Re: Bottle Opener - Heat Treat?

Post by Endless_Plasma »

I will reply to possibly start the conversation. I am new to this as well, but you shouldn't need too much thickness for bottle openers. I have seen some pretty thin functioning versions given away as trade show handouts. This one will come down to how much you care about the finished outcome. A nice thick piece can feel sturdy and "manly" in when opening the beer. If you are worried about it being too thin, cut a few test pieces out. Now comes the hard part.... testing them by opening beers and enjoying the bounty!!!

The Plasma process actually hardens the edge when cutting. That might be enough to make it hold up, depending on the gauge of material you start out with. If your end goal is to make a conversation piece that will possibly be passed down with a family name on it, then heat treating is never a bad idea in my opinion.

Happy cutting
abmetal
4 Star Elite Contributing Member
4 Star Elite Contributing Member
Posts: 797
Joined: Mon Dec 26, 2011 8:37 pm
Location: Southeast Missouri

Re: Bottle Opener - Heat Treat?

Post by abmetal »

I made a couple of prototypes yesterday...1 from 14g and the other from 16g stainless. The 16ga hooks under the bottle cap better than the 14ga.

Allen
Post Reply

Return to “CNC Plasma Cutters General Forum”