annealing

Definition

The therapeutic spa treatment for metals and glass, involving heating them up and then cooling them down in a controlled manner to relieve internal stresses. This heat treatment makes materials less brittle and more workable, essentially giving them anger management therapy at the molecular level. Blacksmiths and glassblowers have been doing this for centuries, though they probably didn't call it stress relief.

Example Usage

After annealing the glass piece overnight, the artist could safely cut and shape it without fear of spontaneous cracking.

Source: Metallurgical and materials science terminology

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