My take on quenching in warm oil instead of hot

I know most folks say to heat your quenching oil to around 130-150 degrees for best results, but I've been testing it at room temp for the last six months. I do smaller blades like kitchen knives and hunting knives, nothing over 10 inches. The hard part is getting a clean quench without cracks, and everyone told me warm oil is the only safe way. I tried it cold by accident one day when I forgot to preheat the bucket, and the blade came out just as hard with no issues. I've done about 15 blades since then at around 70 degrees and only had one crack, which was my fault for a bad grind. Has anyone else played with lower oil temps or am I just lucky so far?

3 comments

3 Comments

wilson.olivia4d ago

The 1084 and 5160 I've run at 75 degrees came out fine on blades under 1/8 inch thick, but anything thicker than that I'd warm it up to 120 to be safe. Thin geometry and lower carbon content seem to take the cold quench without the same shock issues you'd see on a big chopper or a 1095 blade. If you're getting good results and the file skates off the edge, I'd say keep going but watch for any micro cracks when you etch them.

violag804d ago

Used to think you had to blast everything hot or you'd get nothing but a soft edge. Your point about thin geometry and lower carbon content handling the cold quench makes a lot of sense though, never really broke it down like that before. Might have to rethink how I'm heating up my thinner stock, starting to see why my old method was overkill.

mason_reed474d ago

That cold quench worry is real, hate finding cracks after all that work.