TIL quenching oil temperature matters way more than I thought

I cracked two blades in a row last month before a guy at the Mid-Ohio Forge-in told me my canola oil needed to be at 130F, not just warm. Anyone else chase temps or just wing it like I did?

3 comments

3 Comments

cole_murphy13d ago

2018 was the year I stopped checking oil temp entirely and my blades came out better. Canola oil straight from the bottle at room temp works just fine for 1084 and 1095. Cracking is usually from uneven heat on the steel or rushing the quench, not the oil being 20 degrees off.

hugotaylor12d ago

My first batch cracked when I tried to temper them in the oven while the wife was baking cookies. Guess whose knife got the residual heat treatment and whose got tossed in the snow.

paul_ramirez12d ago

...and then @cole_murphy over here just raw dogging cold canola oil and getting better results than me. Guess I'll toss my infrared thermometer in the trash and join the chaos.