Tried a new quenching oil after using the same canola for years

I was working on a set of small kitchen knives from 1084 steel and decided to test Parks 50 against my old canola oil for the quench. The Parks oil gave me a much harder blade with way less warping, which was a huge relief after fighting bent pieces last month. Has anyone else made a switch like that and seen a big jump in how your work turns out?

3 comments

3 Comments

lucasw846h ago

Switched to a fast oil like that a while back for some tool steel. The difference in hardness was obvious right away, and it practically stopped the warping issue I had with vegetable oils. Seems like the quicker quench just works better for simple steels. Stuck with it since then because the results are so much more reliable. No more straightening jigs for every single blade.

fiona_carr264h ago

Ever try quenching in water and just hoping for the best?

miller.thomas54m ago

Hold up, canola worked fine for years, why mess with it? That fancy oil is expensive and a pain to get. Honestly, @fiona_carr26 might be onto something with the simple water quench for some steels, you just have to be careful.