Sparta

I used the peanut oil and did good for the file test. I haven't been aggressive with the knife at all. It looks ugly but it will cut nice. I wouldn't say it is a terrible knife. Functionally it will work fine. As I said, I am using scrap metal for now until I find my groove then buy steel to make a more purdy knife.

I am waiting for my propane tank to arrive so I can get to work. Haven't gone to town to see what is in stock but I will keep you posted to see how it goes. I do have one question. Do I need to preheat the oil before quenching? Or is room temp ok? Here is the link that I could not get to work. It was under the beginners heat treating section. https://www.iforgeiron.com/url] Thanks again for all the info. Again all tips are welcome!

I live in the middle of nowhere in Minnesota. I am limited on getting peanut oil. It is about 45 miles to get to a town over 10,000 and a Chinese restaurant. With that being said, I don't mind traveling if I have to, I want to do everything right the first time, I would like to hear other options before jumping on a bandwagon and rolling with it. I am looking to start with small buck knives out of scrap material as I said. Material such a old knives from a stock chopper, old parts, ect. So I wouldn't need a whole lot of oil but enough to get me by while I figure my own way of doing things. All other hints and tips are welcomed. I would prefer to do my own research, so any other places to look would be great! Thanks for your time

I am a beginner and I have read through most of the threads. From what I gathered, is that I should stay away from used motor oil. That is what I was planning on using. I have seen that people use various oils, such as canola, veggie, and oils from fast foods. To start with I am going to use scrap metal around the farm. Is there an oil that works for all kinds of steel? From the threads I have looked at I did not see a ratios or percentages on the oil. Am I missing something or is there a better place to find my information? The link from Mr. Sells didn't work for me. So I have tried to looking.