Seth O Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 I will be using this steel to make a neck knife for work. The only question i have is, am not sure what kind of knife makers quenching oil i should get. I know they have several different kinds for example a slow cooling quench oil or a fast quench oil. Would this oil be good http://www.knifemaking.com/product-p/bs101.htm it is Chevron Texaco 70 Quench Oil 1 Gallon.Premium quality quenching oil designed to provide controlled cooling of steel which is important in steel hardening. When quenching is started, Chevron Quenching Oil 70 provides a high initial cooling rate inducing maximum hardness, yet once the critical transformation temperature is passed, the ideal fluid cooling rate decreases to eliminate the possibility of stresses and metal distortion. This highly stable oil resists the oxidizing affects of quenching and is less sensitive to the effects of agitation. It is highly heat resistant. No additive replacement is required and, in normal service, the product retains the original viscosity indefinitely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 (edited) Seth: There is NO perfect oil for the small scale bladesmith. If a knifemaking web site is recommending A product then they're the folk to ask. However it may just be marketing hype to sell you something. Of course that just might be my sceptical old been burned by believing adds too many times self talking. The more glorious the hype the more suspicious I am.Have you checked out the IFI heat treating sections? Don't expect to find specific answers even if there are threads about the alloy you wish to work. Different guys use different quenchants, the real magic is often in the tempering. There are so many variables involved in heat treatment it's frankly impossible to make claims like you've listed honestly. Really, Joe blade guy makes a bowie profile suitable for disjointing plains buffalo and Sedric blade guy makes straight razors from the same steel. Their heat treatment will be a world different because of the thickness, profile and intended use of their blades.So no, I don't think THAT oil will do what they claim anywhere BUT their labs.Frosty The Sceptical Old Fart. Edited July 6, 2015 by Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony San Miguel Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Parks 50 is highly recomended. A place in Dallas sells it. I'm sure there are other places and it sometimes sells under a different name but most knifemakers call it Parks 50. It's not cheap though and I believe the smallest volume it sells in is 5 gallons. If you aren't going to keep making knives I would use warm (130°) canola oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo T Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 What kind of equipment are you using? If you have a well calibrated temperature control for your forge or oven, and are going to make a bunch of knives (or just shooting for the best you can do) the added expense is justified if you believe it is. If you are judging the temperature by color and tempering the blade at the forge then the warm canola oil as suggested, is a good bet. I have even read posts from smiths that suggest quenching in warm water with some surfactant in it. Although the counterpoint to the warm water is that you might want to forge up a number of blades in the event of catastrophic failure on quench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth O Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) Thanks for the info guys. I will be using a makeshift kiln from refractory bricks with a benzomatic torch, using MAPP gas as the heat source. So i guess i will just use a cheap oil since i will be using the color, magnet and file test. I will be using a cheap toaster oven and the gas oven from the kitchen. The gas oven can get over 500 F i believe, i could be wrong. Sorry for the bad grammar, i just put commas wherever it looks good lol. Edited July 9, 2015 by Seth O Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo T Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Get a cheap oven thermometer and bury the blade in a pan of sand to help level out the temperature fluctuations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Don't sweat it Seth, I like commas too. I get my heat treat oil from the local Safeway, I was hoping for donut fryer oil but got the other. My shop smells like egg rolls when I harden steel. They change oil pretty often and I left a 5gl. jug with them and stopped back every couple days. They were more than happy to give me the oil especially after I told them I'm a blacksmith and use it for hardening tools. The old, "A REAL blacksmith!? They're a dieing breed aren't they?" reaction. Fryer oil from a donut shop would probably smell better but. . .Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Doughnut fry oil is bad for your health---you end up eating too many doughnuts when the craving hits after hardening blades in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Doughnut fry oil is bad for your health---you end up eating too many doughnuts when the craving hits after hardening blades in it.Inhaling doughnuts is just a saying Seth, don't let Thomas fool you, just because he does. Doughnut fryer oil is the best thing for your shop. People will be wandering in from blocks away for a sample. Be sure to have a nice display of knives on hand. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Frosty I had to turn my insulin pump up to 11 just thinking about doughnuts! But it sure is a better smell than rancid fish fry oil... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony San Miguel Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) I have some turkey fryer oil that I saved from thanksgiving to use as a quench. What has kept me from using it is that I wonder about all the salt that no doubt is in it from the turkey and hushpuppies and everything else we cooked in it. Could that make the steel more likely to rust, especially the knives? Or am I concerned for nothing. I know that the oil gets cleaned off after the quench, but?? Edited July 9, 2015 by Anthony San Miguel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Nothing. A brine quench is even suggested for some alloys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony San Miguel Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 After quench, temper and finish, should any additional care be given to steel that's been quenched in brine or anything containing salt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Salt doesn't penetrate the steel, clean it and finish it like normal. No problem.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony San Miguel Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Salt doesn't penetrate the steel, clean it and finish it like normal. No problem.Frosty The Lucky.Is this because of the transformation that is taking place in the metal at that temperature? I'm just trying to understand and it may sound dumb, but I know if I accidently take my knife swimming in the ocean with me it will have rust on it that evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Have you read anything of the pinned post yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 No it's not due to the transformation; if anything heat would increase the possibility of rusting as it increases every chemical process.Do you rinse/clean that knife after swimming and remove the outer layer of steel like you would do with a blade that has been heat treated? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony San Miguel Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 No it's not due to the transformation; if anything heat would increase the possibility of rusting as it increases every chemical process.Do you rinse/clean that knife after swimming and remove the outer layer of steel like you would do with a blade that has been heat treated?Oh, okay, thanks. I know brine quenches are frequently used in low and medium carbon steels that wouldn't harden up well in oil. I thought it might be something as simple as that, the fact that you clean up the outer layer after quench. Just wasn't sure. Rust makes me cringe when I see it on something I made or a nice tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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