I've got a nice cylindrical steel kitchen trash can with a galvanized removable insert. Was thinking that it might be a nice large quench tank. Can one safely oil quench (canola) in a galvanized container or would that be problematic?

No problem; the oil will be burning before you have temps where the galvanization will be an issue.

That's no problem Jon, galvy/zinc has to be heated into the low orange to give off significant zinc oxide fumes and if your quench oil hits more than maybe 600f. putting the raging fire out will be a greater concern. 

Something with a lid you can put on it quickly is a really good idea. Never, NEVER, NEVER try to put an oil fire out with water  !!! Smother it, or dry chem or CO2 extinguishers only. 

My quench tank is a 15 gal. grease barrel with lid in a cut down 55 gal. drum with lid. I cut and dropped a piece of 14 ga steel in the 15 gal barrel to prevent punching holes in the thin barrel, the outer drum is containment if I get a boil over or fire. One lid on the quench barrel and another on the 55 gal containment drum, shut off the forge and leave the shop till the smoke clears. This is the scary time, the oil smoke is flammable and there is a HOT propane forge sitting too darned close for comfort. Even with the burner shut off the forge itself is HOT.

Ah HAH, we're online at the same time again. Good morning Thomas. 

Frosty The Lucky.

Can I throw in another NEVER!   (Don't even try it for fun---unless you are really really into pain and don't mind permanent disfigurement!)

Many thanks indeed! For general 5160/1075/1084 quenching, do you all think that canola is good or should I be using something else? And do you always preheat the oil to 130 or so? I have generally done this as a routine matter when quenching these steels.

why not get a real quench oil?

Which one for these steels? I don't want anything too fast right?

I use McMaster Carr 11 second oil, the pinned post covers most of it here 

https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/33919-oil-quench-what-type-to-use/

Thanks

brand new to forging.  Actually, my 14 year old son is and I am just along for the ride.  he is wanting something to use for quenching.  would a Galvanized Metal trash Can with a Detached Lid work?  do you have to heat the oil?  we were going to have it outside

A galvanized trash can should be ok.  The only real danger posed by galvanized containers would be if you happened to somehow get the zinc hot enough to oxidize.  Then you could end up with fumes it would be best not to breathe.   If you are wanting to go the extra step with safety, you should create what is essentially a container within a container, both with their own lids.   When we quench, sometimes the rapidly expanding oil will end up splashing outside the quench container.   Hot oil is fairly flammable, so you can imagine what happens if oil is on fire and running away from your quench tank.   However, if your quench tank is inside a larger container with a lid then you can just put the lid on to snuff the flames and everything is contained safely.  Having it outside limits the likelihood of catching something else on fire of course, but even leaves or other flammable debris can  be an issue.

As far as heating the oil goes,  the answer is "it depends."    Some quenching oils do not require warming.  If you are using something like peanut oil or canola oil then you will probably want to warm those up before quenching.  Somewhere around 120 to 130 F is usually suitable for those types of oils.  What you are trying to accomplish is a low enough viscosity for the quenchant to remain in contact with the hot steel as much as possible during the quench. You'll get the best results from doing exactly the same thing every time once you dial in what works for you with a given alloy, but generally speaking you can warm the oil by dunking a hot piece of metal in it and stirring.  You don't need some fancy and expensive device - especially not for simple alloys when you are beginning.  

Not with out modification it wont. I learned that the hard way. Most trash cans are not sealed on the bottom and the oil will run out. 

I use an old air compressor tank. Turned on end with feet welded on. 

You could probably seal the seam with solder fairly easily, at least if it’s clean. 

Welcome aboard Shurter, glad to have you. If you put your general location in the header you'll have a much better chance of meeting up with a member living within visiting distance. 

My quench tank is a 15gla. "grease" barrel like you see at service stations and contain grease, ATF, gear oil, etc. It is in a cut down 55gal drum in case of boil over or fire. Both have lids. The quench tank also has a round piece of 1/4" steel laid on the bottom as armer against poked holes AND I quench small items in a wire basket I can lower in the oil. I preheat the oil with a piece of 2" dia. mild steel bar I bring to low red heat in the forge and rest it in the oil while I heat the project for heat treating.

I wouldn't use a galvanized trash can, they're NOT liquid tight and are flimsy. Believe me it doesn't take a very large piece of steel dropped in the quench tank to poke a hole in the bottom, let alone someone poking a project in too fast or stirring too fast and banging the sides or bottom.

Spilled oil on the shop floor is not only a possible fire hazard but it IS A DEFINITE slip hazard. If you think about it I'll bet you'd HATE to slip and fall while carrying a piece of steel at critical heat. 

Frosty The Lucky.

my tank is an old Oxy tank cut down, holds 15 gal or so