Will Brouwers Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 I think this is the right place to put this, although it is more a celebration of new possibilities than anything. One of my neighbors gave me 4 quarts of new 0w-40 motor oil and I spent the last hour testing out pieces of scrap that I had that I thought might be high carbon. With this oil and the capabilities it gave me, I finished making my first tool, a hot cut chisel!! I’m pretty excited, because now I feel like a “real” blacksmith! I should also add that I have actual quench oil on my list of things to buy, this motor oil just came to me and I decided to see what I could do with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 Will, it looks like you forge and quench outside which is good because the smoke and fumes from quenching in motor oil, new or used, can be toxic due to the various additives. Not drop you in your tracks toxic but not good stuff to be breathing. That said, I used motor oil as a quenchant for years before I came to the light and bought a couple gallons of generic Wally World cooking oil. I don't do a lot of quenching of high carbon steel and quenchants don't see a lot of use in my shop. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 Even new motor oil is not a good quenchant. According to British metallurgist Graham Clarke, the additives that go into engine oil (detergents and the like) lower the boiling point of the oil, which increases the problems you run into with vapor jacket formation. This results in a slower, uneven quench. Proper quench oils have very few additives, so the boiling point remains high. Mr. Clarke’s discussion of quenchants starts at the 4:47 mark in this video: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Yv5Xz8rI6Fs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Brouwers Posted June 11, 2022 Author Share Posted June 11, 2022 I really appreciate the concern, both for my health and for the consistency of my forging. Before this, all I had was water, partly because if I was going to spend money on quench, it was going to be the good stuff. I am aware of how bad motor oil is to use, but for the price and the ability to practice, it worked just fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Griffin Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 Regular old canola oil is the good stuff. Unless you use some of the more exotic steels all you need is canola oil and water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 Dr. Larren Thomas has a good overview of quenching oils here: https://youtu.be/Vdy0nvVEtJY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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