Old timer told me he's never used a quench tank hotter than tap water...

I was talking to a guy at the local hammer-in last Saturday, and he claimed he's never once heated his quench oil past 60 degrees in 40 years of forging. Everything I've read online says you need it at least 120 to avoid cracking on high carbon steel. Is this guy just lucky or am I overthinking my whole setup?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_beth13d ago

I feel you on this one. A guy I know from the New England Bladesmiths meetup, he's been at it since the 80s and swears by room temp oil for everything including W2 and 1095. He told me he just pulls the blade out at non-magnetic and gets it in the oil fast, no preheating at all. I've cracked three blades this month alone using my setup at 130 degrees, so maybe we're overthinking this whole temperature thing. It's frustrating when the old school guys make it look so easy while we're chasing numbers online.

betty_park6213d ago

Nah, temp matters for thin edges on 1095, room temp oil is a gamble on a good day.