Does your Quench Oil Temp REALLY matter? HT 1084

B

BC Bushcraft

Joined
Jul 27, 2016
Messages
20
Okay okay okay I know.... your quench oil heat matters.

BUT, I am wondering just how much.

Example: Say I was going to HT my 1084 blades but had no way to measure temp of the quench oil.
Could I say heat up a railway spike to cherry red, dunk it and then let it sit in the quench oil, heating it up to an arbitrary temp.

Then HT a smallish blade, roughly 3in edge and 7in overall, in it?

ALSO,
If I wanted to HT a second knife, 2in edge 5in overall, could I double dip in that same quench oil after I had done the first HT?

I am obviously not looking for amazing results, but results that are satisfactory for general purposes.

Suggestions or ideas? and no do not suggest me buying something to read the temp, actually try to solve the problem as if it were a handicap, say in a remote area where you cannot just order stuff online or go to the hardware store, and you could only rely on your knowledge/skills to get the best result in this scenario.

Cheers guys
 
First, get a cheap $10-15 HF laser thermometer. It is perfect for reading the oil temperature.

The oil should be betwen 120 and 130F, but any range between 100 and 150 will work.

If quenching multiple blades start at 115F and let it rise. If doing a lot of blades. freeze a litre bottle of water in the freezer amd use it to cool the oil once it gets above 140F.
 
BC Bushcraft said:
Okay okay okay I know.... your quench oil heat matters.

BUT, I am wondering just how much.

Example: Say I was going to HT my 1084 blades but had no way to measure temp of the quench oil.
Could I say heat up a railway spike to cherry red, dunk it and then let it sit in the quench oil, heating it up to an arbitrary temp.

Then HT a smallish blade, roughly 3in edge and 7in overall, in it?

ALSO,
If I wanted to HT a second knife, 2in edge 5in overall, could I double dip in that same quench oil after I had done the first HT?

I am obviously not looking for amazing results, but results that are satisfactory for general purposes.

Suggestions or ideas? and no do not suggest me buying something to read the temp, actually try to solve the problem as if it were a handicap, say in a remote area where you cannot just order stuff online or go to the hardware store, and you could only rely on your knowledge/skills to get the best result in this scenario.

Cheers guys
Click to expand...

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/5-p...ogleShopping&gclid=CNz_toyW0NICFZW1wAodBQgJqQ

These are ridiculously cheap, I just made a wire hanger for mine. I use them for a few different jobs but they are fine for checking oil temp and submerging them doesn't hurt them, at least it hasn't hurt mine.
 
Why not suggest buying something that can be had for less than 5 bucks and found nearly anywhere?

I don't get it.

There are multiple tools to check the temp of a liquid, and nothing about it is rare or specific to knife making.
 
If you really don't want to buy anything then hear a piece of metal, dunk it with tongs and stick your finger in the oil , when it gets uncomfortable pull the piece back out should be in 130 range.
 
Or you can use Parks #50 and not worry about it.;)
 
I guess I'm misunderstood a bit. I was wondering what you would do if you had no way of measuring temp in a thearetical situation. The finger in the oil is an answer to that, even though I could see that ending badly sometimes lol
 
jdm61 said:
Or you can use Parks #50 and not worry about it.;)
Click to expand...
A $10 temp probe or $160 for a bucket of oil. I pick both lol. But go to Walmart and get a cheep temp probe, the kind you can stick in meat. A little wire as a holder and done. I never understand spending all the time to make a blade and then cheep out on the part that really makes the blade preform. I'm not saying parks 50 is a must but use somthing proven like vegetable oil heated to the required temp. Do everything to the best of your ability and cut no corners.
 
Yeah it really matters. If the two blade sizes you mentioned are the only blades you intend to make then make sure you have enough oil the red hot spike will make a gallon of oil pretty hot. If you intend to make more knives get a cheap thermometer. The quality of performance is the heat treat and QUENCH!
 
MBurks said:
If you really don't want to buy anything then hear a piece of metal, dunk it with tongs and stick your finger in the oil , when it gets uncomfortable pull the piece back out should be in 130 range.
Click to expand...
That is honestly what I do if I am quenching one or more blades. I actually heat the oil up with a Railroad Spike and then heat my blade and quench it.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 
It is so easy to preheat your oil... I don't know why anyone wouldn't(if required, of course).
 
Not my idea but it works really well. I heat my oil in a small electric deep fryer. I use a cheap digital thermometer and I can get the temp very precise. Heat treating 1084 in Canola oil.
 
If you read the info sheets for the oil

it recommends avoiding a certain watts per volume intensity of heat.



So preheating with red hot chunks will reduce your oil life.


Preheating with a low wattage electric heater is better.


You have to decide if it's worth it yourself.
 
BC Bushcraft said:
Okay okay okay I know.... your quench oil heat matters.
Could I say heat up a railway spike to cherry red, dunk it and then let it sit in the quench oil, heating it up to an arbitrary temp.
...and no do not suggest me buying something to read the temp, actually try to solve the problem as if it were a handicap, say in a remote area where you cannot just order stuff online or go to the hardware store, and you could only rely on your knowledge/skills to get the best result in this scenario.
Cheers guys
Click to expand...

C'mon man, you're gonna post a question about half-assed quenching 1084 in veg oil from a minimally filled out new user account, and then expect to be taken seriously?

Of course you're going to get told to go to the store and buy an oil thermometer for less than $10. My suspicion is that you are not in some theoretical situation of not having modern options (you are asking this question on the internet) but that you are a young person with no real budget to invest. That's often the case when someone comes in with a wack beginner question such as this, and their profile not filled out... Nothing wrong with that, but $10 for a thermometer can be scrounged for in pennies if necessary.

And while we're at it, "cherry red" is not a precise color. You at least need a magnet, and even that will just give you an idea of where you are at. The blade will need to be just a bit hotter than non-mag.

Anything worth doing is worth doing right. You are not entitled to receive only the advice you want to hear...
 
Last edited:
Salem Straub said:
C'mon man, you're gonna post a question about half-assed quenching 1084 in veg oil from a minimally filled out new user account, and then expect to be taken seriously?

Of course you're going to get told to go to the store and buy an oil thermometer for less than $10. My suspicion is that you are not in some theoretical situation of not having modern options (you are asking this question on the internet) but that you are a young person with no real budget to invest. That's often the case when someone comes in with a wack beginner question such as this, and their profile not filled out... Nothing wrong with that, but $10 for a thermometer can be scrounged for in pennies if necessary.

And while we're at it, "cherry red" is not a precise color. You at least need a magnet, and even that will just give you an idea of where you are at. The blade will need to be just a bit hotter than non-mag.

Anything worth doing is worth doing right. You are not entitled to receive only the advice you want to hear...
Click to expand...

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
Mcmaster carr fast quench is a cheaper option for those who don't want to spend $150 on parks..On stuff like 1084 and 1095 in thin knife sections it will still hit 65-66rc when done "right"...We use parks to but we still have a couple gallons of McMaster carr fast quench and it was a good quench.Not parks but still pretty good. Much better than walmart quenches.
A gallon is only $20..
https://www.mcmaster.com/#quenching-oil/=16r7mxb
 
That's the same price I paid for Parks? $96 for a 5 gallon bucket plus shipping.
 
I know I think I paid about $130 for 5 gallons of parks shipped to me but many guys just wanting to do a few blades only need a gallon or two.
 
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