How To My Quench Tank Build

M

Marc Cooper

Joined
Apr 7, 2019
Messages
60
Hey All

After spending the past year practising knife making, it always surprised me how many people take their quench tanks for granted.

I've seen many many people using things like plastic buckets or pails for quench tanks. Not only is this a ridiculous fire hazard, it seems like a good way to contaminate perfectly good quench oil. I live in Newfoundland and getting oil shipped here is ridiculously expensive so I decided to design my own tanks.

With the help of a good friend, I built 3 quench tanks out of 4" aluminum pipe and I thought I'd share my build.

The tanks are built totally from aluminum to avoid rust. They are 3.5 feet high and have built in thermometers with the thermometer sensor contained within 0.25" aluminum tubes within the larger tube to save them from being damaged from hot steel. They are mounted on large base plates with casters for easy movement. I also used some aluminum sheet metal to make thermometer mounts which also give me a great place to put a label identifying the oil type. I use simple aluminum plates as covers to keep dust or other contaminates out when not in use.

To heat the tanks, I used stick-on 110V engine block heaters that are stuck to the bottom of the base underneath the tube. It gets my Parks AAA up to 120 F in about 6-7 minutes. I like this as there are no heaters in the oil and very little fire hazard. These heaters are designed to be used under vehicles so they are very fire safe.

Hope you enjoy my build. I plan on building another 3 horizontal quench tanks this winter for larger projects. I'll share those once they're finished.


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More a personal preference I guess but 4” is to small at least for the volume of stuff I do. Running the numbers real quick and that only holds 2.26 gallons if filled the the very top. That honestly is not enough oil to quench anything that would be close to needing the depth of your quench tube. I run 5gal in my tanks and wish it was 10. Yes I do a lot of blades but I feel 5gal is the minimum unless all your quenching is say folder blades or small paring knives. Also that looks like it’s just asking to be tipped over. Honestly a real good quench tank option is the old steel 5 gal fuel cans. Cut out the section between the handles and bam you have plenty of room for agitation and if you leave the bung you can attach the tube and pour it back into your container when it’s time to clean out the tank.
 
I had a quench tank built like the one you show when I first started, had a welder do it for me.
now I use a tall ammo can...works better for me and as JT said, holds 5 gallons, I think its the 81mm ammo can
 
Good catch, JT. I missed the size/volume part.

Yes, you want 3 to 5 gallons to quench long blades and swords. I have a 5"X42" tank (filled about 38" deep) that holds a tad less than 3 gallons. It will heat my Parks #50 to over 100F in one sword quench. I have a military rocket shipping case in aluminum that is 48" high and about 8X12"W/L. I will put it in the new shop and add a bottom center circulation jet. I also have an oil cooler system I made a long time ago to hook into the circulator plumbing. It holds about 17 gallons when filled 44" deep. The lid flips open on hinges and seals airtight. I will weld it to a 36X48 base and put big wheels on the base. My smaller quench tanks will also be on the base. I will build a set of aluminum steps that will get me at a suitable height for safe quenching in the tall tank.
 
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