White paper steel quench medium?

[running bird]

After spending almost 2 years practicing my forging and heat treatment skills I decided to order some Hitachi steels. I've looked into these steels for a long time and I've always wanted to try them out. I have a bar of 1/4" blue steel #2 with 22layer mildsteel laminate. I also have a 1/8" bar of white steel #2, standard san mai laminate.

I was wonder how long of a soak I should do for both steels before the quench? the spec sheets that make with the steels say a 5-10 min soak if possible. Will a 5min soak be good enough or must I do a 10min to get the best results?

I use a gas forge and I have been able to use my set up to soak steels before but I have never done over 5min for a steel before. I have been practicing this for quite some time now and I am confident in my ability to do so, but I'm still a little worried.

If a 5min soak isn't good enough do you recommend I just spend the money and send my blade off to be heat treated? I'd rather not have to do that because I really want to learn the most I can by experiencing these steels.

As for the quench medium would a 3sec quench in warm brine, hallowed by 5sec in hot canola oil work fine? I want to maximize hardness but I want to minimize the risk for cracking.

Thanks for helping,
Kevin

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

8% Brine is the traditional quenchant for Hitachi #1 white. That said, I use Parks #50. It gets the steel hard and the risk of cracking is eliminated. Since yo will have to temper it either way, the end result will be the same. I don't think an interrupted double quench would be worth the trouble. If it is going to crack, that will start in the brine. Moving to the oil won't undo any cracks that have started. The only advantage of doing an interrupted double quench would be if trying to develop a complex hamon.

 

[running bird]

I guess I'll just stick with oil to be safe then. maybe later down the road I'll exprarement with water quenching when I'm more experienced with that.

Thanks for helping out