IEEE GlobalSpec will retain this data until you change or delete it, which you may do at any time. If you ever get into making your own knives or tools, at some point you will need to quench a knife. Ltd. © Copyright 2020 GlobalSpec - All rights reserved. There are several commercially available quenching oils on the market.

ACCESS When you oil quench steel forgings, there’s also less risk of cracking compared to water quenching or polymer quenching.

I may write an article later explaining this in more detail. Hardening allows for better wear and edge retention.

Long pliers or blacksmith tongs work good to get your hands out of the way. Notify me about educational white papers. Common media for quenching include special-purpose polymers, forced air convection, freshwater, saltwater, and oil. Chances are you have some in your shop or garage right now. Copyright @ 2018. Image Credit: Machinery Lubrication. If we didn’t do this the steel would be too soft to make a good knife. It has some advantages and disadvantages. These images show the differences in analytical spectra of new and degraded oils: Figure 4A - IR Spectra of a New vs. An oven heats metal components to extreme temperatures and then submerged in a liquid bath for rapid cooling. #50 quenching oil comes close to matching the quench speed of water. Figure 1 - Typical cooling curves and cooling-rate curves for new oils.

Quenching oil serves two primary functions. FREE TO THE Never have your face directly over the oil quenchant container.

IEEE GlobalSpec collects only the personal information you have entered above, your device information, and location data. Image credit: Machinery Lubrication, Figure 4B - IR Spectra of a New vs. It facilitates hardening of steel by controlling heat transfer during quenching, and it enhances wetting of steel during quenching to minimize the formation of undesirable thermal and transformational gradients which may lead to increased distortion and cracking. Selection tip: Quench oils typically require moisture content levels below 0.1 percent.

Quenching oil and heat treatment fluids are designed for rapid or controlled cooling of steel or other metals as part of a hardening, tempering or other heat-treating process. Yes, water, brine or caustic will get the steel harder.

Quenching is our case is when we heat a high carbon knife blade to a high temperature and quickly cool it. ThermTech, Inc. That’s not a good thing if you are using your wife’s oven for this! Search manufacturer catalogs by these specifications: I agree to receive commercial messages from GlobalSpec including product announcements and event invitations, AAA quenching oil is the most popular and widely used quenchant offered by Park. These oils are specifically design for this and have special properties that make them faster or slower quenchants. It will work fine. What is your favorite oil to quench your project knives in?

Parks is a common brand that is used as a commercial quench oil. Both can be found fairly easily but if you can’t find mineral oil, baby oil will work. However, #50 will give you a less severe and a much more uniform quench that water will. Capabilities for Oil Quenching Steel To warm the oil before quenching simply heat a piece of scrap steel and drop it into the oil. Also certain carbon steels quench better in certain oils than others.