Vent: 2 hours at the Pittsburgh Hammer-In changed how I heat treat

I always thought quenching in water was fine for most stuff until a guy at the Pittsburgh Hammer-In showed me a blade warped from it. He dunked a similar piece in warm canola oil and it came out straight and hard. Anyone else switch to oil after seeing a demo like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

lilyfisher29d ago

That water quench story is a good one, but there's actually a bit more to it. Some carbon steels like W2 or 1095 really need a fast quench to get full hardness, and water is sometimes the only thing that works for them. The trick is that you have to get the steel to the right temp and move it perfectly straight down into the water. Oil is definitely more forgiving for a lot of steels, but it's not always the best choice. That demo probably used a simpler steel like 1084 or 5160 that does great in oil. It might be worth trying both on a few test pieces to see what works with the steel you have.

dakota78729d ago

That "only water works for W2 and 1095" bit is a little off. I've hardened plenty of 1095 in warm canola oil and got full hardness with a file skatin off it. You just have to dial in the soak time and temperature right. Oil is way more forgiving for stuff like that if you know your steel.