Okay so is the quench oil temperature actually critical or are we overthinking it like I did with a blade in Phoenix last July

I see guys swearing by exactly 130 degrees for Parks 50 while others just dunk it cold out of the forge, but after I cracked a 1080 blade that was my best yet I'm wondering if that margin is wider than folks admit, what's your experience with oil temps and how far off can you really get before it matters?

2 comments

2 Comments

susan4247d ago

Oh man, I blew up a perfectly good 1095 skinner last summer because I was impatient and dunked it at like 200 degrees. The quench crack sounded like a twig snapping, felt like I broke my own finger. I've had good luck with 120-140 in my Parks 50 for 1080, but three years ago in the dead of winter I did a batch at room temp oil (maybe 60 degrees) and got full hardness no issues, so the margin is definitely wider than the forums make you think. That said, I still keep a thermometer clipped to my tank because one fried blade is enough to make you paranoid forever.

richardk267d ago

... wait, hold on - you meant you actually heard it crack? Like an audible sound? I've had blades warp or come out soft before but I've never had one make a noise that clean. That would spook me bad enough to hang up my apron for a few weeks. I run my oil around 110-120 most of the time and I've been lucky, but I've also just used it straight from the garage in winter when it was probably 50 degrees and still got good results with 1084. The margin is definitely bigger than the online crowd wants to admit, but that crack story is going to have me checking my thermometer every batch from now on.