ASM quenching book

[Rick Leeson]

Got the "ASM Handbook of Quenchants and Quenching Technology" through the interlibrary loan today. Book came from the Ball State University in Indiana.

It is a 570 page book on quenching. I am sure it will have some interesting facts on quenching as compared to the "ASM Heat Treater's Guide" which only has a few pages on quenching.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion on quenching, but I wonder how many have read the engineer's book on quenching for themselves?

[Bruce Bump]

Geez I thought quenching could be covered in one page. Maybe I will try to borrow that book. We live in the same state, maybe the libraries are connected.

[mete]

With a book that size it should tell you all about the olive oil, mustard oil, old transmission oil, Crisco at other things some bladesmiths use for quenching. HAHAHAHA

[Kevin R. Cashen]

Now, Now mete, you should know there is no difference between old used Crisco and a good quenchant designed to do that job. Those idiots in industry just love to spend tons of money and years of research and development on useless junk when all they had to do was put a bucket under a french fry cooker at the local McDonalds.

Rick, I congratulate you on your choice to look that deeply into something that is absolutely critical in making a good knife. You will benefit greatly from it and will be making better knives quicker. A knife is conceived on the anvil and finished on the bench, but it is born in the quench. Too many smiths think it is just a matter of cooling the thing as fast as you can. The momentary process of quenching is very complex and so many things happen in those few seconds that it can easily fill a book. Please stop back and tell us what the book stresses about- vapor jackets, the three or four stages of a quench, the final or liquid cooling stage that needs to be a little slower, heat extraction and nickle ball tests, convection and conduction properties, agitition, etc., etc.... It is a good book and I am sure I have many excerpts from it floating around my office.

If more smiths went to the library they would find that industry is not so idiotic in wasting their money on good quenchants. I would recommend, after you read about properly formulated quenchants, that you next field trip is to the local supermarket/dept store and add up the prices of 5 gallons of transmission fluid, motor oil, olive oil, vegetable oil… etc, and compare it to 5 gallons of a good quench oil. Then add in the benefits and determine for yourself which is “cheaper”.

[mete]

Kevin, there was a posting of mine somewhere ,where I asked the question - does anyone use a circulating pump in their quenchant? I never got any response so I'll ask you ,do you know anyone using a pump ?

[Kevin R. Cashen]

Yes, my friend Brian Lyttle, up in Alberta circulates his salts, he is also one of the best makers I have encountered. I currently am not, because I burned up my fractional motor that would turn the impeller for circulation. I had a poor design and the heat transfered up the shaft and into my motor . So, due to my unorganized ways and how busy I get with other activities, I am not currently using circulation. Instead I go with a little more volume and area and that allows me to keep that blade MOVING for the first 2 or 3 seconds.

[Steven Roos]

Well, I checked my school library and found a copy of ASM's Heat Treaters Guide.

Plus, while they didn't have the ASM Handbook of Quenchants and Quenching Technology, I was also able to get it through interlibrary loan. How cool is that!

[rlinger]

Is this the book: http://www.engineeringbookstore.com/...g/Handbook.htm

and if so is this about as good a price as can expect to find?

Thanks. RL

[Rick Leeson]

While reading the “ASM Guide to Quenchants and Quenching” I ran across the data for quenching with distilled water. I was surprised to find out that distilled water much more approaches cooling curves and results of an oil quench than a water quench.

Several old blacksmith books I have read make reference to getting a superior quench using rain water as compared to well or river water. The well/river water would have contained various mineralizations. Rainwater would have been more pure and clean like distilled water.

Lots of interesting information in the book. I recommend each person read the book and make his or her own conclusions. I am not going to type and post a 570-page book.

[jhiggins]

Originally posted by rlinger
Is this the book: http://www.engineeringbookstore.com/...g/Handbook.htm

and if so is this about as good a price as can expect to find?

Thanks. RL

That looks like it may be a decent book, Roger. Btw, do you have a Machinery's Handbook? There is tons of info in there on quenching the different steels. The trouble with that quenching book is that its in line with about 30 other high-priced books I want.

[rlinger]

But is this THE book being referenced here? ( http://www.engineeringbookstore.com/...g/Handbook.htm )

Thanks.

RL

[AKA Knife Knut]

Published in 1992!?
Surely we have learned more since then!