1095 hardening?

[blackboogers]

It seems that everytime I read new posts about this material people are using oil to harden 1095. I've tried it once(with room temp. oil at that) and maybe it hardened a little bit. I know a file would tear it up. I have made many knives with this material so I know I am hardening well as far as temp goes. So whats the deal are you guys really getting a 59/60 rock. with oil? I use room temp. water with the super correct being brine (I tried brine but hard is hard). Whats up? lets here from you.

 

[Will52100]

I've made a couple out of 1095, and oil hardned fine for me. I preheat the oil to around 140-160 deg. F., bring the blade up to non-magnetic, and quench, and a file wouldnt' dream of tougching it.

The one blade I tried in water the edge was crumbly and the blade warped slightly. May have over heated it a little.

I've used a lot of L-6, and it's basicly 1075 with 2% nickle added, in oil with great success. The only differance between 1095 and L-6 is the nickle and .2% carbon.

As I understand it, the oil needs to be heated to give a faster quench. Hot oil is thinner, and flowes better, so when a blade is quenched, hot oil moves away from the blade and fresh "coller" oil is moved in. I think. Also there are diffent speeds of oil.

 

[sean kendrick]

I've heat treated alot of knives made from 1095 steel and I've always had great results using a warm oil quench. I preheat the oil to 150 and quench when the blade reaches 1550. Then I temper three times at 400 for one hour.

 

[Bruce Bump]

Way back when Paul Bos used to do 1095, I sent him 30 blades at one time. He called me on the phone and told me he wont be doing any more because of the hot salt and brine in California. I use hot salt and brine too and my few 1095 blades that I have done are super hard. Oil didnt seem to get them as hard as the brine. Pauls blades came back so clean and pretty too.