Here is my setup.
I took a 12 gallon electric water heater (a 5-6 gallon will work,too) and removed the top shell. I cut out the top to make a tank of it. The in and out fittings were on the side, so I hooked a simple 12VDC fuel pump ( auto parts store) in the loop. I made a copper J-tube to stick in the bottom ( it just plugs into the bottom port from the inside) that diverts the flow directly up from the center. I added a transmission cooler radiator and a 12VDC cooling fan (auto parts store) to the loop, too. The fan had a temperature relay control that turns it on and off. With the electric heater set at 130F and the cooling fan set at 140F the tank maintains a pretty even temperature when quenching multiple blades. It holds 10 gallons of quench oil. I use the old top shell as a lid. The 5-6 gallon units will work the same with 5 gallons of oil.
The recirculation is a gentle flow, but helps carry away the vapor jacket and increases convection.It seems right for the cooling rate through the radiator,too. A bigger pump could be used if you wanted more agitation, but for my uses, the smaller pump seems to work well.
Stacy
