Anyone tested McMaster-Carr quench oils?

WalterDavis

WalterDavis

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Nov 23, 2005
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Came into a bit of $ recently but not enough to buy 5 gallons each of the Parks oils. I was sure I'd read that people have been using the McMaster-Carr quench oils (and I was right), but I haven't been able to find any straight answers on which oils will work for which steels. Now I'm thinking I may have jumped the gun a bit.

I'm working with 1075, 1095, O1 and 5160 steels, so I figured the 11 second for the 1075/95, and the 28 second for the O1 and 5160, but now it seems that the fast may not be fast enough, and the slow may be too slow? Did I just hose myself here? Have they worked for you, and if so, which oil with which steel?

Has anyone hardened some steel with these oils and tested it (Rockwell tested or such)?

Thanks,

Walter
 
Hi Walter - I'm the one that recommended them recently, they are professional oils. I don't use any slower oil hardening steels and brine quench my 10 series steels, but I have spoken with reps from the company that makes McMaster-Carr's oil as well as Houghton and Heatbath. The McMaster rebranded oil is the only pro quench that is readily available in very small quantities for folks like us at a decent price. The Houghton products are also available, but at a premium and have higher minimum buys. Heatbath wouldn't even talk to me and most of the people distributing it seem to be at the whim of Heatbath as to when they can get it.

The 11 second may be on the slow side for 1095, but in my talks with the Co they said the oil was ideal for higher maganese 10xx steels (I specifically asked about 1080/1084). I did not tell them what thickness steels I was working with, just the type. Even 1095 is listed as oil quenching in the thicknesses we use, so I think you may have reasonable results if you don't get the steel too hot. Many folks are using tough-quench with 1095 which I understand is houghton's slow oil rebranded. I didn't call McMaster-Carr about the oil, I called the manufacturer, Motor Oil Inc.
 
Thanks! So I'm guessing that means the 11 second should be all right for the 1075 then?

AcridSaint, I did send an email to the manufacturer, also. If they should give me any useful info I'll be sure to post it here.
 
The 1075 should work well with that speed, I think you will also get good results from 1095, I believe everyone can benefit from your results. I've got some on my after Blade list of purchases, but that list keeps getting longer :eek:
 
I think you will be fine.In the thicknesses of blades the steel will cool more than fast enough, usually.
What you may ( happily) experience with the 11 second oil is some auto-tempering ( not exactly the proper term), creating a hamon effect without any clay. The edge will cool fast enough for sure. If the spine is just on the edge, it may be retarded just enough to create a mixed structure of pearlite and martensite. The retained heat may also draw back the matrensite boundary, creating a hamon line roughly parallel to the thinner edge.
Stacy
 
Seemed like Darrin Ellis could too, then it just dried up. I've got nothing against Parks or you, trust me. I know that Parks #50 and AAA as well as Hougthon's K and G products are the best of breed, but unless I were buying enough to last me a long time, I would have more faith in the distributor relationships that McMaster-Carr has, they've been delivering that product for years without supply problems. Heatbath has had quite a bumpy reputation when dealing with makers and small business in my opinion.
 
Thanks, Stacy. Most of my 1095 is sub-3/16" or large 1/4", and I sure won't complain if I get a hamon on the big 'uns:D

patriqq, just so you know, if there was anyway I could afford the Parks I would have come strait to you:thumbup: It just wasn't in the cards for me at the moment. Soon, though! And I definitely appreciate you making it available to us!
 
I use the McMaster carr Fastquench for all my carbon steel blades. Works fine just be sure to order the right one, there are two different types.
 
I actually got 5 gallons of each already:foot: I'm going to be heat treating some knives this weekend (1075,1095, and 5160) and just want to be sure I'm using the right oil.

I'm pretty sure the fast oil will work for the carbon steels, but I'm still not sure which one I ought to be using for the 5160 (and soon, O1)?
 
AcridSaint said:
Seemed like Darrin Ellis could too, then it just dried up. I've got nothing against Parks or you, trust me. I know that Parks #50 and AAA as well as Hougthon's K and G products are the best of breed, but unless I were buying enough to last me a long time, I would have more faith in the distributor relationships that McMaster-Carr has, they've been delivering that product for years without supply problems. Heatbath has had quite a bumpy reputation when dealing with makers and small business in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I hear you - I don't deal with the Parks because I think the company is great or the product is superior (I don't know enough to even judge that). I think Heat-Bath is a PITA, and I agree that their unfriendliness does not make one feel inclined to given them business.

I would use McMaster Carrss oil in a heartbeat if I was using oil-hardening steels.

I feel the same way about McMaster Carr's 1075. It might be more expensive than Admiral, but I can order on-line (I like sizes bigger than Admiral carries on their e-store) and have it in 48 hours with no BS. And the quality is great.
 
WalterDavis said:
patriqq, just so you know, if there was anyway I could afford the Parks I would have come strait to you:thumbup: It just wasn't in the cards for me at the moment. Soon, though! And I definitely appreciate you making it available to us!
Click to expand...

No problem - I wasn't intending to toot my own horn (and I think the Parks price is too high as well... I originally bought it because I needed a pail ASAP, and Heatbath was the first rep to get back to me after I sent some emails out).

I was just disputing the suggestion that Heatbath experiences shortages in the supply chain of their products.
 
Just wanted to bump this up for the weekend crowd. I'm still not entirely sure which oil I should use for 5160 and O1. Thanks!
 
I'm interested in that answer too, though if the fast oil is the same as Tough Quench that would suggest it's the one to use. For what it's worth, I've used Tough Quench with excellent results.
 
Just wondering if anyone has any advice on which of these oils to use with O1 or 5160.

Thanks:D
 
I've got the McMaster carr 11 second oil and use it for my O1 just fine. The heat treating oil is kinda stinky, and looks very greenish in color if you shine light on it, but it works =P
 
so is the mcmaster carr quenching oil as good as the expensive stuff?

at this point i can see spending the money for this before the high dollar stuff.

jake
 
it's not quite as fast as parks 50 which i believe is rated as a 9 second oil, but it is WAY better than ATF / canola / used motor oil / etc that most people seem to be using
 
ok so the mcmaster carr stuff is 11 second and the parks is 9 seconds. is the 2 seconds difference a big deal? is the 2 second difference enough to make to change the quality of a knife

thanks

jake
 
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