Best wuenching oil for 5160? Suggestions...

happycat

happycat

Joined
Jun 21, 1999
Messages
752
After some recent quenching catastrophys and a lot of good advise, I'm switching from olive oil to one of the regular "quenching oils". Are they all pretty much the same, or do different ones work better for different steels? As the latter seems more likely, and I work almost exclusively with 5160 at this time, I figure I'd better get the right one. Any suggestions on which one and where to get it?
Thanks,
Ed
 
Lots of opinions on this subject but I use Texaco Quentex type B. You can get it in 5 gallon buckets from a Texaco dealer. Quentex type A is really good too but you need to buy 55 gallons at a time as I have been told. Just remember to test your 1st few knives whatever you decide on to make sure whatever you use is giving you the desired results :)
 
Ed, I bought 4 gallons of the quench that Brownells sells. I heat up the end of a 1" x 24" long piece of 1018 in the forge and get the oil to about 120-140 (I use a candy thermometor), then HT the blades. So far so good. No cracks. The instructions say that it doesn't need to be heated up, but popular opinion on the forums say otherwise.
 
I still use Crisco but for the time being, you may be better off staying with something like type B.
I've been using Crisco and 5160 for so long I can tell what's happening in the steel by the sound it makes when quenched.
 
I've had better luck using a slower quench like Crisco than Quenchtec B. B is good for a number of steels but 5160 at least for me doesn't harden up well in it. I've been thinking about seeing the dealer I bought my B from and getting some A but I can't remember where I went......
 
If you want to get serious enough to spend a few extra bucks: Brownell's Tough-Quench. Pre-heat it to about 110 F (not above that and not far below that). Good stuff. 5160 likes it.

RL
 
The Brownell's stuff is suppose to be good from what I hear on the forums but, I use Texaco Type A for my blades. I believe it wa last year Rick Baum bought a big drum and divied it up between a bunch of folks. You may want to check and see if he has anymore.
 
J, you're old picture is better. Even the camera in the mirror looked better. :)

I know already! you don't even have to tell me about my avitar :D
 
Ive used Texaco A for years. Passed JS and MS levels in the ABS with it, never any problems until I left the hot plate on all night and filled the entire shop with smoke from it. It smelled so bad that I cant stand it anymore. Now I use Tough Quench from Brownells. :D
 
Darn Bruce!! I will try to make you feel better. I used to use small but yet heavy blocks of 303 in my oven to support the back of knife tangs while heat treating, so to keep the blade upright. One unfortunate evening the front of the foil wrap fold caught on the two rearward blocks and they went falling to the linolium floor at 1950 degrees. There I was with a packet in one hand held by tongs and two fireballs on the floor. I no longer use that method to upright my blades.
 
Thanks for all the input guys. I heard something about olive oil last week which may also apply to vegitable oil. You're not supposed to let it get cold as when it "freezes" (congeals) it never goes back to its original chemical structure when it turns liquid again. Aparently a coocking thing, but I guess it may apply to us as well. Mine froze this winter and I had no idea that was a bad thing.......
Thanks,
Ed
 
peter nap said:
I still use Crisco but for the time being, you may be better off staying with something like type B.
I've been using Crisco and 5160 for so long I can tell what's happening in the steel by the sound it makes when quenched.
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DON: What did you use before they had Crisco, bear fat????? :confused: ;) :D :p
 
Well let's put it this way, when I updated my forge a couple of years ago I tried to find those fancy oils here and in California with NO luck. The local Texaco distributor could not sell it to me even though it was listed in there catalog. It takes a lot of oil to quench a large Bowie so I went back to old reliable ATF, used by the way and mixed with some Hydraulic oil. Worked in the past and still works today. Gib
 
happycat said:
Thanks for all the input guys. I heard something about olive oil last week which may also apply to vegitable oil. You're not supposed to let it get cold as when it "freezes" (congeals) it never goes back to its original chemical structure when it turns liquid again. Aparently a coocking thing, but I guess it may apply to us as well. Mine froze this winter and I had no idea that was a bad thing.......
Thanks,
Ed
Click to expand...
that's a good question?? My shop is heated year round so I've never run into that one. and it works about the same as the reg veggie oil
though I do heat it to 135 deg.
I've used rear-end grease to edge quench with before too. that don't smell all that good.. :(
if you want to look at it like, what is the viscosity at varying heats from the steel itself ?
multi weights if you will, to cover a particular viscosity that you want to maintain. I think I'm going to try some synthetic oil 5w40 should cover it.
heated to about 175 I'm guessing.. I need to change my oil anyway :)
 
Dan Gray said:
that's a good question?? My shop is heated year round so I've never run into that one. and it works about the same as the reg veggie oil
though I do heat it to 135 deg.
I've used rear-end grease to edge quench with before too. that don't smell all that good.. :(
if you want to look at it like, what is the viscosity at varying heats from the steel itself ?
multi weights if you will, to cover a particular viscosity that you want to maintain. I think I'm going to try some synthetic oil 5w40 should cover it.
heated to about 175 I'm guessing.. I need to change my oil anyway :)
Click to expand...
Dan: I saved the 15W50 Mobile 1 out of the HD and was going to try it.
 
Ig I was thinking the lighter stuff would work better to dissipate the
heat from the Blade faster, as in heating and making the oil more fluent, helps that,

OK guys a debate your thoughts on this stuff....

the thinking that heating oil to dissipate heat faster sounds funny
but can thick oil , for a lack of the right words, insulate the heat, keeping the over heated oil at or just away (by the boiling action) from the blade to long., ..say for the 1095 steel ... that viscously thing maybe?

using water is great for a fast quench
because it is so fluent but some guys leave it in the water way to long
and don't get it out soon enough once your past the noise just right. need to be Fast...or crack goes the weee opps sorry wrong song..

with veggie oil you need a lot of it for the big blades because it ( the oil)heats so fast
and can keep you from getting below the nose fast enough, that insulating effect again.


now if you want the best of two worlds down the middle,, short of
salt baths, use a brine of salt, anyone can mess with that..
just keep track of the amount of salt to water ratio and the temp u use.

test test test.. :) just my opinions here, thoughts and I'm only talking about Carbons.
;)
 
water is great for a fast quench because it is so fluent....
Click to expand...

Yes but in what Language? ;) :confused: :) (Portugee I suppose for IG :footinmou )

Sorry Dan - it's been a bad morning but you gave me a good chuckle - besides I haven't razzed you in a long time.....
 
I've stayed out of this argument for years Dan. Some of the slide rule guru's get downright violent over the subject but.....think about what you just said.

Look at the properties of Crisco. When you quench the first time (I know, the triple has been debated also) in solid Crisco, what happens.

You get a controlled heat exchange because of the thermals replacing the solid grease with the warmer more liquid grease.

Quench number two is at about 100 F and the liquid is much thinner and cools the steel more quickly even though it is warmer.

At quench 3 the Crisco is about 135 and is very thin. Heat exchange is some quicker and Sort of finishes the grain out.

I don't have microscopic slides of the grain structure but it does work. The steel develops a fine grain, hardens, holds an edge. What else can you ask for in 5160?
 
Shane Justice, 307-673-4432 sells Texaco Type A in smaller quantities. I use the Brownessl tough quench for Damascus, but find it too fast for supreme toughness in 5160 and 52100.
 
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