Can 1080 be water quenched?

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syvmn

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I'm wondering if 1080 steel can be water quenched effectively. I tried searching but couldn't find anything on it.
 
I think it CAN, but it can lead to cracking in the blade. Oil is best. (as far as I know)
 
I think your motor oil will be too slow. 1080 works well in a fast oil. I'm not sure what readily available oil will work well. I use Park's 50. Maybe mineral oil?

--nathan
 
For 1084 steel, I've used canola oil heated to about 140. I don't have a rockwell tester, but it skated files and holds an edge.
 
You stand a good chance of cracking and warping in water, pre-heated brine will work better for it. It will harden better in slower oils than 1095 will, but I wouldn't use motor oil. Canola oil would be your best local variety oil bet, in my opinion.

That being said, many people have quenched 1080/1084/1095 blades in motor oil and been happy with the results.
 
I've done it twice. The first time I made a knife that was too big for my quench bucket so I used a garbage can full of water. That knife came out great and I still use it today. The next time I tried it the knife cracked and broke into three pieces when I flexed it. looking back I think the problem was overheating rather than the water quench.
 
As Fred says, 10% should be good to go for 1080. The oldschool mix it until an egg floats on top should come in around 10% or just higher. According to mete, 9% NaCl is the fastest mixture, but that shouldn't be necessary for 1080, in my opinion.

Also suggested to me today was dish soap instead of the salt. I've done this in the past, but don't have any data on a "proper" mixture for it.
 
You can up your water quench success percentage by not having any 90 degree angles any where on the knife.Chad
 
So my crazy math skillz are telling me its a bit under a pound of salt in a gallon right?
 
Alright, I just got done quenching in the brine and all is well. No cracking that I can see. I have the knife in the toaster oven at 400F right now and am wondering what people suggest as far as tempering.

I read that 1095 should be tempered twice at 450. Should I temper at 400 for an hour twice with a half hour of cooling between?
 
I start tempering 1080/1084 at 325-350 and increase gradually until I achieve the temper I want. Are you using 1095 or 1080?
 
1080 for sure. Its been at 400F for an hour now. should i let it cool and reheat again to 400 or something else?

PS I have no idea what "temper I want". I want a knife that cuts deers and stuff ;o)
 
Unless you have a rockwell tester, there is no real way to see what temper you have (that I know of), so I'd just do more of a trial-and-error kind of thing. If the knife works out well with just that temper, do it again on the next knife. If it's too soft or hard, adjust the temperature accordingly.
 
I think that 10xx steels benefit from two tempers, but it has been said that they only require one. If the blade is satisfactory at 400F, then I would run it once more at the same temp. If it still seems too hard then I would run it a second time at a slightly elevated temperature. I usually let them cool down in the oven and run them again the next day.
 
I thought that only 1095 at the minimum carbon would want two temper cycles. Where's Kevin when you need him?
 
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