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- Nov 23, 2005
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I recently purchased 5 gallons each of both the 11 second and 28 second oil from McMaster-Carr as a less expensive alternative to Parks oils. I used the 11 second oil over the last couple of days to quench batches of 5160, 1075 and 1095 blades. I've previously used Parks 50 and AAA, though I only have a gallon of each of those, which is inadequate for the size of some of these knives.
I know some people are interested in this as a more economical alternative, so I figured I'd post my experiences in this thread. Please remember, I've only been making knives for a couple of years. I don't have the resources for in-depth analysis of the steel, these are just my experiences.
5160-4 1/4" thick knives, oil at 100 degrees. The smaller knife had no issues, and all seemed to harden (file skated). However, I ground the 3 larger ones (two forged, one stock removal, all full tang) fairly thin, and all three had fairly severe warping issues. One I was able to mostly correct through judicious grinding
, but the other two are destined for destruction
1075 & 1095-11 knives, oil started at 120 degrees. All seemed to harden fine and had no warping issues. These were thin and fairly small knives knives. The 1075 were 1/8" and the 1095 were 3/32".
My quench tank is a large ammo can, 5 gallons fills it approximately 2/3 of the way full. This oil did seem to have a pretty low flash point, and within the first few second of quenching if any piece of the knife broke the surface I would have a flare-up. I didn't need that arm hair to test sharpness, anyway
And, as others have said, this is some nasty looking stuff. It really seems to want to coat the knife blades, and it won't all drip off after quenching. You'll definitely want to clean your knives off before they go in the tempering oven.
So, for my use, I'll be trying the 28 second oil on 5160 and other deep hardening steels, and I'll post back here when I do. I had hoped that the 11 second would actually cover all my quenching needs, as I was worried the 28 second oil may not be quick enough at all, but that doesn't seem to be viable for me Your results, of course may vary.
Thanks,
Walter
I know some people are interested in this as a more economical alternative, so I figured I'd post my experiences in this thread. Please remember, I've only been making knives for a couple of years. I don't have the resources for in-depth analysis of the steel, these are just my experiences.
5160-4 1/4" thick knives, oil at 100 degrees. The smaller knife had no issues, and all seemed to harden (file skated). However, I ground the 3 larger ones (two forged, one stock removal, all full tang) fairly thin, and all three had fairly severe warping issues. One I was able to mostly correct through judicious grinding
, but the other two are destined for destruction1075 & 1095-11 knives, oil started at 120 degrees. All seemed to harden fine and had no warping issues. These were thin and fairly small knives knives. The 1075 were 1/8" and the 1095 were 3/32".
My quench tank is a large ammo can, 5 gallons fills it approximately 2/3 of the way full. This oil did seem to have a pretty low flash point, and within the first few second of quenching if any piece of the knife broke the surface I would have a flare-up. I didn't need that arm hair to test sharpness, anyway
And, as others have said, this is some nasty looking stuff. It really seems to want to coat the knife blades, and it won't all drip off after quenching. You'll definitely want to clean your knives off before they go in the tempering oven. So, for my use, I'll be trying the 28 second oil on 5160 and other deep hardening steels, and I'll post back here when I do. I had hoped that the 11 second would actually cover all my quenching needs, as I was worried the 28 second oil may not be quick enough at all, but that doesn't seem to be viable for me
Your results, of course may vary.Thanks,
Walter
