Oil and silicone?

E.Carlson

E.Carlson

Joined
Mar 28, 2016
Messages
811
So, I got my parks 50 in yesterday and got a 6 gallon galvanized bucket with a locking lid. These aren't water tight so I sealed the seams with silicone.
It dawned on me this morning that maybe oil could break down the silicone and now I'm hesitant to pour the oil in.
Anyone have some knowledge on this?
 
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Normally oil only requires a dust proof seal and not airtight. This being said, if the silicone you used is just silicon and not some hybred such as siliconized latex, I doubt you'll have any problem unless the silicone is below the surface of the oil.
If you are stressing too much on this, get a 5gal food grade plastic bucket with the matching lid. Home Depot has them for under $10. Most beer making and cake making supply places have them for considerably more.
Jim A.
 
No, this is going to be my steel quench bucket. It came in a plastic one.
The silicone is sealing the bottom of the bucket so yes it will be in the oil.
DAMNENG said:
Normally oil only requires a dust proof seal and not airtight. This being said, if the silicone you used is just silicon and not some hybred such as siliconized latex, I doubt you'll have any problem unless the silicone is below the surface of the oil.
If you are stressing too much on this, get a 5gal food grade plastic bucket with the matching lid. Home Depot has them for under $10. Most beer making and cake making supply places have them for considerably more.
Jim A.
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i had an old very large brass artillery shell i used to use. the primer was missing so i plugged the hole with jb weld and also coated the entire bottom of the shell and stuck it to square piece of metal for the base. about a year later, i noticed i could wiggle the shell on the base, the parks 55 had ruined the bond. i think there might be other chemicals in there besides oils.
 
john april said:
i had an old very large brass artillery shell i used to use. the primer was missing so i plugged the hole with jb weld and also coated the entire bottom of the shell and stuck it to square piece of metal for the base. about a year later, i noticed i could wiggle the shell on the base, the parks 55 had ruined the bond. i think there might be other chemicals in there besides oils.
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I was afraid that may be the case. At least I have something for brine quenching down the road.
 
I had straight canola oil eat the epoxy plugging the holes in my first quench tank, I doubt parks 50 is any easier on it.

I currently use a steel 5 gallon bucket that originally held parts washer solvent. Something fluid tight is definitely a good starting point
 
A visit to a salvage yard, a surplus store, a flea market, a beverage supplier/brewery, etc. will show dozens of potential quench tanks. A lid for them can be as simple as turning a plastic bucket upside down on the quench tank and setting a brick on it. It only needs to keep water and debris out and critters away.

Possible quench tanks:
Old fire extinguishers
240CF gas cylinders cut down to the needed height, 60's make good smaller quench tanks ( make a stand or weld on a wide base plate for safety)
Old 20 and 40 pound propane tanks, and other tall discarded gas cylinders for MAPP and acetylene
old soda tanks and beer kegs - sometime for free if you go to the distributor and tell them why you want a damaged or out of date tank
used 5-10-15-30 gallon buckets and barrels
6" pipe and a plate of steel
tall cooking pots and kettles
military ammo cans and transport cases ( I found one 6X8X48" that has a hinged end lid and sealed latch. It was for a rocket of some type, and made in aluminum. Cost me $10)
Giant coffee pots from the old campfire days (Bill Moran's quench tank), and 100 cup coffee makers from the church junk room ( working coffee makers will even warm the oil).
 
i use a military cylindrical ammo can now too. it was crimped and welded, water tight with a rubber sealed cover. i must have skipped too may science classes, if you airtight cap a container with warm oil, will it make a vacuum or pressure inside when it cools ?
 
Just be careful on the cutting open if you pick an acetylene cylinder. They're full of a clay like sponge full of acetone. Even if you cut it open safely, it'd still be an unpleasant task cleaning it out. I'd much sooner go for either a propylene/propane tank, or an oxygen/nitrogen/argon/ect cylinder if I was going that route.


Another possibility I might actually put together is something more along the lines of a commercial quench tank. You'd need two containers, one that'd fit inside the other. Two different size crab boiler/turkey frier pots would work. Put them together so that the space between them can be used as a water jacket. Inlet in the bottom, overflow drain at the top. Quench oil goes in the middle tank, and has an airator in the bottom to keep the oil moving around.

It's not really necessary for most knife work, but it eliminates the need to move the piece around in the quench oil, and you can quench parts all day long without overheating the oil.
That's more something noteworthy than a real recommendation. A plain old tube or bucket is all us knifemakers really need
 
john april said:
i use a military cylindrical ammo can now too. it was crimped and welded, water tight with a rubber sealed cover. i must have skipped too may science classes, if you airtight cap a container with warm oil, will it make a vacuum or pressure inside when it cools ?
Click to expand...
It'd make a vacuum, and the lid would be real hard to remove again if it's really airtight
 
Yep, 7 gallons filled 25" deep, 8 gallons filled 28" deep.

Mine is like that tank, but more square and longer. It holds just shy of 10 gallons.
 
FWIW, I made a vertical quench tank out of some 6" PVC pipe and a "blank" toilet flange for the base. I used regular PVC primer and cement, but had a couple of pin hole leaks, so I used epoxy putty around the connection of the two pieces (mighty putty to be exact... hahah). A also put a hot water heater element in the bottom, and for THAT seal, I did use high temp silicone. Lastly, I put a piece of furnace pipe coiled up inside the ID of the pvc to give a little more protection from hot steel going through the sides.

I've been using this tank for several years and haven't leaked a drop, though I do plan on upgrading to a steel (and possibly PID controlled) quench tank in the not too distant future, now that I have a welder.
 
Silicone sealant from a home improvement store will break down. If you need to seal it, go to the automotive supply shop and look through their selection of sealants for engines. Find one that is oil and solvent proof. Some are for gas, antifreeze, or oil. They even come in different temp ranges.
 
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