Recommendation? Peanut oil for quenching?

J

Joopie

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Jul 10, 2021
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Frank deShivs recommended room temperature canola oil for quenching 1095 steel when making a new kicker spring. I don't have any canola oil, but I do have a lot of used peanut oil lying around waiting to be recycled. Is that oil an acceptable substitute? Of course, I'll filter the oil before putting hot steel into it.
 
Peanut oil will work fine.

Both canola and peanut oil work best at 120-130°F (50-55°C), but if Bill says it does a kicker spring OK at room temp, I am sure it will.
 
I succeeded in hardening the steel using a blowtorch and a can of oil. Someone asked who was cooking chicken. The steel turned out very hard and snapped like glass. The tempering process is erratic. I've been able to toughen the steel, but it won't spring back. At this point I want to get some insulating fire bricks and make a mini-forge.
 
Nothing about the heat treat should be erratic. I was once told that certain oils may work, but are not consistent, and consistency is the key. I'd get some quench oil, or have someone do the HT for you.
 
When you say a "can of oil" is it a soup can or a #10 can?
It takes a gallon of quench oil to properly quench most steel objects. Even a small part needs at least a quart.

Your biggest error is probably in your heating method and the tool you are holding the spring with. A good trick for making springs and such is to leave a long piece of extra metal on one end to grip it by when heating and quenching. That way the part you want hard will all get heated and quenched evenly. After tempering, cut the excess off with a Dremel cut-off disc.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
When you say a "can of oil" is it a soup can or a #10 can?
It takes a gallon of quench oil to properly quench most steel objects. Even a small part needs at least a quart.

Your biggest error is probably in your heating method and the tool you are holding the spring with. A good trick for making springs and such is to leave a long piece of extra metal on one end to grip it by when heating and quenching. That way the part you want hard will all get heated and quenched evenly. After tempering, cut the excess off with a Dremel cut-off disc.
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It was a soup can. The pieces I'm playing with are around half the size of a kicker spring. I haven't tried heat treating the actual kicker spring I've cut out and shaped. Fortunately, I made the moving end quite a bit longer than it needs to be. Thanks for the suggestion to hold it by that end as I was planning to shorten it before proceeding with the actual heat treatment rather than after.
 
I do all my spring heat treating with a standard propane torch.
Really big pieces might get a little help from the acetylene/air torch.
 
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