Quench Plates

[unky_gumbi]

Last night I was showing a friend my forge project and the discussion turned to the different type of steel used for knife making and methods of heat treating them. I know that air hardened steels are actually plate quenched, but what are most people using as their plates. I am assuming that aluminum plates are most common, but just what are the dimensions that people are using and just how do they use them? I don't plan on doing any plate quenching any time soon, but I know I would like to be able to do it in the future. I would like to keep my eyes open for a deal on possible plates so if I ever do try to plate quench I would have the plates on hand. For the record if I ever do try to plate quench, I would be waiting till I had a kiln so I had better control over the heat.

 

[mete]

3/4-1" thick aluminum, with 1" around each edge and point of the biggest knife to quench. Some pressure is required but not very much.

 

[Robert Mayo]

George
I use 2" x 16" x 1/2" copper bars because that is what i have. The nicest ones i have see were in a knife mag.
and they where 3" x 1 1/2" and about 20" long water cooled aluminum plates.

Bob

 

[unky_gumbi]

3/4-1" thick aluminum, with 1" around each edge and point of the biggest knife to quench. Some pressure is required but not very much.

Are these still set in front of an air stream, like a blowing fan?

George
I use 2" x 16" x 1/2" copper bars because that is what i have. The nicest ones i have see were in a knife mag.
and they where 3" x 1 1/2" and about 20" long water cooled aluminum plates.

Bob

Water cooled plates sound fun, a nice project for someone with a milling machine and the set-up to weld aluminum.

 

[kc custom]

Mine are 1 1/2" thick aluminum 3" wide x 18" long, in the winter I leave them outside the shop door,
in summer I keep them in the freezer. Just before taking the packet out of the oven I lay one below
my oven. The other one is in my right hand and as soon as I clear the bottom of the oven it goes on
the bottom plate and I mash the one in my right hand onto it, very fast quench- its only seconds
until you can cut the packet open. The steel stays as white as when I put it in the packet.
Ken.

 

[SBuzek]

Mine are 12"x12"X1-1/2" thick,will quench 4 blades in seconds.The plates are heavy enough that I don't need to add any extra pressure.
Stan

 

[Mitchell Knives]

My aluminium plates are about 12" x 2.5" x 3".

I keep them in the freezer 24/7 until needed.

I only use hand pressure to compress them, but a clamp system would be nice.

 

[Dfib]

Mine are 3/4" x 5" x 12" aluminum. Looking for bigger plates so I can do more than one knife at a time.
I got the current ones on fleebay for less than $20 for the pair.

 

[Carl_First_Timer]

I use some 2" thick aluminum plates left over from an old job. I put wet rags on top with a large fan blowing over them, to cool faster. Not that it probably really does anything, just gives me something to do while waiting.

Water cooled plates sound fun, a nice project for someone with a milling machine and the set-up to weld aluminum.

You can do them with a drill press and NPT fittings. Just drill all the way through as many waterways you want, tap the ends of all the holes and insert some quick release fittings. Add some tubing and you are good. Just need a water pump.

 

[Danbo]

I went oversized, just in case. I did a lot of shopping around, research, etc... Ended up with 2 plates of 6061 aluminum, each measuring 1.5" thick x 18" long x 6" wide. Should be plenty big enough for anything I need to quench.