Quench Questions on 1095

[lamontjb]

Decided to purchase Ellis's Fast Quench and had a couple of questions about Quenching in General.

I am actually used to using water and a turkey bowl for my quenches. With the new quench that costs a bit more than plain old water, I wanted to ask what you do with the used quench. I'm guessing you save it.

1) Do I need to do anything to protect the quench from anything?

2) How long will the quench last in terms of time or how many quenches I can put through a pan of quench?

3) How many gallons should I use for my quench setup?

4) Last Question, when using the fast quench on 1095 steel, what temperature should the quench be before a quench?

Thanks for your help.

 

[A C Richards]

You need a steel container with a lid large enough to get your blade into easily. Parks 50 does not like to be over 100F so you also need enough to keep it cool if doing more than 1 blade at a time. I use 5g. I have a separate container I pump it into when not using. Keeps it from spilling. How long will it last not really sure maybe someone can chime in with this one. I have quenched probably 25 blades in my parks 50 so far and still going strong. I would expect it to last for a couple hundred quenches or so.

 

[mete]

Commercial quenches have the advantage that they are designed to resist break down and can last a long time. Use enough quench ,at least 1 gallon for each pound of steel .Make sure you have a tight fitting cover to keep out dirt and also as a fire precaution if it flairs up.Oil quenches are typically heated to about 140 F.

 

[Kevin R. Cashen]

Chuck I wished I could tell you more aout the lifespan of #50 but my preventative measures tend to limit my knowledge of it. I have been working with #50 for at least 10 years (heck when I first ordered it directly from Parks, they were real friendly, and I got it in small quantities! If that tells you anything) but around twice a year a competely clean all the dragout from the bottom of my pan, and aroudn once a year I will add plenty of fresh stuff. I have never had a batch go south on me so I don't know how long it would take.

I do know what NOT to do if you want to keep it going however. Keep it covered and dry, a good quenching oil is a precision tool so keep it clean. I cannot stress enough that if you prefer to edge quench, do not waste your money on one of these oils, drain your tranny, crankcase or deep fat fryer and soot that stuff up for free:thumbup: Flashing and flaming #50 will kill it pretty quick, the same as throwing your $200 dial calipers against the wall will trash them. If I cannot see objects in the bottom of my quench container with just a slight amber tint, I don't like it.

Mr. lamontjb, what I did for my small knives was find a roaster pan on sale at walmart, you know the kind they fill with roast beef or other hot goodies at potlucks and social events. It holds several gallons, has a cover to keep things clean, and if I want a slight preheat all I have to do is set the dial and go.

The ammount you want will depend on the size and number of blades you will do, but you can't get too much, the more the better. You can get too little however and it will over heat or not provide the movement or circulation you need.

 

[lamontjb]

Mr. Cashen,

I think I just opened a whole other topic because I would like you to explain a bit about the edge quench. When you say edge quench, is this when you heat the entire blade to crit temp, and place just the cutting edge into the quench? If so, how is this different from say coating a blade with a cement and mortar and then dumping the entire blade into the pan of quench? How does flashing and flaming kill the quench oil? I'm definitly confused, Please help.

-lamontjb

 

[AcridSaint]

I'm not Kevin, but my understanding is that flashing the oil changes the properties. You're going to burn something out of it and not evenly like pouring some out. This will change the speed of the oil and make your results less consistent.

Kevis is talking about only quenching the edge of the blade, instead of through quenching by sumberging the entire blade. This brings the oil at the surface up to its flash point and you get the fire and smoke that you don't want if you plan to keep your oil predictable.

 

[A C Richards]

Flashing the oil does change it's physical properties. Like Kevin mentioned you will introduce soot into the oil and this will reduce the cooling rate. If you clay back the blade and fully submerge it with no flash-over then that is much better.