Quench tank

G

ggoose

Joined
Apr 30, 2014
Messages
139
Is there anything wrong or ill-advised with using the metal pail Park 50 comes in as the quench tank? Eventually I will construct a more robust tank, but in the mean time I would like to heat treat some 1095 and was curious if I could just remove the lid, warm it up, and proceed?

Thanks for any input...
 
Mine was also blue plastic. I did quench some knives in it while it was still in the blue plastic... You have to be careful about touching the bottom and the sides though.:)

-Adam
 
The 5 gal pails that used to come from Parks were steel. The pails
from maxim (same oil) are blue plastic.

Yes the steel pail would suffice as a quench tank....
 
Please NO plastic quench tanks !!! If you have a problem you'll have 5 gallons of hot oil all over !! THINK FIRE !
BTW metal quench tanks should be more substantial than the original container and have a snug fitting cover .The fastest way to put out a fire in the tank is a cover.In any case you DO have a fire extinguisher ???
 
The oil I purchased from Kelly Cupples came in a metal pail. I wouldn't attempt a quench in a plastic container...we have plenty of fires burning here in WA already. The pail has a sealed lid that can be removed/replaced with a screw driver placed in slots around the perimeter of the lid and pried open. I think I would set the pail in one of those water heater overflow pans to control/contain any spillage, and have the fire extinguishers close at hand. I realize this approach is not ideal, but as I mentioned earlier, I will constuct a more substantial tank when the scrap yard has what I need to fabricate one. Who knows when that will be, so I thought this might be a reasonable alternative.
 
I second what mete said. Quenching in a plastic bucket is stupid. I hope I didn't lead anyone to believe I do it all the time. I did it for one batch of knives and I was extremely careful. Don't do it! I now keep my oil in an ammo can like the one NC listed. I bought mine from a flea market though for about $8.

-Adam
 
ggoose said:
How much oil does it hold/how many knives can you quench before you need to let the oil cool? Thx.
Click to expand...
The 40mm can I listed is 19x11x6-1/8" which if you fill it to the brim would hold right at 5 gals. I only put about 3-3.5 gal in mine. I don't have a lot of experience, but I did 6 small to medium sized blades in my last batch and had no problems keeping the temp around 130°F.
 
NC Biker said:
The 40mm can I listed is 19x11x6-1/8" which if you fill it to the brim would hold right at 5 gals. I only put about 3-3.5 gal in mine. I don't have a lot of experience, but I did 6 small to medium sized blades in my last batch and had no problems keeping the temp around 130°F.
Click to expand...

Great, and thanks for the link...I've seen those used before and they are probably better/heavier than the oil pail.
 
+1 on the 40mm ammo can. That is what I use to and it is great. As NC says you can latch the lid up a slide it in the corner without spilling. I use a hot water heater element wired to a lamp cord to heat my oil. Don't know if it is the safest way, but I've never had any problems. PLEASE do keep a lid and fire extinguisher handy at all times when quenching in oil.
 
M forge said:
+1 on the 40mm ammo can. I use a hot water heater element wired to a lamp cord to heat my oil.
Click to expand...

Just bought an ammo can; had heard of using those, but then forgot all about it until mentioned in this thread. The water heater element sounds a bit too dare-devilish for me! I was thinking a bucket heater, but then I recalled I have an oil pan heater. Not sure how hot they get, but should stick to the ammo can easily enough. I'll give it a try...
 
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