Quenching 1095

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Fiddleback

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I've been using peanut oil to quench my 01 and 5160. With good results, and no stink. Will that also work on 1095?
 
The main thing to remember with 1095 is that it needs to go from critical (1650f for 1095) to quenched very fast to get fully hardened (where very fast is less than 2 seconds). 1095 is usualy a water quenched steel for that reason, sometimes brine quenched (even faster than water)

If you quench 1095 in oil you can actually end up with an edge hardened blade with a soft spine just based on the slower speed that the oil will quench the 1095, this can be desireable if you want it.

1095, even though it's a water hardening steel, still does have the tendency to crack during quenching like many steels do when quenching really fast, so you've just gota be careful, and make sure you've normalized before quenching.
 
Peanut oil is fine for quenching 1095. As Justin said, you have to be pretty quick getting it into the quench oil. Be sure that the oil is warmed to around 125-130 deg. before quenching. I do a good bunch of 1095 and 1095/15n20 damascus using peanut oil and (knock on wood) have had no problems. With these I raise my quench tank and get it close to the forge. Just a quick, smooth move to the oil. If you're edge quenching, it's that much faster. Full quench works fine, just draw the spine after temper.
Rick
 
You can use peanut oil for that and it will work great. Heat treat the 1095 at 1500 degrees and temper it at 350 - 400 degrees for 2 hours. I have always had good luck using motor oil. The flashpoint is better. And I do not have to be concerned about what will work and what will not work. And you can achieve higher temperatures in the heat treating process if needed. Over the years I have found that there is a lot of oil base products that will do the job but not as good. So, I guess it is just a matter of choice. ------:thumbup:
 
Thank you gentlemen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I chose peanut oil, btw, because my shop is in my garage, and the wife complained when I was using motor oil......
 
I have to disagree. to get 1095 to harden fully, you need to get it from 1400deg F to under 900deg F in HALF A SECOND. while you have a little time to maneuver the blade from the forge to the bath, once that steel hits 1400 it has to cool fast. I do not know of any vegetable oils that will do the job. Sunflower and canola oils are both thinner than peanut oil, they should cool a blade faster, but chances are you will get either a natural hamon when the spine won't cool fast enough, and/or you will get some pearlite throughout the blade.

I would suggest getting a fast oil such as Parks 50, or check out one of the soy based quench oils, one of them is very quick. they smell better than the mineral based oils, but if you do not take care of them, they can go rancid. Polymer quenchants will work, as will a 5% brine solution. (the brine being the least expensive of the lot) But if you quench in brine, pull the blade out when you reach about 500deg F and let it air cool, or you risk cracking and warping.

Hope this helps
Ken
 
I have to agree with IronWolf.

Guys, veg/motor oil will get the blade hard enough for a decent knife BUT real quench oil designed for the steel you're using will give you a superior blade.
 
sunfishman said:
I have to agree with IronWolf.

Guys, veg/motor oil will get the blade hard enough for a decent knife BUT real quench oil designed for the steel you're using will give you a superior blade.
Click to expand...

It is very reasonable that some reading this who may be using something like a simple file test to determine hardness would not understand, resulting in the common answer of "veg/motor oil works just fine for me". Indeed for most applications, and resulting expectations that many knives must meet, it will be "good enough". However, I would also submit this:

finepearl.jpg


A 10XX steel that a file would not bite at all, would cut many things fine, but did not quite completely win that race through 1000F. A Rockwell tester may be a little iffy on it. Hint- it should be a solid field of the lighter colored needles.
 
That's neat Kevin. It's interesting to be able to actually see what you're refering to.
Thanks!
RH
 
Kevin is much better at explaining things than myself. Great photo, thanks man.

Mike, that's too cool :thumbup:
 
Thanks for that Pearlite Pizza, Kevin.

Whatever oil you choose, agitation (up and down, not side to side) will greatly increase quench speed. That said, go with a professional HT oil!

John
 
I will. I'll order some. Thanks guys.

Is the peanut oil really OK for my 01 and 5160???
 
I was looking at McMaster-Carr online for quenchant... they have two listed.. which would be best for 1095, 11 or 28 second quench??
 
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