Random Thought Thread

SharpBits said:
Now on to .45 vs 9mm, or Ford vs. Chevy, or sweet potatoes with marshmallows vs. cranberry sauce. These are always calm and fun to discuss on the internet. 🤣
Click to expand...

We had the quench oil wars in shop talk here on the blade forums about 20 years ago

Some framed it as science versus anti-science

One guy, who was really smart and had put a lot of work into this, and was also probably a little bit autistic, was pretty adamant that WE NEEDED TO START USING REAL QUENCH OIL and stop quenching in stupid shit like Goddard's goop.

And he wasn't wrong

But he inadvertently disparaged canola oil. Which is what a lot of people were quenching in.

He was very much so on the record saying he doesn't care what you quench in. Like, "I swear to God I don't fucking care what you quench in" needs to be on his epitaph. Only, he's on the record as: if you quench in that stupid shit, you're doing it wrong. Meaning, he doesn't care what you quench in = "I don't care if you do it wrong". He was merely pointing out that good quench oil is good and bad quench oil is bad, and you are a free person who is free to make shitty knives.

These were strange times.

But, in the process, he implied that people that were using canola oil were not making the best possible work and, it turns out that, broadly speaking, he was probably largely wrong about that one thing. Canola oil actually has pretty good quench characteristics and is a good fit for the profile for many oil quench steels. It was not used industrially because it is a vegetable oil that can go bad and it was comparatively expensive. However, industry doesn't shop at the grocery store and a lot of smith's do.

But anyways there was a big drama here with factions and hurt feelings and people getting upset and people getting banned

The great quench oil wars of Bladeforums

I was, at the time, using air hardening steels

In retrospect, I probably should have been oil quenching them 😞

But we, as a group, had to finally agree to move past the great quench oil wars. Quenching in vacuum ovens with really cold nitrogen gas at 90 PSI and 600 horsepower blowers. Just as the prophecy predicted.
 
Pàdruig said:
Yeah, I can't say I disagree at this point. You know what really bites? There has been zero indication that anything is wrong: no slippage, no grinding, no jerking, etc. The only indicator has been an intermittent dashboard alert and check engine light.

Super dumb.
Click to expand...
Really disappointed that Subaru went all-in on CVTs. I mean, they sound good on paper, but they can't handle real power, and the reliability so far seems to be terrible. Maybe someday...

Loved the 2006 Legacy GT I had. Was like a 4-door WRX without the "racer boy" image. But the newer gens got boring, and then they went all CVT, so was a one-two punch that took Subaru off my consideration list.
 
jlauffer said:
Really disappointed that Subaru went all-in on CVTs. I mean, they sound good on paper, but they can't handle real power, and the reliability so far seems to be terrible. Maybe someday...

Loved the 2006 Legacy GT I had. Was like a 4-door WRX without the "racer boy" image. But the newer gens got boring, and then they went all CVT, so was a one-two punch that took Subaru off my consideration list.
Click to expand...
Subaru has struggled in the MPG department hence the all in on CVTs. They are slow to get into the hybrid space as well. I still like their cars, but they ruined the Outback now, so the trend in the wrong direction continues. 😖
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top