Storing quench oil

C

comet_sharp

Joined
Aug 22, 2016
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Hey guys. I use McMaster medium oil and parks 50. I usually quench out of the bucket...longer gyutos is making this a bit sketchy so my uncle made me 2 quench tanks. Do I need to make a semi/air right lid for these? Can oxidation hurt the quench oils? This is steel pipe with red oxide paint on the inside.
AmTpNiA

AmTpNiA

http://imgur.com/gallery/AmTpNiA
Not sure if image link so showing properly..

Thanks
-Trey
 
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I can't give much info on oxidation, but the main reason I keep a lid on my vertical quench tank is to keep addtional dust and debris out of it.
 
A reasonably snug lid will keep critters and trash out. It doesn't need to be airtight. An old pot lid or a flat plate of steel works fine. Otherwise, it will store fine in the tank. Iput a simple lid over my tanks out in the smithy, with a weight on it to keep it there, and the oil has done well for many years. If you want to store it in the pail, a wide mouth funnel with a wide tube is best to use when transferring the oil.
 
Thank you for the quick replies!
The tanks hold 10 gallons and as I only have 5 gallon of each oil I planned to put bricks in the back of the tanks to displace the oil and I'll make some lids, but wasnt sure about air tight or not.
Thanks again
-Trey
 
Bayou Classic turkey fryer or 120mm mortar round can makes okay quench tanks that can be sealed/covered.
 
i have a plastic container that goes over the top of the quench tank. it keeps the mice out. when i switched out my last tank there was a mouse in the bottom of it :(
 
I would cut a peice of steel sheet to fit over the mouth, weld on some tabs on the underside to socket into the quench tank mouth and keep the lid in place. If the sheet you use is too thin to want to stay in place, I would weld a pound or two of steel to either end. I think the sheet and tabs will be sufficient without the added weight.
 
I forgot to mention that the plastic/rubber caps that come on the ends of large pipe in shipping work great. If you have a construction or plumbing company nearby that uses lots of 4" pipe, they may have some laying around. They may also have a 24" length of 4" or 6" pipe that you can have for a quench tank. Weld it to a 12" plate of 1/4" steel and you are good to go.
 
A PVC cap may fit over a piece of steel pipe or other quench tank. I never tried it?
I use PVC caps on my etch tanks ... which are PVC. One issue is that they often get stuck on tight from vacuum I have to tap them off with a bar of steel going from side to side.

Note to new makers - NEVER use PVC for a quench tank. A hot blade can go right through it and cause a terrible fire.
 
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