Substandard quenchants

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Lt.Col.Vortex

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Jul 22, 2012
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Did some quick looking but couldn't find anything on sub-par quenchants. Whether it be motor oil or water solutions, what are some non intended fluids used for quenching?

There are steels that require different cooling times, what are some alternative fluids that preform almost as good as the purpose build coolants?
 
Goat urine, virgin's blood (but only in a full moon),the bodies of Chinese prisoners, etc, etc.:D
Lt.Col.Vortex said:
Did some quick looking but couldn't find anything on sub-par quenchants. Whether it be motor oil or water solutions, what are some non intended fluids used for quenching?

There are steels that require different cooling times, what are some alternative fluids that preform almost as good as the purpose build coolants?
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I can do the goat urine..how bout pig urine?? Virgin blood.mine should work. And I'm out of freshly ground Chinese mash....any other options??
 
Seriously, goop doesn't work, water usually doesn't work (but brine does some times), and most other old boy techniques. Other than engineered quenchants, canola or peanut oil at about 130 degrees will work for many steels, as well as smelling wonderful.
 
Now way canola or peanut oil, whats in them thats not in synthetic or other oils?

And dose it have to be new( not cooked oil ) and how many times can I use it before changing ? I'm just thinking of getting a 5 gallon bucket of canola oil, is this going to be enough or do I need more?
 
They don't have synthetic or petroleum bases. You want it to be clean so the cooling curve isn't affected by contaminants. 5 gallons should be plenty. depends on the size of your quench tank and your blades.
 
Thanks for the input guys. But really, everyone goes out and buys quenching oils? No one uses canola or peanut oil????
 
In a comparison between petroleum based quenching fluids and vegetable oils the petroleum based fluids are substandard, due to poor biodegradability, flammability, toxicity and petroleum is not an annually renewable resource,… not to mention poor availability for small shops.

However,... the engineered petroleum fluids are an alternative and still have there place.
 
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If used properly, the engineered fluids will last longer than the grocery store bought vegetable oils, but with a greater initial cash outlay. Canola is often the veggy of choice because it has good stability compared to some of the other vegetable oils, although some are a bit faster or slower.
 
Tai Goo said:
In a comparison between petroleum based quenching fluids and vegetable oils the petroleum based fluids are substandard, due to poor biodegradability, flammability, toxicity and petroleum is not an annually renewable resource,… not to mention poor availability for small shops.

However,... the engineered petroleum fluids are an alternative and still have there place.
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Best quote ever!

Tai is steering you well. That being said, Canola won't work for every steel. There's been a million past posts on this subject. A simple search on Canola oil will find several old threads that are 10 pages long discussing this.

And Water is NOT a substandard quench. But, water does need proper research and needs used appropriately for the appropriate steel.
 
The same way we need to get off the use of fossil fuels for energy, we also need to get off the petroleum based quenching fluids. This can be very easy to accomplish,… just adapt.
 
Canola has proven to outperform most of the other vegitable oils.... or at least, there are more studies regarding it. I use canola when doing out of the shop demos in areas where a petro spill would be devastating. In the shop, I use an engineered oil because they are designed specifically for quenching, give me better results and last longer. If you are concerned about petrolium based products ruining the evnvironment, use canola. A few companies make canola based engineered quenchants as well.

Stay away from dirty oil, and coagulated goop.
 
Rick, the only reason you get better results from your engineered fluids, is because you haven't fully adapted to the vegetable oils yet,... or them to you. I think going with the flow makes a lot of sense. Instead of trying to force nature to adapt to you, why not turn it around and adapt to nature?

Destroying the planet just doesn't make sense... there's no need for it. We should be trying to leave it better than we found it.

Shame on you Rick!
 
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So your canola plants, harvests, processes packages and distributes itself? What was the container it came to you in made of? :)
 
Does crude oil just jump out of the ground and land in your quench tank as Parks #50? Does your diner cook itself?

We need to look towards the future, and I’m confident that one day we will look back on petroleum based quenching fluids as being archaic and barbaric. I for one don’t want to be lumped in with that crowd die hards.
 
If adapt means use air hardening steels, then I see what you mean. Otherwise............
Tai Goo said:
The same way we need to get off the use of fossil fuels for energy, we also need to get off the petroleum based quenching fluids. This can be very easy to accomplish,… just adapt.
Click to expand...
 
Air hardening is a great alternative to oil and/or water quenching. I’ve used air hardening steels a lot, in a different type of shop set up and scenario.

If we look far enough into the future, quenching steel in fluids, in general, will probably be the domain of artists and anachronists... if it isn't already.

Steel itself may eventually become obsolete, water and oil steels being the first to go... At best, all we may be able to do is keep an art/craft and tradition alive… if not already.

Bladesmithing as we know it, has more to do with culture and/or subcultures than science.

Oddly enough, history shows that things like culture, society, politics and economics, generally dictate over pure science… what is acceptable, ethical, practical etc., and what isn’t.
 
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