taking temp of quenchant....

M

MCoughlin

Joined
Feb 1, 2005
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471
Ok I got myself some ATF and want to try heat treating with a torch but what do I use to take the temp of the transmission fluid? What temp should it be at for quenching O-1?
mike
 
I got a hot plate at wal-mart for about $10. I heat my oil to 125-150. Not sure if thats right but it works for me.
 
I use a coleman Electric single burner to Heat mine and try to keep it between 130-150. I also use a Meat thermometer. I cut a hole in the side of my pan and put a zip tie thought it to make a look then let the thermometer hang from the zip tie. Then I dont have to keep messing with the Meter.

Shane
 
cooks 7 said:
that's not a bad idea, do you have any idea what they hot plate can get up to?
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You dont want to overheat the oil. It will lose some of its properties if left at temps higher than what is needed for quenching. Best bet is the Bob Warner thing... see if you can find an old commercial french fryer. The heater is regulated. A hot plate is okay, but will have to be closely monitored to stay within the correct temp range. I set mine on lowest setting and let it heat and I stir the oil occasionally to ensure even heating. I usually do this when I first set a blade in the furnace. Soon as the balde is soaked and ready for quench - in all that time it takes to heat the furnace, the hotplate has done its job, and the 5-gallons of quench is heated properly too.

symbiotic almost.
 
Turkey fryer thermometer, has a clip on the shaft and the shaft is long enough to keep up with a fairly deep quench tank. I just heat mine with scrap bars of heated steel. I keep her idling at around 135 -140 deg.
 
crex said:
Turkey fryer thermometer, has a clip on the shaft and the shaft is long enough to keep up with a fairly deep quench tank. I just heat mine with scrap bars of heated steel. I keep her idling at around 135 -140 deg.
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thats how i figure to heat mine , just use some bits to heat up in the forge, heck its burning any way.
 
cooks7 The hot plate can get over 600+ if given time.I also use it for blueing salts.It does help to speed things up with the torch.
 
I use a kitchen deep fry thermometer, like Crex, and use it to stir the oil. I set the quench tank on hard fire bricks and heat with the propane torch. With 1084 and O1 that I use, getting the oil to 135 has worked really well.
 
I also use a meat thermometer and quench O1 at 120 degrees.
Scott
 
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