Quenched a 1095 blade in old oil and it came out soft as butter

Forgot to check my quench tank temp at my shop in Ohio last winter and ended up with a blade that couldn't hold an edge against a cardboard box, so now I always preheat my oil to 130 degrees before I dunk anything worthwhile.

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2 Comments

robert_roberts3mo ago

Actually I think the age of the oil matters less than most folks make it out to be. I've used a batch of Parks 50 that was sitting in my garage for about four years with old dust and grime settled on top, and it still hardened a 1084 blade just fine when I brought it up to temp. The cold shop floor and the thick cold oil is what gets you, not the oil itself going bad. I'd bet your room temp bottle performed better because the oil was warm enough to flow right, not because it was fresh.

3

anderson.gavin3mo ago

Oh man, I bet your shop was freezing cold that day. I've always wondered if the age of the oil matters too, like old ranch dressing getting all thick and weird, because mine seemed to work better when it was fresh out of the bottle even at room temp.

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