Cas City Forum Hall & CAS-L
Special Interests - Groups & Societies => The Cutting Edge => Topic started by: River City John on December 12, 2017, 08:43:29 AM
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I've read that canola oil is good for quenching as long as you get the heated work under the surface quickly.
Pros and cons?
I have two revolver hammer faces I want to harden and do not wish to pay the big bucks for true quenching oil.
RCJ
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I had never heard of using canola for quenching, black smithing isn't really in my wheel house. But, you throw some fries and chicken in, and you can have a good lunch while working. As for the quickly submersing, you would want to do that regardless of the oil type, cooling the whole piece as uniformly as possible.
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I have done a limited number of quenches, but the few I have done, I have used peanut oil with good results. Between Peanut oil and Canola oil, peanut oil has a higher smoke point. Probably not a big difference, but honestly you will get less smoke in your garage.
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I had never heard of using canola for quenching, black smithing isn't really in my wheel house. But, you throw some fries and chicken in, and you can have a good lunch while working. As for the quickly submersing, you would want to do that regardless of the oil type, cooling the whole piece as uniformly as possible.
Why would you cook in the nasty stuff? I only allow it in my workshop and use it on kitchen knife handles.
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As far as quenching is concerned, the importnat part is viscosity, or thickness of the oil.
You generally do not want to quench in water ( even water-hardening steels such as W1) unless you are an expert, because the
water is "too thin", boils off quickly, and quenches the steel too fast, resulting in glass-hard brittelness.
Yoou should tailor the oil to the steel involved, fast quenching (ie thin ) oils vs slow quenching ( ie thick ) oils.
Some foks like oils like olive oil because it smells nice, some like other oils for higher flash point.
I always "used to" use old crankcase oil, ie used 10w30. But bear in mind I was quenching random scrap for stuff like fire tongs, pokers, etc, and made specific stuff out of scavenged detroit leaf and coil springs. For those, crankcase oil was fine.
I have used olive oil, I never tried corn oil or canola, tho...
I have also been known to "bring out" the pattern of damascus ( aka pattern welding) with soda pop ( ie coke) .
So, having babbled on about all that, for your hammer, I would suggest getting just a couple of dabs of "casenite" on the hammer face, heat to cherry red, and quench OUTSIDE in a pint or so of whatever oil you have on hand....
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Professor, you're a stable genius.
I know this because that is the very course of action I have determined upon.
RCJ
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Also makes sense to me.
Case hardened a pin made out of a nail one time in a machine shed with a torch, carborizing flame and some used motor oil. Was a lot harder when done and kept a friends combine running till in the morning when the JD dealership opened.
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I use vet grade mineral oil so I don't have to worry about the oil going rancid.
I got mine at Tractor Supply but you can probably get it anywhere horse supplies are sold.
I also heat it to about 150 degrees F before using....
Alan
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Professor, you're a stable genius.
I know this because that is the very course of action I have determined upon.
RCJ
Ah My Dear John -
Sickk Great Minds think alike!
yhs
prof marvel
Good idea Flinch!
yhs
prof marvel