Warning: I used to quench my small blades in a bucket of water from the tap.

After a few cracked pieces, a guy at the Tacoma guild meetup told me to try preheated canola oil instead. Now I keep a little pot on the forge just for that, and my success rate went way up. Anyone else switch their quench medium for specific steels?

3 comments

3 Comments

daniel_knight2mo ago

My first three blades cracked in water before I switched to oil.

olivia5542mo ago

Yeah, water is just too harsh for a lot of steels. I even warm my quench oil now, which helps avoid shock. What temperature do you run your canola at?

violagonzalez21d ago

You're saying water is too harsh, but I've been using straight tap water on 1084 and 5160 for years with no cracks. The trick is to get it out of the quench at the right moment, not let it sit until it's fully cold. I pull it when it's still warm to the touch, then temper right away. Water gives you that fast, hard edge that oil just can't match, especially on thin blades. For me, oil always leaves the steel too soft and I end up with a duller edge that needs more work to sharpen.