Honestly, the way people talk about quenching oil drives me nuts

I keep seeing folks online say any old motor oil is fine for hardening blades, and that's just wrong. Last year, I tried quenching a 1084 steel knife in used 10W-30 and it cracked straight through the spine. A proper fast oil like Parks 50 is a different world. It cools at the right speed and I haven't had a failure since I switched. What other 'good enough' shop tips have you guys seen that are actually risky?

2 comments

2 Comments

julia_patel2d ago

My first blade cracked too, so now I always temper right away.

ray1892d ago

Ever think about how many people skip tempering right after the quench? Seen dudes let blades cool to room temp first and that's just asking for trouble.