Thread: Multiple questions

Hey,

I have a couple questions:

#1 Can't help but notice there's not a lot of threads on oil quench tanks. Am I missing something? I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations - I'm looking for 120v pre-heating oil tank that can hold a decent volume attainable in Canada

#2 Are there any wood materials that are adequate for use? I love working with wood - but there's that realistic worry that it won't last very long... maybe with special finishing and coating?

#3 What is your personal criteria of what makes a quality blade? What should I really be looking out for?

As always - grately appreciated

-Mel

(Forge is slowly coming along thanks to everyone here!)

As for #2: I use purple heart, zebra and lancewood. After shaping I soak in Danish oil.

#3: As for a quality blade:
Minimal hone wear
No cracks or heavy pitting and rust
No frown, warping
Minimum 5/8 in height good carbon steel

Just my opinion. I am sure you will get others that disagree, but that's what its all about.

Oil tanks can be quite simple. A stout metal bucket and a gallon of canola oil will do. Razors are small and don't need a lot of volume to absorb heat in the quench. Buy a simple kitchen thermometer to start. As you're warming up the forge, warm up some iron bars and quench them in the oil to warm things up. You won't need more than 120-140 degrees F. I tend to use oil colder than that but do like it upwards of 70 degrees anyway. Canola will last for years. O1 loves oil quench.

Learn about thermal cycling if you're going to forge blades to shape. This reduces the potential (no absolute guarantee) of warping.

Study your heat treatment efforts carefully. Take good notes on each blade or batch. Try for consistency, regularly reproducible results using the same temperatures for austenitizing and quenching once you hit a hardness you like. Anyone who hones your blades will tell you if they are too hard or too soft. Make friends with someone who can Rockwell test some of your efforts from time to time to make sure you are staying consistent.

Good luck.

Not a lot of info on oil tanks because there is not much to be said. There is no need for sophisticated setup using pre-heat or such.
I have a metal pipe filled with maize oil. Before I start quenching, I heat a bar of steel red hot and quench it to heat the oil.
That is all there is to it.

As Mike says: experiment. Quench tanks with temperature controls attempt to take away part of the learning curve. However, there is value to be had from trial and error and learning to get a feel for what you are doing. Initially I would say use a single type of tool steel until you understand its behavior. Finish blades and hone them to get a feel for the results.

My setup is a charcoal forge, an iron pipe, and a pipe filled with maize oil. The key to success is developing a process, consistency, and trial and error.

I keep my canola oil in a new 1 gal paint can. I use a double boiler arrangement and a candy thermometer on a camp stove to heat it while I'm bringing the blade up to soaking heat in the forge. When I'm done and the oil is cool I put the lid on it and store it away.

If you're worried about wood you can either use CA finishes to seal it and make it hold up longer over time. I think there are a few tutorials on how to do this.

Otherwise you can use stabilized woods. They are basically impregnated with an epoxy type material that makes them pretty much impervious to the elements. There are a ton of places that specialize in these types.

One thing I saw on the blade forums I frequent, was a stainless steel fish poacher, if you want to get fancy. I use canola oil for the moment, and like others, just drop a piece of red hot steel into it to pre-heat it before quenching anything.

I have a couple questions:

#1 Can't help but notice there's not a lot of threads on oil quench tanks. Am I missing something? I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations - I'm looking for 120v pre-heating oil tank that can hold a decent volume attainable in Canada
I use a small galvanized tub and heat my oil up like Bruno. I just use my bare hands to feel the side of the tub.

#2 Are there any wood materials that are adequate for use? I love working with wood - but there's that realistic worry that it won't last very long... maybe with special finishing and coating?
I use hardwoods. There are sooo many, have fun with them. Favorites are desert ironwood, ebony, purple heart, leopardwood...I could go on and on. I have to say that I prefer natural materials for some reason.

#3 What is your personal criteria of what makes a quality blade? What should I really be looking out for?
Mike suggested for me to start out with simple carbon steels and I took his word for it. O-1 & 1095 are what I use. I have learned that shape is the key to function. It will either feel right or will not feel right...not much in between. Start out using a favorite razor as a template and evolve from there.

Fair warning, you will make Razor Shaped Objects...I have more than my fair share. Fortunately I have repurposed a lot of them so that my leather guy for knives can use them.

I have seen slow cookers with metal lids before... I think at CanTire. Should be able to adjust the temp and poke a hole through the lid for a thermometer. Cheap too.