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I've been quenching my blades wrong for three years and only just saw it
I was making a hunting knife for a friend and the edge kept chipping. I always used a fast oil quench, thinking speed was key. Then I watched a video from a smith in Texas who said for that steel, a slower quench in warm canola oil gives a better grain structure. I tried it on a test piece and the difference was clear, no more tiny cracks. So is a fast quench always better for hardness, or does it depend on the steel and the tool? What's your go-to quench for simple carbon steel blades?
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shane_knight6mo ago
Wait, what steel were you using? A fast quench can make some steels too brittle, so it's not always better. My go-to is warm parks 50 oil for simple steels, it's a good middle ground.
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the_mia6mo ago
Yeah, I was reading an old forum thread where a guy tested the same steel in water, oil, and parks. He found the water quench made it glass-hard but it chipped way too easy, just like you said. The parks oil gave it a little more flex so the edge could actually survive use. It totally changed how I look at quenching speed now. Sometimes slower is actually stronger for the final blade.
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williamprice3mo ago
304 stainless is actually pretty forgiving with a slower quench, I've had good results just letting it air cool after a soak. The carbide structure seems to handle it fine.
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