Best oil for knife quenching

Industry Leaders in Oil Quenching

Get oil quenching solutions from our professional team at Specialty Steel Treating, Inc. We offer a wide array of services, including batch, plug, roll, and press fixture quenching. When you turn to us, you can expect quality, integrity, and better performance. Keep reading to learn more about our oil quenching services, and how we can help you.

What Is Oil Quenching?

The oil quenching process is used in the heat treatment of metals. During this process, a piece of metal is rapidly cooled to change its individual properties. Examples of common properties include toughness, strength, durability, and hardness. If you rapidly cool the metal, you reduce the amount of time it spends at high temperatures, which can prevent defects from occurring.

The Many Benefits of Oil Quenching

Heat treated metal parts perform better. They resist wear and maintain their form while under pressure. However, there are many issues that can occur during heat treatment. Quenching oil for steel can help avoid some of these issues. 

The benefits of quenching oil include:

• Quick Transfers: Oil quenching can quickly transfer heat without changing the structure of the metal 
• Versatility: There are numerous options available, allowing you to customize the process to meet your needs
• Adjustable: It is easy for you to adjust the oils
• Little to No Defects: Quenching oil for steel can prevent defects from occurring during the production process

The Types of Oils That Are Used in Quenching

You can use many types of oils to quench steel. Some oils control distortion and reduce the risk of cracking an alloy, while other oils alter the length of the different stages of the cooling process. The two main types of oils used for quenching include:

Fast Oils

As the name suggests, fast oils cool items as quickly as possible. Fast oils reduce the amount of time the metal spends during the vapor stage while extending the boiling stage. This is ideal for certain alloys and low-carbon steel.

Hot Oils

Hot oils are always used at high temperatures and prevents temperature variations during the quenching process, which protects the metal against defects, cracks, and distortions. Although this process takes a bit longer, the end result will be more uniform.

Different Methods of Oil Quenching

There are several methods of oil quenching. These include:

Batch Quenching

Batch quenching helps you cool as many pieces of metal as possible. When you use this flexible process, you’ll notice an increase in your production rates. You can also customize the batch quenching process to include automation. If you want to save time, this is probably the best option to choose.

Press Fixture Quenching

The goal of press fixture quenching is to help you reduce distortion as much as possible. During this process, you will hold the part flat and round as it is being cooled. Then, you uniformly distribute oil to all internal and external surfaces. You must have exceptional control during the process to ensure the integrity of the final result.

Plug Quenching

Plug quenching can help you control the final dimensions of the product. Usually, there’s a plug inserted into the bore, which helps you control the dimensions during the hardening process. Manufacturers typically use plug quenching to produce gears and washers.

Roll Quenching

During the roll quenching process, a metallic piece is rolled from side to side to ensure uniform cooling. This process can be applied to both large and small pieces of metal. The roll rate must be controlled carefully to ensure the process proceeds as smoothly as possible.

Get A Quote on Oil Quenching Today!

Specialty Steel Treating has been a trusted name for over six decades, and helps clients in the industrial, aerospace, rail, and automotive industries. We specialize in oil quenching, and can help you understand what method of quenching is best for your needs. Call us at (586) 293-5355 today or fill out our form online to request a quote or consultation.

That's one of those questions that might seem simple but can end up being a pretty deep dive. The long answer involves the material being quenched, its hardenability. The cross section of the material, big difference between a knife blank and an anvil of the same material. Any desired variations in mechanical properties of the item i.e. progressive rate springs, plus a slew of other variables.

The less complex answer is most people who are learning blacksmithing today get a majority of their advice and knowledge from bladesmiths as bladesmithing has done a lot to revitalize a once all but lost art and science of blackmsithing. Bladesmiths generally use materials that work best with a fast quenching oil and then temper back the hardness to the desired level. When done correctly this gives a nicely uniform and predictable hardness and can help alleviate internal stress in the material.

I'm not a bladesmith and approach blacksmithing more from a "I really need X tool that is no longer made" view and as such I usually slow quench items that I want hard but toughness is more important like a ploughshare, hay hooks, frog gigs, ice tongs, etc. For that I use old motor oil, it doesn't have near the quench speed of something like parks 50 or water. The upside is I don't have to do anything to it after quenching, the down side is it's much less exact and requires more of a "feel" vs hard and fast scientific assurance of X alloy in Y quench Z temper.

If you're going to make a shovel or something else that you'll never be able to fit into a heat treating oven a nice used motor oil quench can be just the ticket. If you are making a knife spend the cash on your alloy of choice as well as its quench oil and read the literature on how to get the best heat treatment for it.

What is the best oil to quench knives in?

What kind of oil do you use to quench hot steel?

What kind of oil do you use to heat treat a knife?

What oil will harden steel?