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Almost skipped the quench tank temp check because it seemed like overkill, and a cracked piece of 1084 changed my mind
I used to eyeball my oil temp for quenching, just figured if it was warm to the touch that was good enough for the 1084 blades I make. Then last week I had a bowie blank come out of the quench with a hairline crack running right up from the edge, and when I finally stuck a thermometer in there I was sitting at 190 degrees instead of the 130 I was aiming for. How are you all checking your quench oil temp, and does anyone run a probe full time or just spot check before each blade?
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henrygrant27d ago
Tossing a thermometer in is fine but you lose the whole reason for checking if you only do it once at the start. Oil holds heat, so 190 at the start means it could climb higher as you quench blade after blade. I keep a cheap probe clipped to the side of my tank full time and glance at it between heats, costs almost nothing and saves me from guessing. Nowhere near as fancy as it sounds, just a meat thermometer with a long wire. The cracked bowie probably had more going on than temp alone too, grain growth or a thin edge can bite you even at 130.
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