An old smith in Abilene told me to quench in oil instead of water, and I still can't decide who was right

Margaret White · 2026-09-17T22:05:05.534328+00:00

I was at a hammer-in in Abilene back in March and a guy who has been forging for 40 years watched me water quench a 1084 blade and just shook his head. He said water cracks more blades than bad steel ever did and told me to switch to warmed canola oil that same day. I did it on my next three knives and got softer edges than I wanted, so now I'm not sure his way beats my way for the steel I use. Some of you swear by water for 1084 and some say oil only, so which camp are you in and what made you settle there?

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An old smith in Abilene told me to quench in oil instead of water, and I still can't decide who was right | Blacksmiths - Discusd