Took me 8 years to realize I was quenching in the wrong oil

Been doing this since 2016 and always used canola oil because it was cheap and easy. Last week I was at a hammer-in up near Portland and an older smith watched me quench a knife. He asked why I was using such a slow oil for 1095 steel and handed me a jug of Parks 50. The difference in hardness was night and day after I tested it with my files. Anyone else have a basic mistake like this that took way too long to figure out?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_eva7h ago

But is it really a mistake, or just a different approach? I've been using canola oil for years on all kinds of steel and never had a problem with edge retention or hardness in my own tests. The old timers love to push specialty oils like Parks 50, but for a lot of us working at home, canola does just fine if you preheat it to around 130 degrees and quench consistently. I've got knives I made back in 2018 that still hold an edge after heavy use. Might not be the absolute hardest possible, but it's plenty hard enough for everyday tasks. Plus, at a fraction of the cost and way easier to find, I'll take that trade off any day.

amy_foster565h ago

Wait, you're telling me I been doing the equivalent of putting regular gas in a race car for 8 years and nobody said anything? (Except that old guy at the hammer-in, I guess).