I was wrong about quenching oil for a long time

For years I just used whatever cheap motor oil I had in the garage, thinking it was good enough for my knives. Then about six months ago, I tried a proper commercial quench oil on a batch of 1084 steel. The difference was huge, way less warping and way more consistent hardness. I mean, I guess I just figured the old way was fine because it worked, but seeing the results side by side changed my mind. The commercial stuff is a bit pricier, but it's worth it for the peace of mind. Has anyone else made a switch like that and been surprised by how much it helped?

2 comments

2 Comments

andrew_nguyen6422h ago

But what if you just got lucky with that batch?

cooper.reese5h ago

Yeah but what if it's not just luck? Like @andrew_nguyen64 might be onto something with a single batch, but if you keep getting better results over and over, that's a pattern lol. I used to think the same way about motor oil, but after switching I can't even count how many blades came out straighter. It just makes the whole process way less stressful when you're not fighting warps every time.