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I finally tried a slack tub after years of thinking it was just extra work
I mean, I always just used a regular water bucket for my hot cuts and punches. But I saw a video from a smith in Kentucky who showed the difference in scale removal after a week of heavy forging. His tools from the slack tub looked almost new, while mine had that thick crust. I switched over about two months ago and the edges on my top tools stay sharp way longer now. Has anyone else found it makes that big a difference for tool care?
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wade5585mo ago
My old water bucket was basically a scale welding station. I'd pull out a punch and it looked like it was wearing a crunchy sweater. After seeing that Kentucky smith's video I had to admit my whole system was just making more work for future me. Now the slack tub and a brush right there means I'm not spending Friday afternoon with a grinder. It feels like cheating but I'll take it.
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sean_murray6mo ago
Yeah, that "thick crust" you mentioned is the worst. I keep a wire brush right on the edge of my slack tub and give tools a quick scrub while they're still hot from the quench. It only adds a second to the process and it completely stops that scale from welding itself on.
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hall.ruby6mo ago
Honestly that wire brush trick from @sean_murray is a total game changer. Tbh I started doing it right after quenching and my cleanup time got cut in half. Ngl I wish I'd figured that out years ago.
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