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My uncle said to always quench a knife blade in water, not oil
He claimed it made a harder edge, but my last three blades cracked right at the tang. I'm going back to warm canola oil for my high carbon steel. Anyone have a different go-to quenchant for simple hunting knives?
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schmidt.grant5d ago
Yeah, water is way too harsh for high carbon steel like that. It cools it down way too fast and that's exactly why your blades are cracking at the tang, that's a classic stress fracture. Your uncle's advice might work for some specific, simple steels but it's a gamble. Warm canola oil is a much safer bet for most home forging. It gives you that hard edge without the crazy shock.
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coleman.jade5d ago
So what temperature do you actually heat the canola oil to? I've heard everything from just warm to the touch all the way up to almost smoking. Getting that wrong seems like it could cause its own problems.
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