What temperature do you quench steel?

The process of quenching is a progression, beginning with heating the sample. Most materials are heated to between 815 and 900 °C (1,500 to 1,650 °F), with careful attention paid to keeping temperatures throughout the workpiece uniform.

What temperature should you quench a knife at?

Step 2: Quench

(The block ensures that both sides of the blade are evenly cooled.) Many knifemakers recommend using canola oil heated to around 130℉, saying that water tends to cool the steel too quickly, which can lead to cracking, especially if the blade is on the thin side.

How hot should steel be before quenching?

Before we can start the quenching process we need to heat the steel to a high heat. We're talking extreme here- over 1,600° F. Heating to this temperature causes a grain structure called austenite to form. An austenitic grain structure produces a very soft metal.

At what temperature do you temper steel?

To reduce the brittleness, the material is tempered, usually by heating it to 175–350°C (347–662°F) for 2 hours, which results in a hardness of 53–63 HRC and a good balance between sharpness retention, grindability and toughness.

What is the best way to quench steel?

The basic method for quenching steel or metal is to plunge the metal into some sort of liquid or, in other cases, forced air. There often will be a large burst of steam as the red-hot metal hits the surface of the room-temperature liquid.

How To Heat Treat A Knife | The 4 Steps You NEED To Know

What liquid do blacksmiths use to quench?

Blacksmiths generally use water, oil, or compressed air to quench. These substances vary in environmental impact, cost, and effects on the metal, but the best quenching medium is usually water or quenching oil.

What kind of oil do blacksmiths use to quench?

There are many food-grade quenching oil options available to use for blacksmithing. Among these options are vegetable, peanut, and avocado oil. Some commonly used vegetable oils are canola, olive, and palm kernel oil. Vegetable oil is very cheap and comes from renewable sources.

Do you quench steel after tempering?

Tempering is most often performed on steel that has been heated above its upper critical (A₃) temperature and then quickly cooled, in a process called quenching, using methods such as immersing the hot steel in water, oil, or forced-air.

What temperature does steel harden at?

Steels are heated to their appropriate hardening temperature {usually between 800-900°C), held at temperature, then "quenched" (rapidly cooled), often in oil or water. This is followed by tempering (a soak at a lower temperature) which develops the final mechanical properties and relieves stresses.

Why tempering is required after quenching?

After the material has been quenched to its hardest state, the process of tempering is used to achieve greater toughness and ductility by decreasing hardness. Tempering is achieved by heating the quenched material to below the critical point for a set period of time, then allowing it to cool in still air.

Can you temper steel in an oven?

You can temper steel in less than half an hour using your kitchen oven. Tempering usually works best after the metal has been heat-treated. Using a blank that has been hardened in this way greatly improves the tempering process.

Can you harden mild steel?

A36 is a low carbon or mild steel, and as such cannot be hardened. It can be case-hardened, however, which just means using a chemical treatment with heat to add a thin layer of tough material around the soft steel core.

Can you reuse quenching oil?

Usually, the post-quench washer is used to recover the quench oil for reuse. This washer must only be used to clean parts after the quench and must not be contaminated with other coolants or other contaminants. In this process, the oil is recovered from the post-quench wash and segregated to a separate tank.

How hot should quenching oil be?

Quenching into oil above 212°F (100°C) has traditionally been referred to as "hot oil" quenching. Oil temperatures in the 195°F - 450°F (90°C - 230°C) range have been used with both ends of the spectrum normally reserved for special applications.

Why do blades warp when quenched?

When these heated parts are quenched, their internal crystal structure changes again, and that volume change is not necessarily sufficient to offset the change upon heating. This change of volume can cause dimensional distortion.

What are the minimum requirements for quench hardening of a steel?

Hardening of steel is obtained by a suitable quench from within or above the critical range. The temperatures are the same as those given for full annealing. The soaking time in air furnaces should be 1,2 min for each mm of cross-section or 0,6 min in salt or lead baths.

What temp does steel turn cherry red?

Description. Iron or steel, when heated to above 900 °F (460 °C), glows with a red color.

What's the difference between quench and temper?

Quenching is the process of rapid cooling after heat treatment of a workpiece, while tempering is a process that involves heat treating to increase the toughness of iron-based alloys.

Do you have to temper a blade after quenching?

After the blade has been quenched, its hardness is still not suitable for usage. In its hard and brittle state, the quenched blade will shatter like glass if dropped, it must be tempered before it is put to use.

How soon after quenching should you temper?

Generally, about 15 minutes after your quench, the blade should be cool enough to temper. If you can hold it with bare hands...you're probably good to go.

What motor oil is best for quenching?

Canola, Motor Oil, and the Inconel Probe Test

I found a study on 1045 steel where they found canola to quench more rapidly than motor oil so I am going to stick with canola as my “cheap” quenching option to test.

Can you forge rebar?

Cons of Forging with Rebar

A first major con of using rebar for blacksmithing is its unpredictable nature. Most rebar is not made of quality metals and can even contain dangerous fumes when worked. What is this? You can never be sure what the rebar is made of, so final projects can end up brittle.

What did medieval blacksmiths quench their blades in?

The smith then heats the metal so that both the iron and steel are molten and join. The blade is tempered—transformed from soft, workable metal into a hard blade—by holding the blade over a fire and then quenching the blade in a vat of oil or brine.