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Question about quenching in water vs. oil
Last Tuesday I cracked a pretty nice knife blade wide open when I dunked it in water. I'd been doing it that way for years but this 1095 steel just couldn't handle it. Anyone else had better luck with a specific oil for high carbon blades?
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paulw534h agoTop Commenter
Feel your pain man, that sinking feeling when you hear that ping is rough. Switched to canola for my 1084 and 1095 stuff and haven't had an issue since. Honestly, the slower quench gives you way more margin for error with those high carbon blades.
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sanchez.mary1h ago
Man, I used to be all about canola being too slow for anything, but this actually makes a ton of sense. Gives the blade a chance to settle without that brittle crack everyone's chasing. Might have to grab a bottle and see how my 1095 treats me.
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bennett.harper42m ago
Just a heads up, canola isn't really a slow oil. Its speed is actually closer to medium, somewhere between fast oils and the really slow stuff. If you're looking for a slower quench that gives your 1095 more room to breathe, you might want to look at something like Parks 50 or even a properly heated brine for a more controlled cool. Canola's still a good choice though, just not the slowest on the block.
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