Air, Oil or Water - which quench when?

the point is that I do NOT know what quench to use with what kind of steel,

Link to haoyuefurnace

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i answered...

generally, the metallurgy of the steel determines the quench, ie O1 is an oil hardening steel. you could quench it in water but this faster quench might cause cracking whereas an air quench is so slow it won't reach the desired hardness.

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the medium determines the speed and different recipes of steel react best to different quench speeds. There is a broad broad array of steels, 100's if not 's of them so to know what the right quench is, you need to know what the steel is. this is why mystery metal might be ok for many tasks but is less than satisfactory for heat treating. For complete beginner, they should know that only certain classes of steel can be hardened and that is generally determined the the % of carbon. high carbon and tool steels (like O1, W1 etc - drill rod for example is tool steel, often O1) are common steels you'd heat treat. Mild steels are not directly heat treatable but can be case hardened, a process where the required percent of carbon is added to outer layer via soaking a high temp bath that it pulls carbon out of.

the brine/nail quench was offered as a curiosity, not super practical as the hardening effect is minimal. Generally, you are only quenching high carbon or tool steel.....or case hardened mild steel. This is done when you specifically are trying to harden a part for some application and you would not go about quenching things you made of regular old mild steel as nothing is accomplished.

I don't see a need to make cutters

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famous last words mostly im talking milling cutters and taps, that sort of thing. its not to avoid the cost of buying but to address specialty situations where you can't buy, or are working away on a Saturday and want a left handed tap NOW - easier to spend half an hour on it than wait and pay $50 OR you need some miniature reverse counter bore that isn;t commercially available.

anyway, you may not have encountered the need yet, but they are easy to make so keep it in mind - it expands your repertoire and gives new options to solving problems

better to buy a tool steel and quench properly when you need to harden something

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So you know what you've got - if its mystery metal you don't know if it is a steel that can be hardened let along what the appropriate quench is

And what's a proper quench?

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the right one for the steel -. Its usually obvious, for us backyard mechanics if you have o1, its oil for example, W1, water....but like anything it can be made complicated, special quench formulas, temps etc. mostly we'll encounter O1, W1 and A1 or high carbon steel that is generally water quenched

That "whatever steel" is an unknown in a number of cases since I haven't a clue what a good chunk of it is. My finances (Remember - VA disability pension that doesn't even come close to keeping up with inflation) don't allow me to go out and buy materials so I almost have to use what's on hand.

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Kludge, look, we all use mystery metal all the time, I'm not saying you need mill certs for everything you machine....BUT the subject of the thread is what quench medium to use. Now in this thread however we're talking quenching/heat treating and here it matters - mystery metal is a non starter

It's not much a budgetary problem though - how much of what you're making is hardened? if you right now are heating up every piece of steel and quenching it you're wasting the VA pension on fuel - you only quench what you need hardened and you only harden certain kinds of steel. In the home shop this mostly means the odd cutting tool or more rarely an engine part. Mostly home shops avoid making every fixture/tool from tool steel the way industry does because most homeshops don't have the grinding facilities to deal with the hardened stuff nor the wear and tear to require it in the first place. Sooooo, its much to do about nothing - when you need something hardened use a piece of O1 drill rod and take comfort that you'll not need to do so very often

at the rist of over complicating things, The other approach to get hardened parts that works well is casehardening mild steel like using Kasenit. doesn't' get a very deep case, but it does work.

John, as you surmised, I took it that you were referring to the thread subject of quenching/heat treating.

Imagine a total newbie that is taking his very first steps into producing his first runner, only to be told that cylinder pivot pins should be made of such and such a grade of oil hardened silver steel. This poor builder just might say, 'Well this is not so easy, I will give up now', instead if given a bit of information as I did, he just might have a rethink and carry on. The first engine, after maybe a couple of hours running will be consigned to the workshop shelf. The modeller will then go on and on making bigger and better engines, and start to understand the meaning of stressed components and wear factors.

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that's the core of it, we're both trying to help the newb but have different tacts on it. Your attitude seems one of making things more accessible to newbies by ploughing a lot of stuff to side - i get why this will help some and what you are trying to accomplish. I come at it from a different tact, if the plan calls for something hardened, the best thing is for one to learn how to make something hardened...and they more they pay attention to the details the better results they'll get. For most published ME designs there is a fair bit thought behind them with the author having good reasons for these choices and the process are with the home shop builder in mind.

I'd take your proffered scenario and say its nothing to learn how to heat treat those pins, the builder will gain confidence and the result will perform as expected leading a happy satisfied builder to go on to make bigger and bigger engines . same goal line, different game plan to get there. Its my view that none of this is hard or beyond anyone's reach, just requires a desire to learn and source of info and knowledge

Don't feel frustrated, you're almost there...i answered...the medium determines the speed and different recipes of steel react best to different quench speeds. There is a broad broad array of steels, 100's if not 's of them so to know what the right quench is, you need to know what the steel is. this is why mystery metal might be ok for many tasks but is less than satisfactory for heat treating. For complete beginner, they should know that only certain classes of steel can be hardened and that is generally determined the the % of carbon. high carbon and tool steels (like O1, W1 etc - drill rod for example is tool steel, often O1) are common steels you'd heat treat. Mild steels are not directly heat treatable but can be case hardened, a process where the required percent of carbon is added to outer layer via soaking a high temp bath that it pulls carbon out of.the brine/nail quench was offered as a curiosity, not super practical as the hardening effect is minimal. Generally, you are only quenching high carbon or tool steel.....or case hardened mild steel. This is done when you specifically are trying to harden a part for some application and you would not go about quenching things you made of regular old mild steel as nothing is accomplished.famous last wordsmostly im talking milling cutters and taps, that sort of thing. its not to avoid the cost of buying but to address specialty situations where you can't buy, or are working away on a Saturday and want a left handed tap NOW - easier to spend half an hour on it than wait and pay $50 OR you need some miniature reverse counter bore that isn;t commercially available.anyway, you may not have encountered the need yet, but they are easy to make so keep it in mind - it expands your repertoire and gives new options to solving problemsSo you know what you've got - if its mystery metal you don't know if it is a steel that can be hardened let along what the appropriate quench isthe right one for the steel -. Its usually obvious, for us backyard mechanics if you have o1, its oil for example, W1, water....but like anything it can be made complicated, special quench formulas, temps etc. mostly we'll encounter O1, W1 and A1 or high carbon steel that is generally water quenchedKludge, look, we all use mystery metal all the time, I'm not saying you need mill certs for everything you machine....BUT the subject of the thread is what quench medium to use. Now in this thread however we're talking quenching/heat treating and here it matters - mystery metal is a non starterIt's not much a budgetary problem though - how much of what you're making is hardened? if you right now are heating up every piece of steel and quenching it you're wasting the VA pension on fuel - you only quench what you need hardened and you only harden certain kinds of steel. In the home shop this mostly means the odd cutting tool or more rarely an engine part. Mostly home shops avoid making every fixture/tool from tool steel the way industry does because most homeshops don't have the grinding facilities to deal with the hardened stuff nor the wear and tear to require it in the first place. Sooooo, its much to do about nothing - when you need something hardened use a piece of O1 drill rod and take comfort that you'll not need to do so very oftenat the rist of over complicating things, The other approach to get hardened parts that works well is casehardening mild steel like using Kasenit. doesn't' get a very deep case, but it does work.John, as you surmised, I took it that you were referring to the thread subject of quenching/heat treating.that's the core of it, we're both trying to help the newb but have different tacts on it. Your attitude seems one of making things more accessible to newbies by ploughing a lot of stuff to side - i get why this will help some and what you are trying to accomplish. I come at it from a different tact, if the plan calls for something hardened, the best thing is for one to learn how to make something hardened...and they more they pay attention to the details the better results they'll get. For most published ME designs there is a fair bit thought behind them with the author having good reasons for these choices and the process are with the home shop builder in mind.I'd take your proffered scenario and say its nothing to learn how to heat treat those pins, the builder will gain confidence and the result will perform as expected leading a happy satisfied builder to go on to make bigger and bigger engines. same goal line, different game plan to get there. Its my view that none of this is hard or beyond anyone's reach, just requires a desire to learn and source of info and knowledge

Quenching is heating a material until it reaches a specific temperature, then rapidly cooling it to achieve certain desired properties. This is done for various metals for different purposes, such as to increase their hardness. There are two main methods of quenching'water quenching and oil quenching. Let's explore each method in more detail.

Water Quenching

Water quenching is one of the most common forms and has been used for centuries. Water has an extremely high thermal conductivity, meaning that it can cool quickly and efficiently when it comes into contact with heated metal. However, because water also has a low boiling point, explosive boiling is risky if the metal is heated too quickly or at too high a temperature. This can cause serious risks to both the material being cooled and those working in close proximity. It's important to ensure that all safety precautions are observed when using water quenching to protect workers from injury or death.

Oil Quenching

Oil quenching utilizes oil as the cooling medium instead of water. This quenching typically takes longer than water since oil has a lower thermal conductivity than water. However, this longer cooling time can also produce better results'harder metals with greater strength'than what can be achieved by water quenching alone. Additionally, because oil does not have the same risk of explosive boiling as water, it can safely cool even hotter metals without any danger of injury or death due to boil-overs or splashes from hot oils or metals.

For more information, please visit Vacuum Quench Oils.

Difference Between Water Quenching and Oil Quenching

For this reason, oil quenching is often preferred over water quenching for cooling at higher temperatures or for applications where safety must be considered first and foremost.

Water Quenching

Water quenching is a process of cooling metal using water. This method is typically used for steel and iron. Water quenching can be done using either cold water or hot water. The benefits of water quenching include the following:

• Water quenching is less likely to cause distortion in the metal than other methods, such as oil quenching.
• Water quenching is less likely to cause hardening in the metal than other methods, such as oil quenching.
• Water quenching is less likely to cause cracking in the metal than other methods, such as oil quenching.

Oil Quenching

Oil quenching is a process of cooling metal using oil. This method is typically used for steel and iron. Oil quenching can be done using either cold oil or hot oil. The benefits of oil quenching include the following:

• Oil quenching can provide a more uniform cooling than other methods, such as water quenching.
• Oil quenching can help to prevent distortion in the metal better than other methods, such as water quenching.
• Oil quenching can help to prevent hardening in the metal better than other methods, such as water quenching.

Conclusion:

Quenching is an important process in many industrial applications. Still, two main methods'water quenching and oil quenching'are used depending on the material being cooled and the desired outcome from the process. Water quenchings offer faster results but carry greater risks due to their tendency towards explosive boiling under certain conditions. In comparison, oil quenchings take longer but provide better results due to their higher degree of control over temperatures while remaining safe even at higher temperatures than what can be achieved by using only water as a cooling medium. For machinists, mechanics, and engineers looking for an efficient yet safe way to cool their materials during production processes, understanding the differences between these two types of quenchings will help them choose the best suited for their needs during each job they undertake!

A passionate metal industry expert and blogger. With over 5 years of experience in the field, Palak brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to her writing. Whether discussing the latest trends in the metal industry or sharing tips, she is dedicated to helping others succeed in the metal industry.

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