Quenching in depth how to!

So this one is the first of three deep dives into the broader subject of heat treating. Any advice or comments are welcome!
Special content available to Patrons! Find my links here:
il.ink/samtown...

[@echoloc8]

Thanks for the extra info! :-)
I had never heard the difference articulated between full heat edge quench and edge-heated full quench, especially interrupted water to oil. Fantastic series!

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

Glad I could help!

[@OuroborosArmory]

Woot science!

[@veteranironoutdoors8320]

Thanks for the extra info and looking forward to the more in depth discussion! A question though: when you edge quenched that blade, I was looking for that crack and did not see it. Did the dark color of the water conceal it or did it crack after all the grains/dendrites were fully formed?

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

It wasn't a dendritic steel, but the crack happened about 5s in to the quench, it wasn't a violent "crack" more like a tear

[@veteranironoutdoors8320]

Sam Towns, Bladesmith Describing it as a tear explains why I didn’t hear a ping/ting/pop. I thought for sure how big that crack was it had to have made a sound loud enough for the mic to pick up

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

@@veteranironoutdoors8320 yeah it's interesting how these longitudinal cracks occur

[@mattwyeth3156]

Thanks for explaining this process

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

You're very welcome!

[@charlieevergreen3514]

18:48 It seems dangerous to lean the hot blade against the rim of the glass jar. I work with clay and glass, and they don’t tolerate temperature differentials well, usually expanding at the heat, faster than the cooler areas can accommodate... so they crack. Clay and glass have a lot of similar properties to metal, and I love all of them.

[@nelsonchajon8840]

NICE FANTASTIC VIDEO THANK YOU FROM NORTH TEXAS !!

[@grandadz_forge]

Wow! This is amazing information you are an awesome teacher at this stuff

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

Thanks Rob, glad I can share it!

[@Kat_Van_Forge]

Thanks fer the Xtra info😁
🔥🔥🔥🔥 🔥 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

You're welcome!

[@mikegunnellsministriesinc5384]

Thanks for taking your time and explaining this process more in detail! May God Bless you and your family Greatly

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

Thanks mate, same to you

[@robert_wylie]

Thanks for the extra info . I'm enjoying this format of videos . cheers .

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

Glad you're enjoying it I am too!

[@SpeargrassForge]

Nice job mate. Really good advice that I'm gonna use soon! Cheers brother

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

No worries mate, glad to help! Friday's video will be on tempering!

[@danielcrawford7315]

Very nicely covered Mr Sam. I, too figured there would've been an audible to a crack that pronounced. ( know now it was more a tear than a crack in actually process. Great info mate... thanks for having us out to the shop for a little bit of schooling today.
🙏blessed days sirSir
Crawford out 🧙‍♂️

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

Thanks mate, glad you enjoyed it

[@bentoombs]

Thanks Professor Sam!! I love this process it's so in depth. Years ago I used to work at Inland Northwest metallurgical Services heat treating metal for anything from carabiners to aircraft Parts in the big computer furnaces and vacuum furnaces but I like this simple down-to-earth stuff.😁 ⚒on!! Ps. Thanks for the extra info

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

Haha all good mate, this isn't a full metallurgical analysis, more a grass-roots explanation. Glad I'm getting the info out there!

[@bentoombs]

@@SamTownsBladesmith I love it. Talking my language. Those metallurgical collage boys talk language and numbers with the computer stuff. Lol This is what I want to see. Thanks dude! ⚒on!!

[@lenblacksmith8559]

Good info mate, thanks mate.

[@jamesharrison6601]

So there’s been any questions that I’ve had ever since I started learning how to Blacksmith I’m not sure if you can answer this for me. What is the main difference between hardening a flatter surface like your hammer and hardening a sharper surface like a blades edge is there a difference in the quench process. Do you want some parts to remain soft and some parts to remain hard, do you only want to heat the edge in the quench or entire piece and have it be hard. Could you do a video on it? What is the main difference if there is any.

[@ValhallaIronworks]

This video really quenched my thirst for knowledge

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

🙄

[@ValhallaIronworks]

@@SamTownsBladesmith Thanks for the extra info though ;) also for doggo. Doggo always makes for best videos.

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

@@ValhallaIronworks haha she insisted she needed to be in the video. Thanks for watching!

[@StrayWolfForge]

Thanks for the great video! I definitely learned some things.

[@terrybest8973]

I just put 2 inches of oil on water and quinch blade down so the edge of the blade gets the water and the rest gets the oil

[@terrybest8973]

When you putting the edge side down it goes through the oil first to the water gives it just enough time to cool the edge just enough then it hits the water for the final hard hitting shock just move the blade back and forth for about 20 seconds then dunk it all the way down to cool

[@Matthew_Removeafterwashing]

what temperature water needs to have for water quenching?

[@stanstanley8400]

G'day Sam. Thanks for helping to educate noobs like me. It looked like you were only quenching with small (1 litre or so) amounts of quenchant. Is there a preferred volume (dependant on blade size, etc) for quenching with food grade oil? Cheers Stan

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

Thanks mate, and no worries! The larger rhe object being quenched, the larger the container you will need. Especially if you're quenching in batches, in which case you will need to let the oil cool between pieces if you have a small receptacle. Overheated oil wont quench blades, much like cold oil doesn't. I always say bigger is better when it comes to quench tanks, but for everyday newbies and hobbyists a 4l oil can is normally enough. Forge on!

[@stanstanley8400]

@@SamTownsBladesmith Thanks mate.

[@stanstanley8400]

Forgot to add...thanks for the extra info.

[@nicholascurran4290]

Great video, what ratios do you use for your brine/soap solution?

[@sniperbuddydex6970]

So better is quenching in oil because it cool steel slower than water

[@patrickwoolery6000]

Thanks for the extra info! Good stuff!

[@jamesspry3294]

Thanks for the extra info!

[@davidsiedschlag6961]

Thanks for the extra info.

[@rooooooby]

The traditional edge quench technique for making kukris is different than the one shown here and seems to yield better results. They pour a few passes of water on the edge ( not as far up as you did) from a kettle then they pour it on the whole blade.

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

I am familiar with the technique, it is incredibly unreliable and just as prone to cracking, you just don't see the ones that fail 😁 I had a friend take a tour of the kami villages in Nepal a couple years ago, an amazing place, I one day hope to visit myself.

[@Andreas_Tvedt]

Great vid!

[@Hundesoldat]

Thanks Sam for the extra info! Great stuff!
I didn't see the crack forming at first, either; had to go back watch that part again. It wasn't obvious, but gradual and could be seen growing second by second. It is rather fascinating how that happens.
Thanks again for the insight!

[@Mett-wt3xj]

Thanks for the extra info. 👍🏼

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

Thanks for watching!

[@wiley979]

Thanks for the extra info...

[@SamTownsBladesmith]

You're welcome!

[@samcoote9653]

very cool sam, I have a few books on smithing as Ive always wanted to get into it, but always gotten caught up or found it too daunting, and this is a really cool, easy to follow breakdown on quenching, thanks for all the work you do man

[@mondriaa]

thanks for the extra info and the normal info of course

[@smpneighbor]

Thanks for the extra info Sam!

[@Divine_Serpent_Geh]

I tried edge quenching a few times. However, When I want a hard edge and a soft spine, nothing beats a good claying on the spine.
I work with W1 tool steel and 1095 almost exclusively. The only thing I quench with is Brine + detergent (Superquench). I too interrupt the quench after 3 seconds into the liquid, but I don’t finish into oil. Instead I do rapid submersions in and out. This does two things, it reduces some of the stress that takes place when forming Martensite and because the brine is still cool at this point, it gets the blade cold very quickly, which makes sure maximum hardness is achieved.
On a Katana I recently finished forging, after doing the method described above, and letting it sit in a freezer overnight, the blade came out at over 67HRC as quenched. Tempered the edge down to 63 afterwards. The steel was W1.