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Used to think quenching in used motor oil was fine until a smith in Boise showed me his cracked leaf spring project.
Switched to a proper fast-quench oil after seeing the micro-fractures up close, so what's your go-to quenchant for 5160?
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mason.margaret2d ago
Yeah, seeing those micro-fractures will change your mind fast. For 5160, I just use Parks 50. Gets the job done right.
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charles_wilson1d ago
Honestly mason.margaret, Parks 50 is solid for a lot of steels, but it can be too harsh on 5160 if you're not careful. I've seen it cause tiny cracks right at the edge, especially on thinner blades. For 5160, I usually go with a slower oil like AAA. It still gets it hard, but it cools it down just enough to avoid those problems. The last thing you want is a blade that looks perfect but fails later because the quench was too fast.
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