Why my shop still smells like a garage sometimes from quenching in old oil

My dad showed me how used motor oil can quench medium carbon steel without making it brittle. It leaves a dark finish that resists rust pretty well. I use it for making hardy tools that take a beating. New quenches are faster, but this cheap trick has never failed me.

3 comments

3 Comments

daniel7413mo ago

Seriously, the smell is the least of my worries with old oil. Even with a fan like Karen739 said, the sludge and mess it leaves on everything is just not worth it for me. I switched to proper quench oil just to keep the shop clean.

robert24814d ago

Well I'll be darned, you're absolutely right about that sludge and mess. That sticky black tar gets into every little gap and crevice, it's a nightmare to scrub off your anvil and tongs. I ran some old motor oil through a quench once and it left this weird sticky film on a blade I was pretty proud of, took forever to polish it off. Proper quench oil might cost a bit more, but it keeps your workspace from looking like a Superfund site and honestly your steel comes out cleaner too.

karen7393mo ago

My uncle used old transmission fluid for his forging projects. A cheap box fan in the doorway really cuts down that garage smell.