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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.
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daniel7417mo 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.
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robert2484mo 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.
7
karen7397mo ago
My uncle used old transmission fluid for his forging projects. A cheap box fan in the doorway really cuts down that garage smell.
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