[TheForge] Rust inhibitor

[Michael H. Murphy]

The way I heard it, the smith didn't quench the steel in the olive oil; he
quenched it water, and then used the boiling oil as a heating bath to draw
the temper to make a more flexible steel.  I've heard of other types of
baths to draw the temper, even molten lead.  That would give you some real
healthy fumes to breathe.

Murf

> -----Original Message-----
> From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:theforge-
> bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Chuck Robinson
> Sent: Saturday, November 27, 2004 10:54 PM
> To: Sponsored by ABANA
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] Rust inhibitor
> 
> The use of  those organic materials is because they are reduced to pure
> carbon in an inert environment. The case hardening process took many hours
> to get a few thousandths penetration of the iron surface. Nothing that you
> would see at a lower temperature and certainly not with a quick pass of
> the
> horn in an oxidizing environment.
> 
> Olive oil is used for quenching steel. It is a good quenching medium
> because
> the hot oil smells better than petroleum and other types of quenchants and
> the fumes are less harmful to breath.
> I use it at about 180-200 F. It is heated to reduce the oil's viscosity
> because it cools faster at that viscosity.
> If you bring it to the boiling point you will probably reach the oil's to
> its flash point when you stick in the hot billet.
> Chuck
> --- Original Message -----
> From: "Michael H. Murphy" <blacksmith at comcast.net>
> To: "'Sponsored by ABANA'" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Saturday, November 27, 2004 6:37 PM
> Subject: RE: [TheForge] Rust inhibitor
> 
> 
> I've run into that process in a number of historical texts.  Also other
> types of horn, as well as leather, charcoal, and other organic materials.
> Some were more successful than others.  I also heard something about using
> olive oil to draw the temper after quenching.  I'm not sure on this, but I
> think it had something to do with the boiling point of olive oil being a
> good tempering temperature.
> 
> Murf
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:theforge-
> > bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Dave Mudge
> > Sent: Friday, November 26, 2004 5:20 PM
> > To: 'Sponsored by ABANA'
> > Subject: RE: [TheForge] Rust inhibitor
> >
> > In the book, "On Divers Arts" the 12 century author, scholar and all
> > around
> > Renaissance Man, Theophilus describes wrapping up pieces of iron along
> > with
> > shavings of cow horn or hooves and cooking it in a forge. I think that
> > what
> > happens is the carbon from the cow stuff gets migrated into the iron to
> > form
> > some crude steel or at least case hardened iron. I don't have time to
> look
> > it up now.
> >
> > Theophilus On Divers Arts
> > translated from Latin by
> > John Hawthorne & Cyril Stanley Smith
> > a Dover Publication
> > isbn # 0-486-23784-2
> >
> > dave mudge
> > dave at magichammer.net
> > http://www.magichammer.net
> > http://www.metalsmithinghowto.com
> >