[TheForge] oil temps (one more time)

[James Binnion]

On Nov 20, 2010, at 9:58 PM, Bruce Freeman wrote:

> 
> Vegetable oil might not be the "best" quenching oil, but it's cheap
> and non-polluting.  So what if it goes rancid?  Rancidity won't hurt
> the quench.  I seriously doubt you'll see any significant change to
> the physical properties anytime soon.  And when you do, take the 5
> gallons of oil and turn it into soap for your shop, and buy another 5
> gallons of fresh oil.
> 

My understanding is he is going to heat a few gallons of the oil (electrically) to 375F to temper the blade after quenching. My concern would be fire hazard more than anything else. But as Steve pointed out it is similar to a deep fat fryer, so as long as the heat control is reliable hopefully it should be no problem. 

James Binnion
jbin at well.com