Quench plate sizes?

theWeatherman

theWeatherman

Well-Known Member
So I have been thinking about getting some quench plates out of aluminum. I was wondering if you guys had any suggestions on the sizes? I don't want to get a small set for like $60 and then wish I got bigger, so I hope to hear about the little wishes and wants from you guys before I buy some.

I assume that the entire knife needs to be in the plates and not jus the blade, so it has to be bigger than the knives I make.

-Brian-
 
Mine are 16" x 6" x 1". Got them from Tracy and they're big enough in size to quench about any stainless I do. Anything larger has been carbon steel in oil, anyhow. As for mass, the only trouble I've had has been with CPM 3V at .227 and .270 thicknesses. It seemed to not want to get the steel cooled down fast enough with the plates at 70 degrees, so I refrigerated them and double-stacked top and bottom with subsequent knives with no issue. Haven't had a single failure in well over a hundred stainless knives at typical thicknesses and sizes yet aside from the 3V issue.
As for length, I suspect that as long as you have the blade and ricasso between the plates and only a couple of inches of tang sticking out, the tang won't harden but the blade will be functionally fine. I try to keep the tip of the knife blade at least an inch from the edge but mine are long enough there's enough room to center the the blade usually. Someone with more experience with differential hardening and stainless hopefully will have a firm yes or no on that. When I have a distal taper I make sure to get the blade clamped between both plates at the blade flats and not have one plate rocked down on the tang angle.
 
I mean if I get the 16" x 4" x 1" they would gold all the knives that I would do I guess. I wouldn't be doing more than a 2" wide knife.

The refrigerated plates are a good idea.

I would be interested in hearing if anyone has had any problems with their knives that they have had the tang hang out? I guess I wouldn't be making anything over 16" anyways.
 
You'll be having 2/3 the mass of a 6" wide plate that way and I don't necessarily see that being a problem but mine do get quite warm even with an air blast quenching a 1 1/2" wide 3/16"+ thick knife about eleven inches overall. That's a large knife...the plate heating is not nearly as noticeable with a 3" blade 1/8" thick skinner that's got a tapered tang.
 
Mine are 12X12X1-1/2",can quench 3 good size blades at a time and then have to cool them.No doing mostly folder I can do 3 blades and 3 springs at the same time.

Stan
 
I recently picked up some 1.25 x 8 x 12 for $52 off ebay. Wasn't really looking for the extra thickness, but I guess I could fin them just for grins and to increase surface area.
 
I have two sets all from 1" thick plates. One set is 8 x 18. One set is 12 x 24. I use the two sets when I'm doing different thiknesses. Might be six blades in the oven - the 4 blades at 5/32 will go on the big plates and the two at 3/32 on the little plates. As for parts sticking out, they aren't going to give you any problem as long as you don't bend them on something. Keep in mind that with a tapered blade, only the tang and ricasso are going to touch the plates anyhow. This is not a problem because it's still faster than air quenching. The parts sticking out will harden just fine.

I did a test a few years back where I ground a bar into thickness steps - IIRC 3/16, 5/32 and 3/32. The idea was to simulate a distal blade taper while still allowing for flat parallel surfaces to rockwell test. I can't remember the exact numbers, but all three levels hardened to essentially the same degree, even though only the 3/16 level was touching the plates.

Remember to only do knives of the same thickness on any given plate set at any given time or there will be a problem with thinner blades not contacting both plates.

Ebay is where I got my big set. Cost way more to ship it than to buy it. :)
 
I use two sets of plates two and cool one knife ata a time and after the second knife switch plates .
 
I use two sets of plates two and cool one knife at a time and after the second knife switch plates . I just set the second plate on top of the vice mounted plates .
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Would it help to use the plates when hardening carbon steel and particular carbon steel Damascus after the oil quench? Thanks Frank
 
Mine are 2" X 12" X12" and I have not had a problem with anything I heat treat. They are heavy enough that a vice isn't needed. I don't know how many people use a vice with aluminum plates.
Most people I have seen have 1" thick.
 
14" x 4 1/2" x 7/8"
I usually don't do more than 2 at a whack and it works fine. I used a piano hinge and reamed the holes to give me about 3/8" of play which is plenty. Like a waffle iron. After the plates are closed I slide on a 20# weight and check them later. Nice set up Art.

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Rudy
 
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Frank Niro said:
Would it help to use the plates when hardening carbon steel and particular carbon steel Damascus after the oil quench? Thanks Frank
Click to expand...

Good question Frank.
Although the quench presumably will have brought the blade past the the time/temp curve, I really don't know if there would be any benefit to cooling the blade quickly after that. On some steels the full transformation doesn't take place untill they reach lower temps, how quickly it gets there may not matter after the quench (?). Hopefully a brighter bulb will chime in.

Rudy
 
If anyone has an interest in a vice I have a W-H the jaws are 10 " wide it opens to 10" the slide tubes have some etching on them but slide smoothly they are 1 5/8 in diameter, it is not a quick release, do not use this would take 50.00 the shipping may be more than it is worth, am in Reno. Deane
 

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