I have recently been reading about an old technique call Super Quenching
for hardening low carbon steels lie 1018. The claim is during testing the
consistently got hardness over 40 with occasional test pieces testing as
high as 48.

In the reference I ran across the want to have us mix up five gallons of
quenching liquid.

If anybody has used this technique I have two questions for you.

1. If I keep the proportions right is there any reason not to just make up
one gallon?
(I only need to harden one part.)

2. How hot do I need to get the piece before quenching? Straw? Dull Red?
Bright?

On Sun, 20 Oct 2013 20:30:35 -0700, "Bob La Londe"
wrote:

I have recently been reading about an old technique call Super Quenching
for hardening low carbon steels lie 1018. The claim is during testing the
consistently got hardness over 40 with occasional test pieces testing as
high as 48.

In the reference I ran across the want to have us mix up five gallons of
quenching liquid.

If anybody has used this technique I have two questions for you.

1. If I keep the proportions right is there any reason not to just make up
one gallon?
(I only need to harden one part.)

2. How hot do I need to get the piece before quenching? Straw? Dull Red?
Bright?

While I never heard of "super quenching" to harden steel you want to
heat it until it is "cherry Red", or non-magnetic - doesn't deflect a
compass, or reached the correct temperature :-) depending on what you
read. You need to soak the part at specified temperature until if is
thoroughly and evenly heated.

The volume of the quench medium needs to be sufficient that the quench
medium remains at the proper temperature, i.e., quenching does not
heat the quench medium. The medium may range from brine to some form
of oil with the brines said to produce the hardest and oil a less hard
but tougher temper.

I've never tried to harden 1018 but generally hardening steel (heating
it and then quenching it) results in a work piece with considerable
built in stresses and usually tempering (re-heating to a lower
temperature and quenching) is needed. I have hardened "Drill rod",
probably 1090, quenching it in a cold brine bath and the freshly
hardened drill bushings would crack sitting on the bench after
hardening.
--
Cheers,

John B.

I'd suggest you Kasenite treat the part. Directions on the can. This
will give you a real hard surface and maybe just a slight bit of
tensile improvement over std. 1018

Karl

"Karl Townsend" wrote in message
...
I'd suggest you Kasenite treat the part. Directions on the can. This
will give you a real hard surface and maybe just a slight bit of
tensile improvement over std. 1018

Karl

After some more study I decided to go with Cherry Red case hardening. The
case hardening is all that's necessary, and the surface hardness is slightly
higher than the reported results from Super Quenching. This is for a single
use (I hope) cutting tool so the long term life is of no interest. I may
save the tool, but I doubt I'll ever use it again. I'll save the files so I
can make another one if I have to.

Not that old at all!

I see you have decided to case harden rather than try to "super quench", but
here's some info about "super quenching":
The process was devised by a guy named Rob Gunter when he worked for Sandia
National Labs about 20 or 30 years ago. He is a blacksmith and was making
prototype parts for the scientists at the time. In many cases they wanted a
part with "hard" characteristics, but, for whatever reason didn't want to
use tool steel. So Rob came up with this "super quench" formula. He has
demonstrated its use in dozens of cities around the USA over the years and
has many "converts" to it usefulness. It can obviously only be used the
cold working applications, since it doesn't take much heat at all to begin
to temper the low carbon 1018. I personally have seen him cut some stock
off a bar of 1018, form it into a chisel, harden it and then cut another
piece off the remaining 1018 bar without damaging the chisel's cutting edge
at all.

Here's the recipe:
http://www.artmetal.com/w-agora/view...&key=974737271

For more about Rob:
http://www.g3blacksmithing.com/about.html

Pete Stanaitis
---------------

"Pete S" wrote in message
.. .
Not that old at all!

I see you have decided to case harden rather than try to "super quench",
but here's some info about "super quenching":
The process was devised by a guy named Rob Gunter when he worked for
Sandia National Labs about 20 or 30 years ago. He is a blacksmith and was
making prototype parts for the scientists at the time. In many cases they
wanted a part with "hard" characteristics, but, for whatever reason didn't
want to use tool steel. So Rob came up with this "super quench" formula.
He has demonstrated its use in dozens of cities around the USA over the
years and has many "converts" to it usefulness. It can obviously only be
used the cold working applications, since it doesn't take much heat at all
to begin to temper the low carbon 1018. I personally have seen him cut
some stock off a bar of 1018, form it into a chisel, harden it and then
cut another piece off the remaining 1018 bar without damaging the chisel's
cutting edge at all.

Here's the recipe:
http://www.artmetal.com/w-agora/view...&key=974737271

For more about Rob:
http://www.g3blacksmithing.com/about.html

Thanks Pete. Looks like most of the articles on this all quote each other.
I've read the recipe half a dozen times (and save it in my metal smithing
files) so far.