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I always thought a water quench was too harsh for a simple knife... until I tried it on a piece of 1084.
I was making a basic camp knife and my usual oil can was empty. Out of pure laziness, I just used water from my slack tub. I expected a crack for sure, but the blade came out harder and with less warp than my last three oil quenches. It was a total fluke that worked. Has anyone else had luck with water on simple carbon steels, or did I just get lucky?
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mary_martin225mo ago
Sometimes the lazy shortcut turns out to be the right tool for the job.
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piperm385mo ago
Forget luck, it's about the steel's actual carbon content. Most 1084 batches run a bit low, acting more like 1075, which can handle water fine. @mary_martin22 has the right idea about shortcuts sometimes working, but this is why. Your water was probably warm from the shop, which also helps. The real fluke was your last three oil quenches maybe being too slow.
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keith_rivera195mo ago
Yeah, I always figured water was a surefire way to crack 1084. But piperm38's point about the carbon content being lower in most batches actually makes a ton of sense now. Guess my old rule of thumb was wrong.
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