TIL a simple change to my quench tank setup saved me a lot of trouble

For years, I just used a plain steel drum of water for quenching blades. It worked, but I'd get a lot of scale and sometimes warping, especially on longer pieces. About six months ago, I was at a meet in Knoxville and saw a guy using a tall, narrow tank with a mesh basket at the bottom. He said it keeps the piece moving and cools it more evenly. I went home and built one from a piece of 6-inch square tubing, about 3 feet tall. I put some scrap expanded metal in the bottom to keep things off the floor of the tank. The difference is night and day. My quenches are way more consistent now, and I haven't had a warp on a simple blade since I switched. Has anyone else tried a setup like this, or do you stick with the old bucket method?

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the_pat6mo ago

That Knoxville meet... what else did you see there?

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paulw636mo ago

Honestly the_pat, just a bunch of guys talking about old cars.

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linda_ward6mo ago

That mesh basket idea is a game changer, isn't it? It makes total sense that keeping the piece moving would stop hot spots and warping. I bet the tall, narrow shape helps a lot too, like a chimney pulling the hot water up and away. The_pat, you asking about the Knoxville meet got me thinking, do those big shows usually have a lot of these little shop tricks on display? Seems like the best way to learn is just seeing how someone else solved the same problem you have.

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