My neighbor swore by canola oil for quenching blades

Old guy down the street, been blacksmithing for like 40 years. Told me to try canola oil instead of my usual Parks 50. Said it works just as good and smells like french fries. First blade I did with it came out super soft and the smoke was awful. Had to redo the whole heat treat. Not sure if I did something wrong or he was just messing with me. Anyone else get bad results with cooking oils?

3 comments

3 Comments

stella3071mo ago

That french fry smell is a dead giveaway it ain't the right oil for blades.

bethcarr1mo ago

My buddy @stella307 once called me out for using vegetable oil on my bike chain, and I'm still haunted by that greasy potato smell wafting up every time I rode past a fast food joint. It was like my bike was advertising for a fry cook gig instead of getting me to work on time. I switched to a proper chain lube after that, but man, the damage was done - my whole garage smelled like a diner for a month. Those cheap oils really do leave a mess, don't they?

haydenp951d ago

Man, I feel you @bethcarr. That "greasy potato smell" line hit me hard because I made the same mistake when I was younger and trying to save a few bucks. I remember thinking, "oil is oil, right?" Nope. The smell stayed on my jeans and hands for days no matter how much I washed them, and every time I walked into my apartment it was like I just clocked out of a fast food shift. It took me way too long to realize you can't just grab something from the kitchen pantry and expect it to work on moving parts. Did you ever get the smell completely out of your garage, or is it just part of the place now?