i should of explained better if the tang does not go all the way in will be going straight down tip first. i have 1 gallon bucket but not real deep. will agitation keep it from flaming up or should i find something deeper to submerg whole thing?
Franklin,
I know there are several makers that quench vertically, I'm not positive about the pro's or cons, I do know some do it that way because it's a spece issue, a vertical quench tank can be made out of pipe, say any where between a 6 to 8" pipe welded to a plate, NOT PVC, PLASTIC,
ONLY STEEL! Not saying it can't be done, but just imagine bumping PVC with a 1500 degree blade!? At the least a mess, at the worst, flaming oil pouring out the side! Steel only, to be safe! (make sure it is water tight before you put oil in it), the plate makes a stand, that is pretty secure if you get one that is big enough and the thicker the less likely it will be to get knocked over. If you don't have a deep enough tank, I'd say get one, the scrap yard wil have plenty of pipe that's usable, and probably something that can be used for the base. Leaving the tang out of the quench will make it flame up, now if it will do it everytime? Don't know, I'd bet on it though, tangs are thinner both in width and thickness, so it shouldn't be holding as much heat, so I can see where in some case it may not flame up, BUT, and it's a big one, quenching vertically you just about have to be able to stick it all the way in, if (when) it does flame up, the flames are going to be going straight up toward your hands(and possibly, face). Of course,if you have a nice long pair of tongs you should be able to avoid that, but that chance is there for that to happen. With my tank, I have no idea what it was originally used for, my wife found it at her Mom's house, it was out back covered in grunge. It kinda looks a little like sheet metal, her Dad worked on Boilers, HVAC, kinda stuff, so it could have came from him. It's almost the perfect size, around 22" long, maybe 8" or so wide, and about 10" deep. I didn't give depth enough importance on my first quench tank, BIG mistake, the depth is where ALL of your volume will be, it's where you will have the majority of your oil, having the ability to fill a QT up with around 3 to 5 gallons of oil is hugely important. The volume of oil is what helps the heat be able to transfer away form the steel, if it can't do that, it won't cool as rapidly as desired. So, my answer to your question is, YES! I do believe it will still flame up, I don't know for sure if it will do it everytime, but I'd bet on it. I'd suggest checking the scrap yard, I've seen several metal boxes that would be a great quench tank, for real cheap. Of course there is always building one, which is one of the projects I have in mind, I just look for excuses to weld ANYTHING! Hope this helps, personally I think it would be best to go to a horizontal style tank, I guess that's because that's the only kind I've used, it may be personal preference, or there may be some added benefits to a vertical quench I don't know the answer to that. Thanks, Rex