quench plate question

JawJacker

JawJacker

Well-Known Member
I ordered a 16'' set and some foil. I have searched and read but I still dont see how you get a good quench on the beveled blade portion on the knife.Do you guys mainly just plate quench the blank?
 
The plate does not have to lay directly on the ground bevels. The plates suck the heat right then. All I use to keep the plates tight on the blades is the weight of the plates themselves as I use steel plates 1" thick. I build my knives and grind the blades after they are heat treated.
 
As Tom says, quench plates suck heat right out of blades, which will harden even the bevels nicely. I prefer to quench post grinding because I'm concerned I'll let it get a bit hot and mess up the temper if grinding bevels post heat treat. Skillful work would prevent this, but I'm still learning.

Remember, most of the stainless steels used with quench plates are considered "air hardening", so would actually harden without quench plates..... maybe.

Ken H>
 
Do quench plates need to be a certain metal, or would anything thick and flat work. Would cold roll work?
 
I know someone has a water cooled quench plate system out there. Come forward!
 
Why do you want water cooled??? The quench plates already cool the blade WAY faster than the air cool the steel is intended for. People don't use plates for a faster quench. It's for a better quench - flatter and cleaner. I suppose water cooled would allow you put the next batch of blades between the plates sooner, without having to wait for them to cool down - but that would suggest pretty high volume production.
 
As I was told when I first started plate quenching... Right after you place the plates on the blank (I use a very large C-clamp and snug it down to keep a little pressure on the blade) Shoot some compressed air in the void of the plates on to the blade to help speed the quench. I usually try to concentrate the air on the bevels as I grind pre heat treat. I haven't had any problems.
 
Aluminum isn't necessary. I have used two 1" thick steel plates for quench plates for years. The weight keeps the blade straight while it cools. That's all the plates are for, although it's nice to be able to pick up the blade in a couple of minutes instead of waiting for it to cool.
 
I've been using a water mist with my aluminum quench plates for a good while - helps cool things nicely. I asked John Foster, a Sandvik technical engineer about this - he felt it was a good idea, but didn't seem to think it was actually needed for the quenching aspect, but certainly didn't hurt anything. I guess I felt when quenching, the idea was to "get it cool" pretty quick? Yea, I know that's not exactly true, I am talking about a "mist", not dunking in a tub of water.

Ken H>
 
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I just got a set of 1x5x14 quench plates. I don't have my kiln yet, so I haven't a chance to use them yet. I have a couple of questions I was hoping someone could answer. I'm thinking of bolting a handle on one of the plates so I have something to grab onto when quenching. Is this an ok idea as long as the mounting bolts don't go all the way through? Also, is it ok to put more than one blade in a foil pouch, and if so, do you just quench the whole pouch or do you cut it open and quench the blades one at a time.

Thanks much
Jess Hoffman
 
Edited:........ I must be getting old........ Everything I had to say has already been said....... Somehow missed the first page of posts.
 
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