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Old timer at a flea market taught me a trick about tempering
I was at the flea market in Eugene last Saturday and this old guy selling rusty rasps watched me pick one up. He said "heat it cherry red and quench it in a bucket of used motor oil, not water." I tried it on an old file and it hardened way better than my usual method. Anyone else ever try oil vs water for tempering small tools?
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the_fiona1mo agoMost Upvoted
Yeah old files in oil is the real deal, worked great for my chisels too.
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noah_barnes1mo ago
Jumped on this trick a few years back after a guy at a swap meet told me the same thing. Used motor oil is way slower than water so it doesn't crack the steel as much, you know? I've done maybe a dozen old files and chisels since then and they all held an edge way longer than the ones I did in water. One thing to watch out for though is the smoke - that oil gets real stinky when it hits hot metal, so maybe do it outside or with a fan going.
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