Home Heat Treating O1 Steel

[TBinKC]

There is a heat treat App you can keep on your phone that is available here for android and here for ISO
I'm a part time blacksmith hobbyist if there is such a thing and find it useful for a variety of metals.

 

[Firebrick43]

I have found if you can at all have a sacrificial rod or all thread or something round attached to the part. Chuck it up in the drill press and put the belt on the slowest speed. Set your table with the quill up that the oil quench container can slide underneath.

Turn on the drill press and start heating with the torch up and down. When it reaches bright red shut the torch off and quench with the drill press still turning.

Using this method if possible gets a much more even heating/quench and therefore less warping. Also it gives you a third hand

 

[gunsmither]

For small parts I use transmission fluid for quenching O1. Very thin, and does a great job and is cheap. I have a coffee can of it with a magnet
attached on a bracket to the side of the can. I can heat a part up and test with the magnet easily this way. I usually dip the slightly hot part on to
a bar of soap to help prevent scaling, before bringing it up to non-magnetic temp for quenching. Swirl it around in the oil to rapidly cool it. Sure stinks with burning soap and trans oil. Open the winders!