kimr91•1d ago

My uncle told me to quench a hot chisel in pickle juice

He swore it hardened better that way from his navy days. Tried it on a chisel last week and it came out smelling like a diner and barely held an edge. Anyone else ever get bad quenching advice from a family member?

3 comments

3 Comments

wade_anderson1d ago

Back when I worked in a machine shop in the early 80s, the old timers used straight brine - a cup of salt to a gallon of water. That pickle juice story is common but the vinegar in it messes with the steel. Plain water or a light oil works better for most tool steels. Your uncle probably just remembered it wrong.

david_walker9717h agoTop Commenter

That's exactly what I've heard from guys who actually do this stuff for a living. The vinegar in pickle juice seems like it would leave some residue or cause little pits in the steel over time. Brine is just salt and water, nothing extra to mess with the hardening process. I've read a few metallurgy forums where they tested different quenchants and brine came out on top for speed and consistency. The pickle story is fun for sure, but it's probably more of a bar tale than shop practice. Your uncle might've just heard it from someone else and passed it on without ever trying it himself.

shane_wilson1d ago

That post from @wade_anderson about the vinegar messing with the steel lines up with something I read in a blacksmithing forum a while back. They said the acid in pickle juice can actually weaken the edge if you quench in it too many times. Brine sounds like the smarter bet for consistent results, even if the pickle story is more fun to tell.