owen bush 289 Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 I have just acquired 150+ litres (39 gallons) of whale oil from a blacksmith who got it from an old heat treating firm. its gonna be old , pre ban (1986) has anyone ever used it? I hear it is smelly.... Link to post Share on other sites
Christopher Price 22 Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 I cannot imagine that it would be pleasant, but it would be an authentic "old" oil quench, prior to manufactured petroleum products if you're going for the full authentic treatment. To that end, I would actually be interested in some if it's arrange-able and the price isn't prohibitive. A gallon would probably do for my purposes. You don't happen to know the species, do you? Link to post Share on other sites
Sid Wittman 0 Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 An good friend of mine who was a REME armourer of the old school, now turned civilian gunsmith, swears by whale oil as a quenchant. But then I always tease him that when he was in the British Army he was wearing a red coat with white crossbelts and carrying a musket... He did try to explain it's properties to me - after I was bleating about cracking a blade in the quench - but I had to explain that you can't buy a gallon of whale oil from Arkwrights Store any longer and I'd have to catch one myself... Link to post Share on other sites
Sam Salvati 76 Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Awesome, let us know how it works! Link to post Share on other sites
caseynz 0 Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 is it beef hooked? it has to be beef hooked. whale oil beef hooked ......... Link to post Share on other sites
peter johnsson 147 Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Wow! I am envious Owen. I have always wanted to try whale oil. I think it is pretty fast, as it was used to quench simple carbon steels. Please let us know how it works. ... And smells :-) Link to post Share on other sites
Josh Burrell 5 Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Well, im stunned that anyone had that much to sell! was this bought from someone in the uk? either way, good score. next on the agenda is liquid lead... Link to post Share on other sites
jake cleland 437 Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 my dad got some for making gun springs, and i've used it in very small quantities for folder springs - it's pretty fast, and i believe it was used for springs for guns and clocks because it has a smooth cooling curve which minimises distortion. never noticed much smell, though as i said i was using a large volume, but i know that in general whale meat and blubber is a lot less fishy than people think...pretty sure most of the whale oil used in this country would be sperm whale. i need to talk to my Faroese friends about getting some pilot whale oil, though the legality is maybe a bit tricky (they are allowed to kill and eat pilot whale, but i don't know about exports) i'd love to try it on a sword sized blade. Link to post Share on other sites
owen bush 289 Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 Oil in large quantities is pretty standard for ht standard ratio being a gallon to a pound of steel. Its only us who ht tinny small stuff! It should be sperm whale oil as that was the standard for many industries before the ban in 1986. I had a large industrial blacksmith phone me up and ask if whale oil and a ht bath would be of interest to a bladesmith. I am interested to see what it is like as a big volume of oil would be great for lots of projects. Link to post Share on other sites
Sam Salvati 76 Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 Well, im stunned that anyone had that much to sell! was this bought from someone in the uk? either way, good score. next on the agenda is liquid lead... Liquid lead, both for austenitizing and for queching in (sort of marquench) is used even in modern times. I have seen modern videos from Japan where they use lead baths to heat to 1550 ish, then quenched in oil. It was a neat double bath system one to get it roughly hot then one very accurate temperature bath so as not to cycle the lead. Link to post Share on other sites
Dan P. 39 Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 Interesting find Owen! I think whale oil, or "sperm oil" as it was also charmingly titled, was favoured because it had low viscosity. The sperm whale being a cold water creature had fat that remained soft at very low temperatures, and lots of it. The same phenomenon is found with mink oil and neatsfoot oil. Also, "sperm oil" has certain juju properties similar to the much storied quenchant ingredients of cocks blood and the urine of a red-haired boy or monk! Link to post Share on other sites
Al Massey 65 Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I wonder if rendered human fat would be suitable. After all, whales are endangered, people are not, and in any case you could always use liposuction. I've seen a few around a Chinese buffet you could likely get 4-5 gallons from. Link to post Share on other sites
Orien M 4 Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 (edited) Lol. "Forged on a tombstone, quenched in human fat...black cat bone handle" Whoo, spooky! Seriously, I am pretty interested in how the whale oil will work. It's ocurred to me before that it was probably the choice quenchant and gear lube of its day. Edited January 28, 2013 by Orien M Link to post Share on other sites
amichels 0 Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 Hi Owen, there would have been two types of oil. Oil rendered from the blubber (commonly baleen whales) and another obtained from the noggin of the sperm whale. The sperm whale skull has a giant organ full of waxy oil. If your oil has a waxy feel it may have come from a toothed whale like Moby. Please let us know how it performs. Link to post Share on other sites
owen bush 289 Posted February 15, 2013 Author Share Posted February 15, 2013 OIl is with me , I was uncertain if it was whale oil. But a fellow formite on British Blades sent me a sample of sperm whale oil and that is what this is. It is jet black , has a smell that is a nutty ,linseedy with a hint of squid (the taste of squid not the smell if you know what I mean) I have not used it yet but have a tank for it in the making. I will report back. Link to post Share on other sites
Steffen Dahlberg 1 Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 (edited) You lot need to work to have the EU remove the ban, we're up to our necks in the stuff here with nobody to sell it to. Last I heard there was over a megatonne of blubber on storage.Dan P, so the colder the environment the more fluid the fat? Reindeer are quite fatty, I'm getting an idea for a proper Sami knife...or a Christmas knife.Oh sorry, I'm stuck in 2013..Have you tried it, mr. Bush? Edited March 2, 2015 by Steffen Dahlberg Link to post Share on other sites
R.H.Graham 6 Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Awesome :0) It's fast, not quite as fast as parks 50, but not far off. Quicker than mineral oil. Alot safer than parks. It also makes a coating on the blade that pads the quench after about 2 seconds, kinda like how some polymer quenchants work. It doesnt smell that bad imo. Also an absolutely wicked lubricant for small machines. Awesome gun oil. Link to post Share on other sites
owen bush 289 Posted March 4, 2015 Author Share Posted March 4, 2015 its strange stuff. I think its hydrophilic , I have had a couple of weird experiences with black throthing oil chasing me out of the quench tank and into the workshop. so I have to boil the water out of it before use . hardening rate seems medium/ fast to me. interesting stuff but I am not enamoured by it Link to post Share on other sites
R.H.Graham 6 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I think it's just neat from a historical perspective. Visions of steaming whale oil and smoking lead pots and all :0) Link to post Share on other sites
WES 4 Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 I have some cans of "Sperm Oil" sold long ago by Brownells and it's excellent for firearms lube, even stock conditioner. It has the same smell you described but is a clear waxy fluid. It's scarce, and I wish I had a bunch more. Link to post Share on other sites
J.Arthur Loose 102 Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 That's pretty cool, Owen. I keep it for quenches that just needed more Ju-Ju. Link to post Share on other sites
Dan P. 39 Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 I have some cans of "Sperm Oil" sold long ago by Brownells and it's excellent for firearms lube, even stock conditioner. It has the same smell you described but is a clear waxy fluid. It's scarce, and I wish I had a bunch more. I imagine new sperm oil would be more clear than the stuff Owen describes. Like any rendered animal fat. Link to post Share on other sites
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