Abstract: A heat treating furnace having a quenching chamber incorporated therein or associated therewith is disclosed. The heating chamber within the furnace is utilized to heat work-pieces to a desired temperature. When the heating cycle has been completed, the heating chamber and the quenching chamber are back-filled with an inert gas to a redundant pressure (over atmospheric). The work-pieces are then transferred into the quenching chamber and lowered into the intensively agitated water in the water quench tank by an elevator mechanism. High quenchant (water) agitation rates eliminate film boiling on the surface of the hot work-pieces. When the compressive stresses on the surface of the work-pieces are at a maximum and are at an optimum depth, or when the cooling recipes otherwise determine, the elevator mechanism in the quenching chamber lifts the work-pieces out of the water quench tank and into the inert gas blanket above the tank, thus interrupting the intensive quenching process.