defective pw blades

[brucegodlesky]

What do you do with your PW blades that have inclusions, bad welds, etc. Scrap 'em, weld 'em together , make other "stuff"???

[trying-it]

Too many undisclosed variables in your first post. Some billets may be repaired with proper procedures and some luck. Some portion of a billet can be salvaged by cutting out the bad spots, re-stacking remaining pieces, and weld again. Others could have all bad parts removed and remaining pieces used in a "canned" billet.

"Make other stuff" as you suggested; --- I once showed Jens (at his 2007 hammerin) how to use some out of the ordinary materials in a canned billet. After welding, a short section of the can was found flawed, thus cut-off. Consider little items like this necklace Jens made from that small cut-off section:

Pattern_welded_Pendant - Blacksmith Photo Gallery


I do not know if your posted question is reality or hypothetical. If reality, some stage(s) of the billet making process went wrong. Trick is to determine the hows and whys.

Hope I helped to shed a little light!

[brucegodlesky]

Nah, it's reality. I'm thinkin' cold anvil. On days it was above freezing, I tried to get as much forge work done as possible. My shop is pretty much open tho under roof.
Most of the problems were inclusions , partial bad welds, weak welds. scattered thru the billets. I've pretty much resolved the problems. Now what to do with the remnants?? :-)

[MooseRidge]

Keep one as a learning/teaching tool. Then cut off small pieces as trying-it was explaining....

Or send them to me...

[steve sells]

Inclusions have nothing to do with temperature, its not getting the scale off the billet when folding, coal residue getting caught in between the layers when folding, nasties like this getting in the way... I only forge when its above 40f, because I am a wimp and its too cold for me below that. Hey I am outside too, but I hope to relieve that this summer.

Having said that, Larger sections I will use for my Compound twist, inserting mono steel shims between the pattern welded sections, then welding them up into something usable. Smaller sections I use for bolsters or guards, and don't over look pins, few if anyone else, uses damascus pins and its a shame because they add to the blade. also you can charge more

[trying-it]

If you properly prepared the billet materials before welding was attempted, then the fault has to be somewhere within the welding process itself.

"Now what to do with the remnants?? :-)" Flat rate box? Mailing zipcode 62274

I once wrote a paper entitled "Experience is the Best Teacher" and presented it at a professional conference. The title fits in so well regardless of the individual paths taken during each of our own lifetime's.

[brucegodlesky]

Steve, I like the idea about the pins. thanks

[Chuck Richards]

If you use them in any part of your knifemaking without repairing the defect you may be transferring the problem. I trash the defective portions. Not worth taking a chance on.

[steve sells]

To clarify I do not use the bad sections, I cut them out, hence my reference to smaller sections, and so on. I agree if its bad then its only good for smelting.

[Alan B]

I cut them out and use them for other projects. If they aren't too bad but won't work for a blade I'll use them for knife furniture.