Altusjg

Very nicely done. Whats that pattern called?

Thats a cool looking blade. I agree it has character. First ive seen with that much topography. Would be interested in knowing how it holds up in the long run. Is that braided leather for the handle wrap?

Nice looking knife!! Congrats on the first one finished!!

My 120lb Acme anvil. Made by Trenton, stamped Acme and sold by sears back in the day. Serial # 111452 made in 1912. http://s165.photobucket.com/albums/u59/agaspard/

Before rebuilding my entire forge, ive decided to try applying a bubble alumina refractory on the floor and part way up the forge side wall. Ive read that this refractory is pretty flux resistant so i'm hoping it will be a better alternative to building a whole new forge. I'll have to replace the floor with a new fire brick as the current brick has been eatin most of the way through. The side walls of the forge currently have a thin layer of satanite over two 1" layers of ceramic wool blanket liner. I was wandering if i could simply apply the alumina refractory directly over the satanite layer or do i need to replace the inner 1" layer of ceramic blanket before applying the alumina refractory? Thanks for any help!

Thanks for the quick reply basher. Guess ill be doing a bit of research on vertical forges as i can see having to reconstruct my forge welding forge in a much shorter time than i was hoping. I definately dont see relining/reflooring the thing after every other damascus billet is completed. So.... in the vertical forge is the billet suspended in the forge(and how) and the flux allowed to drip into a drip chamber so to speak? Do you fill your drip chamber / catch area with anything specific? I think i recall reading that some use kitty litter. Whats the best approach for mounting the burner?... Top, side, bottom? Thanks again and ill be doing my own research but any bit of info you can contribute is greatly appreciated!!

Ok so i've forge welded a couple billets of pattern welded steel in my recently built forge and i'm seeing first hand what ive read about frequently. That being the speed in which flux will eat through your forge floor and lining. I've seen kiln shelving recommended often to help prevent the flux from eating through the forge floor so i've been looking online for just that thing. I came across High Spectrum Alumina Cone 11 kiln shelving. As I also remember reading about alumina bonded refractory castables being better suited to protecting against the rapid corrosion of the forge lining/floor caused by flux than silica bonded refractory castables, i was wandering if anyone has tried the High Spectrum Alumina kiln shelving specifically. If so, would you recommend it? How does it hold up? How would i cut it to size? Any info would be appreciated? Thanks in advance and God Bless!!

Nice job on your first knife! The Pros and cons of both coal and propane forges have been discuss in length in the forges section on this site. Check it out and give it a read through. I'm sure you will find the answers you are looking for. Welcome to your new addiction and welcome to IFI!!

Thanks Dodge. Thats just the kind of input i was looking for. I really like the way this pattern turned out and wouldnt want to mess it up or cause myself more work if it isnt worth it. I'll practice a bit with the parkerizing process and maybe try it on a small designated piece to see what i think later on. Thanks again for the input. Altus

Thanks for the kind words guys. Robakyo- Shamrocks is the first thing i thought of when i pulled it out of the etchant as well. Wasnt on purpose but now i know how to maybe make a more distinct shamrock pattern if i choose. Woodyarmourer- ive made several knives and have attempted to make damascus before with varying degrees of success. This is just the first time i was successful enough that i could forge the billet out without so much delamintion that it ruined the whole billet. Its all trial and error but im getting better. Anyone have any ideas about the parkerizing question??? Thanks again for looking!

ohh and forgive all the grind lines on the handle portion of the blade. I do this to both the handle portion of the blade and the inside of the handle to help the epoxy better adhere. Thanks again and God Bless!!

Here is my first successfull pattern welded blade.It will be going to my Dad for his birthday. The blade is 3.5" long with an overall length of 7.5". Its made of 1084 and 15N20 in what i guess would be considered a random pattern. I started with 9 layers and forge welded them together then welded another 5 layer billet(already forge welded together) to the 9 layer billet to equal 14 layers. I then drew the 14 layer billet out, cut it in half and welded it together for 28 layers. I repeated the process once more to give a final count of 56 layers. As this is my first successfull attempt i didnt want to push my luck any further so i decided to stop at 56 layers. I then forged the billet to a rectagular shape and grinded X's down the billet with one final straight grind line through the X's to make a sort of repeating star pattern down the billet on both sides. After that i forged the peaks down flush then began to forge the knife to shape. One of a few things i'll do differently next time is to start out with a longer billet as i started with small 4" cuts to make my initial two (the 9 and the 5 layer) billets. This proved to be just barely enough material to make the knife the full length i had planned to make it as i lost material each time i cut, grinded and restacked the billet throughout the process. I think i'll go with a 6" billet to start with next time. Unless of course i plan to make a much larger knife. After the forging process was completed i normalized the knife, file my bevels to shape and sanded any remaining forge markings out of the blade. I attempted an oil quench first without success so i went to a brine solution which did the trick. After tempering the blade in the oven for 2 hrs at 300 deg F, I gradually sanded the knife down to 600g and etched in pcb etchant until i got the level of topography i wanted. The attached pics show where i have stopped in order to ask you fellas a question. I ordered a small black parkerizing kit and am currently awaiting its arrival in the mail. My question is..... If i decide to parkerize this blade, How deep of an etch do i need or does it matter much? Does anyone advise against parkerizing this blade and why? I've seen pattern welded blade that have been parkerized then polished to make the nickel really stand out and i like the look alot. Thanks in advance for any and all assistance and please let me know what yall think of the blade so far. Ohh and I'll be putting a black buffalo horn handle on this one. More pics to come. I would also like to thank Dr. Jim Hrisoulas for putting out his great books. I have The Complete Bladesmith and its been a world of help. I also recently ordered The Pattern Welded Blade and am currently awaiting its arrival. Cant wait!

I cant say what the recommendations are for curing the refractory cement you are using but i would recommend allowing the cement or mortar to air dry completely over several hours then firing up the forge to cure the cement/mortar. I personally allow the mortar to dry for a full day or so. I then fire up the forge for a 3-5min cycle then kill it and allow to cool. After cool i'll go through another firing cycle of 10-15 mins and kill it. I'll repeat this process adding 5-10 min to each firing cycle until i get the forge up to forging temps. You will notice some steam coming off the forge in the later cycles. This is normal as any water remaining trapped in the refractory or mortar is evaporating. You should take your time with the process as bringing the mortar up to temp to fast will cause water vapors to be forced out to rapidly leavinc cracks in the mortar. It sounds to me like that is what is happening to you. This is of course just the way i do it based off what i've read here and on other sites. Others here may have better recommendations. Hope this helps you out. Good luck and Enjoy!!

Nothing to add on the refractory mortar but the T-Rex burner is a BEAST!! I recently purchased one from Mr. Rex Price at hybridburners and have been forge welding some of my first pattern welded billets of 1084 and 15N20 in a similar sized forge. Im reaching welding temps at 5-7psi. It should serve you as well or better than any two similar sized venturi burners out there right now. That is of course just my humble opinion. Enjoy!!