Richard Furrer
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Posts posted by Richard Furrer
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Dr Verhoeven and Al Pendray have their own research. I have met Pendray several times and I like him...he is a deep well.
Crucibles:
I suggest purchasing silicon carbide to start. You can make your own crucibles later, but it is best to have one variable at a time.
Ric
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I'm around yes.
There is a steelmaker in Kiwiland by the name of Andrew MacKinnon near Taranaki. He has done more with local NZ ores than anyone I know and is a good man.
His specialty is Japanese style work, but he is up to speed on other things.
He is a bit of a recluse, but may speak to you about this.
I think in the long run you would find it more satisfying to use local ore, smelt it to steel and then make crucible steel from that.
A quick search of me on youtube will turn up some of my past classes on wootz. I think there is enough there to get you started.
As to travel..I have a man coming in from Australia in a few months....so some folk do move a bit to get here.
I would not mind doing a few classes in NZ if there was interest...you guys have some good smiths and knifemakers.
Ric
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I'm building a few presses as well.
I bought one of these cylinders:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CWJZZC/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_10?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
But the price at the time was $360 or so..the day after I bought the price jumped $225.
I'd like a 200-300 ton friction screw, but they seem oddly expensive at that range and larger.
Ric
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As for US makers:
Traditional:
Louis Mills of Michigan
Modern:
Howard Clark of Iowa
The two above are top of the trade with more time making them than most have in the craft.
....then everybody else you see online.
Ric
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Great video.
I bought this from the Williamsburg store online last year.
....sad to see folk are posting copy-written material online. Why don't we all go through our video collections of smithing videos and do the same? I'm sure nobody will mind.
Ric
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A few small drips of nitric acid a few times a day for a few months.
or
solid Bronze rod a bit smaller than the hole wanted with course grit diamond dust (lapidary store or ebay) and water slurry on low setting under your drill press. Hang a weight or spring off the feed handle on the drill press and walk away. Clean out the hole every five minutes and add new dust/water. Be done in an afternoon.
Ric
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For most modern steels you can quench right into the low temp salt....the structure and hardness depends upon the "S" or "TTT" curve of that particular steel and the temp of the salt pot.
Keep in mind that martensite can keep forming well below room temp and is retained in solid solution on high alloy steels in large percentages with higher temp quenches and non-cryo tempering.
So:
I suggest you go from high temp to low temp and keep the salt pot at about 450F for the above steels. Pull it out to straighten after 25-30 seconds or so and then back in for an hour. Quench to room temp and back into the pot.
The second temper can be higher temp or longer if required.
No loss of hardness by letting it slow cool after tempering vs dipping it in a water or oil bath....well a point CAN be made for any time at temp having an influence, but the theoretical reality is not enough to worry about....just don't burn yourself on the 400F+ item.
You can also quench from high temp into oil and then use the low temp pot as a tempering cycle only.
The chemistry and physics of heat treating can get very involved. If you are into that sort of thing then dive in..if not then best not to do anything but dip you toe...the pool of information out there has a way of puling you in.
Ric
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I recall shade three was what the American Welding Society used to recommend for general forging.
I use these..or one very similar:
For forge welding I place a clear face shield over these.
I wear prescription safety glasses with side plates and the above shade three overtop..then a face shield as needed...usually AFTER a juicy slag blob burns my beard.
If I did not need glasses to see I am sure I'd be blind by now...I was far too careless in my youth with proper eye protection.
Now I treat it like steel toe boots (with leather laces)....they go on before I go out to the shop.
The work is dangerous enough without inviting issues.
Ric
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A friend gave me some low temp salts and I have yet to build the setup. Any suggestions on heating/maintaining the temp?
John...who is enjoying a scotch and hopes to get a good night of non bladesmithing sleep. After all, tomorrow is a work day. :)
Mine is a mild steel tube for low temp..have a vertical and horizontal. You can use stainless, but I did not.
The horizontal:
Made a capped on both ends 4" square tube with a slot on the top and hinged lid. That sits in an insulated (inswool) box and has underneath inside the insulation a 3/4" pipe with 1/8" holes every inch. I plugged the far end of the 3/4 pipe (flatten and weld) and placed a furnace venturi burner on the inlet with a gas line and fine turn valve. I also have a ball valve on the same line so I can leave the fine tuned valve set and just run 5PSI it the thing from the tank.
It looks like a 36 port bunsen burner...or ribbon burner.
It is 40" long and takes about 60 minutes to come up to temp...longer if not fired and water gets in as the water boils off first.
It will temper swords and knives well.
There is no flame sensor so you do have to make sure a breeze does not snuff the flame and allow for gas to fill the floor.
I have a stainless long neck thermometer set into the bath....surplus on Ebay or such. You can use an inconel thermocouple as well.
I find this simpler for long items than a vertical unit.
I have thick wire set as hooks to place the blades...they hang above the floor of the pot in the middle of the bath.
The whole unit is on a $20 moving dolly and I roll it under the layout table when not in use.
Ric
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Hello All,
Larry Harley has a Hillwilliam Bluegrass theme song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnnZOOJKfAo
Ric -
Neo,
Other than a modern material sword....what is it you are after?
Many folk wish to combine materials...be they titanium,coppers,nitrided steel,diamond or plasma coatings to blades, but most of this is done to add another hook to marketing and has nothing to do with performance.
If you see a performance issue which needs a solution then we may be able to point you in a direction.
If I could have anything work in sword form I guess I'd want a high KW hand held laser or a light saber..never needs sharpening,will not bend or break and the beam at least would not rust.
As to available steels...Howard Clark's use of L6 or his 1086modified blades are rather hard to beat. In addition to spending several decades honing his work in forging, geometry and heat treatment he also has a no-nonsense attitude.
Ric
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Ne0spartan, if you're really interested in Japanese style bladesmithing, Murray Carter hosts classes of all types from his forge, and is the 17th generation Yoshimoto Master Bladesmith. He's also an American Bladesmith Society Master Smith.
I'm not trying to take anything from anyone here (there's some amazingly knowledgeable and helpful smiths on this site), but if you really want to take it to the "bleeding edge", and you're gonna have to shell out some big bucks on equipment and training, and get way more dedicated than prodding some old curmudgeons on the interwebs. That being said... Murray's probably the guy you want to get up with.
Unless your pockets are as deep as an art knife collector's, and your expertise as expansive as a mastersmith's ... it's probably best to keep it simple. Not trying to put you, nor your enthusiasm down bud, I'm just saying the nuances of the finer points of heat treating O1 tool steel are more than most want to tackle, or really have the capability to do. The highest quality steel isn't worth any more in the scrap bin than 5160. Just sayin.
How does a kitchen knife, what Murray is trained to make, relate to a sword?
If Murray is a licensed Japanese sword-maker it would be news to me.
Ric
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Owen I have only known you for, what, five-six years? What I see is his own man...not too beholding to anyone.
I have seen many tens if not hundreds of folk shown the same information you have gone after and done nothing with it....such is not the case with you.
You can feel content that you have good friends, but I would wager when you turn around in your shop...there is nobody there. Your work is all your own.
Ric -
That is a very wasteful use of that machine. They could use a hot rolling mill and get a huge improvement in product and process.
Ric
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I thought this was a very good way of doing large piercings.
With a proper guide and supports I would think many angles could be made well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWUNUZPhh08
Ric
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waterjet company claims that the thin material (14,18,20 and 60 thou) will float under pressure of the jet...so no go.
Ric
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Hello All,
Anyone know a fab shop who wants to shear some specific sizes from sheet for me?
I have spoken to five shops in my area and been turned away by four and waiting a week for a quote from another.
I'm not opposed to laser cutting, but feel this is a job for an automated shear.
I may end up buying a small shear (minimum 1/8" x 24" capacity) for this gig and slowly doing it myself, but I'd rather locate a cnc shearing shop.
I need 20,000 small pieces cut from sheet. Target size is mostly 0.25"x 6" from under 60 thou material...need them flat... not made into curls by a poorly tuned shear or throat-less Beverly type hand shear.
Please don't bother telling me to buy slit strip from a supplier...the job is shearing these from small sheet not sourcing new raw material. It is a peculiar specialty job and it requires shearing.
If I can not find a shop then I am open to a shear if anyone knows/has one for sale.
Ric
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Without knowing what tooling you have it is difficult to say the best way.
Forging to shape, but a heavy 1/16th oversized is good....or 1/8 depending on where your skills are. I know some who have been making blades for years and 1/4" to shape is too close for them.
If you have a large amount of scale then add flux on your last heat and wet wire brush (hand brush NOT a wet angle grinder cup brush).
Remove scale:
sand blast,vinegar dip overnight,angle grinder abrasive wheel
Clamp a wooden or metal board in a vise
Clam tang to board
draw file with a 10-16" mill bastard file...there is a technique there, but to cover that would be a four page letter.
should take about 20 minutes to get it flat and the bevels contoured on a 10" forged to shape knife.
Forge Scale will dull the file teeth very quickly.
From there move to a file cut file and then 150 grit sand paper.
Then heat treat and straighten
then sand paper to final finish
etch and hilt.
It will be slow at first and then faster. Use the old files as feed stock for your next damascus.
If you are a hobbyist with means then get the best grinder you can.
If you are a professional with need then get the best grinder you can.
If your finding your way around in the craft of metalworking then hand tools are often the best route. They teach control, forces mistakes to happen slowly so they can be observed and learned from them AND they require less money to get working.
That said.....I have four belt grinders and most of the other kit that I see as useful....or maybe useful.
Ric
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Where can I find information on these sorts of classes? I watched one of his videos on this subject not to long ago but there wasn't enough info for me to do this at home.
Dead,
"He" teaches out of his shop and has a class listing on his website with dates. ;)
That book Thomas recommends is very good.
Thank you for posting images of the class Rusty. Have you had a chance to work on that multi-bar you made?
Ric -
Get either...make work..sell work...buy the other one as well.
Ric -
about 8 ton per square inch steel...double that for carbon stainless and triple for high alloy.
More or less.
As to 3" round...you want to make it into a square or swage it into a complex shape? It makes a huge difference.
I suggest lubrication as well...makes the friction with the dies less.
Ric -
I would use commercial heat treating salt.
I got mine from Parker Heatbath, but they do not sell to "us" any longer.
I suggest looking into the products by Houghton
http://www.houghtoni.../Locations.aspx
Ask them about the specific salts they sell.
Some stuff on liquid bath quenching
http://www.dfoggkniv...n_Quenching.pdf
Ric -
If you take 7075-T6 and forge it..then it is not as strong as the numbers above ...just like forging a hand file...after heat is applied you have to start over for hardness.
Benjamin...what do you intend to do?
We made many railings in Florida out of 3003 and 6061 alloy....though we cared little for strength afterword provided it was good enough for the railings so we did no post forging heat treatment.
Ric -
Back in the '80's The Anvils Ring had an article about the re-creation of the Sutton Hoo sword by Scott Lankton. You can read about it here...
http://www.scottlank...oo/article.html
if you google Sutton Hoo Sword there is more info.
Yes and here is two better than that...sutton hoo was an 8 bar...the bamburgh is a 12. The most complex multi bar I know of.
Re-discovered in England just a few years ago.
Ric
Weight of a Chambersburg 300
in Power Hammers, Treadle Hammers, Olivers
Posted
I do not, but my 3B Nazel is 13,300 and change...anvil and frame and motor. (book on it is 10,500 so it is a bit more than the catalog weight).
I have the Chambersburg catalog, but no weights are given.
As far as I know Chambersburg closed and auctioned about a decade ago.
I hope someone else is of more help.
Ric