edge9001

looks like you and i have similar problem, in the last picture it shows your blade is offset to one side. I have had this problem with several of my older RR hawks.

You did a great job otherwise. Keep up the good work.

I am not a fan of the intentionally divoted spines on knives, however. I am a fan your work. You did an exceptional job on this one.

I must agree thomas, while I started by jumping in and making blades, I ruin tons of them. I broke several during the hardening and tempering process, I hardened and intentionally broke any i was unwilling to pass on to others. but then again. I enjoy the forging process much more than I do the the finishing and handle making. So for me the long learning curve has been fun. For most people, I would definately recommend as you said, learn to move metal first, and then use those skills to make knives.

I learn better by doing than any other method, and with no one in my town that I know of to help, I am self taught through tons(tons of charcoal, and scrap steel) of trial and error. With blacksmithing I am more of the philosophy "its the journey not the destination".

ForgeAZ, these guys are a wealth of information and a great resource, take your time and learn from them. good luck and enjoy the process.

thanks rich. I've not been on much in a long while. but now i am back, and back at the forge....let see what I can do...lol

So what you are really looking for is a sort of Holy Grail steel to dream about. I think you are going to find that such a thing is fantasy. I once made a blade that could cut wood for months between sharpenings and yet never chipped or broke. It is the sort of legendary blade that you seek but it had very humble origins. I made it quite a few years ago from steel that I salvaged from a used hollow ground planer blade for a skillsaw. Today I think that such steel is likely 1080 or so with a bit of silica to add abrasion resistance.

i have an old power hacksaw i use

I made something similar a while back using large timber spikes, essentially large nails. I tried to sell it but when it didn't sell. I put it onmy own wall.

How would you go about transfering this image to a copper sheet? would a adhesive mask and etch work well? how well would an electro etch work on copper? Any other ideas how to transfer the image to copper, or any other metal? I want to hear as many ideas as I can get

I might just do that

here is a link to the image I will trying and see why my in-post images are not working later

http://i.imgur.com/NkEgA.jpg

well my image didnt post

I found this and I immediatly thought IFI would be a great place it post this. I have a copy of this on parchment in my shop. well away from my fires of course

Tim

RR spikes are a great place to start, but as you will find all of this site is every steel works a bit differently. so get som e small pieces from other sources and exeriment. old broken hand tools, coil spings, jack hammer bits. all of these are great sources of steel to practice on. I personally find the broken tools a great source not to mention you can ussually get them cheap from pawn shops and flea markets in bulk. another great source is used worn out files.

SO far your doing great! keep it up

looking good.

As a cubmaster for our pack and committee member for our troop I have considered the metalworking meritbadge as well and what I have come up with is this.. when teaching the boyscouts, keep in mind local councils have lability insurance for things like this. as long as the instructor has met the bsa requirements as a merit badge instructor and you are operating under council approval then council liability insurance will cover any potential lawsuits from injury and accident. just check with the local council for the proper steps to take to ensure bsa insurance coverage. also with all of the BSA paperwork and hoops to jump through you will also have access to BSA lawyers is a situation should arise.

I found a 4in post vise today in dalton GA. This this seems to be in mint condition only a light surface rust, the screw threads are excellent.

There is only one problem, the guy selling it wants a lot in my opinion. $300.

If anyone wants to know where it is let me know I'll pass along the sellers info.

I already have on eand don't have room for a second

Drewed...Love it!! I think I'll have to make one of those so I can prepare for out winter camping trips..LOL

If I had the money I would bif on it...this thing is only about an hour and a half from my house. And I have the means to move it...I just can not afford it right now....dang it

it kind of reminds me of a cherry blossom. although it makes me think of a phoenix. this seems kind of fitting since it was born of fire....

I did my crowbar repairs yesterday. I heated the end I worked on till above magnetic, quickly dunked in water until the surface just started losing color, but mostly was still some shade of cherry red and then set aside to finish air cooling. When i tested it out, it seems to work just fine.

drive it into the ground and hook the ground connection of your house or shop to it

the touch of a blacksmith refers to how gently a blacksmith manipulates items.

basically if it like this, a surgeon has to be very gently when working their trade....... while a blacksmith is known for the idea of, if it won't work, get a bigger hammer...lol

I needed a bending wrench in a hurry one day and came up with this........( the wrench in the center).....First I drew out the handle then I simply drilled two holes in the un forged end of the 3/4 x 1'' flat bar to accept two pieces of 5/8'' round sucker rod (medium carbon). The holes were close to a press fit so the rounds were firmly captured before welding on the opposite side of the forks. Small welds were put on the business side as well, away from the bending area. They've proved to be very durable. Just like any other bending fork, if you're too heavy handed with em they will spread...... There are no corners to file so they don't leave hash marks in the steel...................mb