oakwoodforge

Hello From Fairfield IA & Welcome to IforgeIron Jens

POR -15 makes an awesome clear top coat " GLISTEN PC is a High Gloss, Rock Hard, Water-clear topcoat designed for spray or brush application over all metal surfaces" ( GLISTEN PC-POR-15 Inc. ) Jens

Beautiful Work !

Yes ! Pallet banding material layered with bandsaw blade works beautifully for me ... That being said all salvage materials are not made the same - Spark check and be prepared for possible * FAIL! * until you get used to your new material. My $0.02 Jens

Nope , just an E-bay account Jens

Nice work ! I really Like # 3 the wood sets of the pattern-welding nicely. Jens

Bi-metal Bandsaw blade is NOT what you want for billet material- What you want is the mono steel blades. It is important to remove the black coating on the pallet strapping, as well as grind off the saw blade teeth - they attract crud and can start cold-shuts. I have the best luck with billets that are uniform, clean, tight and smooth sided. Pattern welding with mystery steel can be frustrating as heck! I'm Lucky enough to have a machinist friend that brings me all of his shops broken blades. And since he works in the tool maintenance department and is responsible for ordering new blades I have the luxury of knowing for sure what they are. Jens

Here it is in its sheath ...

You can find the info for Kelly Cupples steel Here Ellis Custom Knifeworks He carries 1065 as well as some other good stuff, really a top notch guy to deal with too. Hope this helps Jens

1080 and Cocobolo with Nickel silver pins Jens

Lookin Good Stan , I cant wait to see what she looks like! Prost ! Jens

Here is my baby, LG 25 #

What a way to get Wrought Iron CHEAP !!!! The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has 14 old iron bridges for sale cheap ! Wish I lived closer I'd buy one right now ... Cultural Resourcess

I gotta work a 40 hr week to support my blacksmithing habit. The way I figure it if I sell a knife & sheath for $250.00 I'm making about $0.025 per hour ... Jens

Vern, you are 25 min away from my shop, ( I'm just south of Fairfield ) shoot me a pm, possibly I can help get you pointed in the right direction. I teach a few small classes from time to time. Jens

Sniff Sniff, ewwww I think I stepped in troll dung too Kevin. Jens

IForgeIron Blueprints Copyright 2002 - 2011 IFORGEIRON, All rights reserved BP0349 Twisting Wrench by Oakwood aka Jens Butler This old style adjustable wrench has no teeth to mark up your work and can be had at antique stores, flea markets or ebay for a couple of dollars in most cases. Just weld on a piece of bar stock an you have an excellent twisting tool. View full article

A-36 is usually remelted scrap and very inconsistent you could say its the goulash of steels - that could be the start of your problems. I'd suggest getting some O -1 or W-1 drill rod from your local machine shop or order it from here- Flat-Stock.com - Tool Steel for Tools, Dies, and Molds: Drill Rod If you want good tools you need to start with good steel. Jens

Sounds like you could have a combination of enlarged grain size and stress as well as some inconsistencies in your heat treating methods . First off what steel are you using ? What are you quenching in ? Water , brine, peanut oil ? And why are you re - heating to a red heat after quenching ? after quenching you should temper at say 500 F NOT 1500 F for most simple carbon steel tools. How about a little more info ... Jens

Here is a good resource for some Viking age axes: go to Fr