2Tim215

Some more pics.













She's been worked hard and needs some TLC but with some grinding and 1 or 2 welds will be as good as new.

Okay, will get some up soon.

"Knice knapped knife" - Must give this a go someday.

Picked this up today as a swap for a Damascus hunter.



Says 198 # on the side but no other markings - base is wrought and besides a few repairable holes and nicks on the face it's in good shape - face is still very flat. Weighed at the yard at 88 Kgs and I had to carry the beast 50 mtrs - gonna know about it tomorrow.

Any idea what and who?

Biggun --
Happy dance? I was freaking out!
My wife didn't really get it, though, but listened politely while I explained how cool this is. :D

Markus

My wife does the same - but gets very exited when I sometimes sell them!

Nice looking knife that.

Picked this up today as a swap for a Damascus hunter.



Says 198 # on the side but no other markings - base is wrought and besides a few repairable holes and nicks on the face it's in good shape - face is still very flat. Weighed at the yard at 88 Kgs and I had to carry the beast 50 mtrs - gonna know about it tomorrow.

Are you using a controlled forge (temp controller)? If not, you won't anneal any SS properly nor HT it properly.

Rich, cutting the point out I have found only works for specific types of Damascus patterns where you want the pattern to follow the curve. You forge the belly tip down until the spine flattens out again. I don't bother with cutting but forge the spine point at 45 deg then forge the belly into it.

Thanks Thomas - did this one by hand - bleeding fingers and all :D - also used long setting epoxy but wiped clean with acetone rag afterwards. The ends were the tricky bit.

lucky, started years ago but am only 19. Just getting my own setup and the have a club I have been a member of for 5-6 years, am the only one that makes blades so haven't had the coompetition to make myself improve, also don't really have the supliers of steel around my area so have to be picky about what I try.

Luck has nothing to with it - hard work, planning and forethought. If I was your age again with the benefit of having started so young I can only dream to know where I would be now. You should be pushing your skill level every time and keep at it, by the time you are my age you could be a world renown knifemaker and not a backyard hick like me.

The common belief that a forged knife done "properly" is better than a knife done using the stock removal is a fallacy. The post above referring to the correct heat used while forging is 100% correct. Take exactly the same steel and forge it within its critical heat range and anneal, normalize and HT treat it correctly and do a stock removal on the other and you will be surprised by the results - it is the HT process that re - aligns the grain structure and makes for a usable blade not the forging process - that is only for shaping. When I started I also followed the old stories and believed them until I tested for myself. The forging process is for the shaping of a blade so that less steel is used to get the required result - you still stock remove to get a forged blade finished so the point is moot on what method is best. All you need for a excellent knife is good steel with a high carbon content and to HT it correctly within the specific steels guidelines. When you start using modern alloys the HT becomes more complicated but for a forged carbon blade that will do the job as good as any modern alloy steel - stick to the above methods and you won't go wrong.

Whether you hammer square, flat, round or any shape steel into a knife it's only the HT process that re - aligns the grain structure but if you have worked said steel too far above its critical temp there is sometimes very little that can be done to save it.

Thanks.

Darren - when I go to the club meet once a month I feel the same way - it's good to join a club with decent blokes who have been making knives for years - you have no choice but to improve!!

Some of my first ones from last year - you can clearly see an improvement compared to now.

Hot fire, hammer, alcohol, really bad music and stupidity - a recipe for disaster!! Next time it will a lot worse! An old carpenter that I used to work for used to tell me every day that machines and tools give you warnings occasionally - then they bite and you lose something permanently!

Nicely done for a first knife!

Something I forged up on Monday and it took a week to do. Haven't had this much fun on a knife since I started just under 2 yrs ago!
Blade is 7 layers of 65 layer twist - 8mm 1070 and 2.5mm 15N20. Guard and but cap is scrap leftover Damascus and handle is stainless steel wire wrap over a piece of hardwood - wire wrap proved finicky and difficult and though there are some obvious areas for improvement I am quite pleased with the result.

OAL = 350mm
Blade = 230mm

Thanks for looking and comments welcome.

That really came out well.

Not bad for yor 1st knives - keep them - don't make the mistake we all do of giving our 1st knives away.

Wrought iron is scarce here, so if you have some you treasure it for special projects. Today I took some of my preacious and carefully hoarded supply and made a san mai knife using wrought as the outer layer with a 52100 core. Well after carefull forging, proper annealing and normalising I profiled the blade, cleaned the sides and did a quick etch to see the wonderous patterns that wrough iron can have and was immediatly chuffed - that is until I saw the crack! A crack running directly down the centre of the blade at the ricasso. Tried grinding it smaller to see if I could get rid of it and to no avail, so I took my hot cut chisle and placed the sharp edge in the crack and tapped lightly with the hammer and can you believe it but the whole bloody thing thing split into two halves!!
It wasn't the wrought to 52100 weld that failed but rather the 52100 that split right down the length. Can't believe this!! So that's what we here call a throwing knife!

So I am ignoring the forge and consolling my deep depression with a glass of whiskey while I contemplate the aggravations of bladesmithing and life in genaral.

Having done extensive research I can tell you there are three very popular knife shapes where you will never go wrong

Bowie
Loveless drop point
subhilt fighter

Of these three my favorite is the loveless drop point of varying sizes and the most saleable knife.

Beautifull work!!

You sure that's not a fold? Sometimes you don't see them when the steel is red.

I think I'll make one someday!!

Whoa, Tim! That is a serious looking bit of kit. I like it! Might have to make meself one....

Thanks, Makes life a lot easier when you only have two hands and your teeth.

Less knives more art!! I wish, but knives pay the bills.