Maillemaker

Good evening all!

Having just completed my first pattern welded knife, my mind turns to the knowledge, or rather lack thereof, pattern welded designs I'm familiar with.

I do know of a few....

Stacked: Simply two or more chemically differing steels, cut and welded on top of each other multiple times without other manipulation.

Cable: A steel cable that has been welded into a solid billet.

Twist: The most basic manipulation of pattern, created by simply twisting the billet.

Serpentine: A slightly more advanced version of Twist, involving several opposing twists through the billet.

Ladder: A stacked billet that has had grooves or notches ground into it, and is then flattened.

Raindrop/Bird's Eye: A stacked billet that has had shallow depressions drilled or ground into it, and is then flattened.


I would like to organize a sort of "Welded Damascus Library". Unfortunately, I've only done one (twist), and don't even have pictures of it. If you pattern weld and would like to share your knowledge, please post a picture and a brief description of how the particular pattern is achieved.

Thank you in advance from all of us lowly smiths that have not yet traveled the road of pattern welds.

Could you fab up something like this?

http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/800013833/Manual_Bar_Bender.html

I remember seeing a pipe bending jig on Orange County Choppers that comprised of three shaping wheels (two small, one large) and a large crank attached to the large wheel. The top wheel was adjustable, and when cranked, would draw the steel around the wheels in a precise radius.

Moumke??????

According to the United States Treasury's website,

"Is it illegal to damage or deface coins?

Section 331 of Title 18 of the United States code provides criminal penalties for anyone who “fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates impairs, diminishes, falsifies, scales, or lightens any of the coins coined at the Mints of the United States.”

This statute means that you may be violating the law if you change the appearance of the coin and fraudulently represent it to be other than the altered coin that it is. As a matter of policy, the U.S. Mint does not promote coloring, plating or altering U.S. coinage: however, there are no sanctions against such activity absent fraudulent intent."

So, as long as you're honest, and say, "yes, I used quarters in this mokume, and I'm not planning on selling my creation as silver dollars" you're in the clear.

Can mokume gane be made with aluminum layers?

Just a passing thought.

You could make a bending fork.... use 1/2 inch stock (or bigger), would look like a football goal post that fits into the hardy hole.

Some have really developed an interest in smithing, so I printed off a couple instructions for Mr. Lively's washtub charcoal forge. Now, the tricky bit is the blower. Champion 400 blowers are few, far between, and prohibitively expensive for most scouts

so those are meant just for moving a piece around, not grasping it firmly as it is hammered upon?

Wait, you normalized it and then tried to sharpen the blade? This could be a problem when you harden the blade again (the edge could warp or crack when it that thin). However, your steel should be quite soft now, after normalizing. Maybe you hammered the teeth of the file down to the edge, and now as you sharpen, the irregularities you feel could be he hammered-down teeth.

Well, you can always cook the blade at a higher temperature and make it softer. Try increasing the heat in small increments, say 25 deg. and see what the result is. Although it would take more time in the short run, your caution would save you from re-hardening and tempering all over again.

Last year I forged my mother a pair of candle holders with copper pans. Just a suggestion.

Sounds like you have a solid foundation to build your skills upon.

Across the pond in the US, most hardware stores stock varying sizes of mild steel. A few that come to mind are Fleet Farm, Farm & Fleet, Menards, ACE, and Home Depot.

Having never visited the UK, I'm not sure of what stores you would have.

Junk yards are also a smith's treasure trove, but you can't really be sure of the composition of the steels you find there, unless it's a recognizable item, such as leaf/coil springs, etc. Be careful with junkyard steels.

Hello!

I've been teaching the Metalworking Merit Badge with my local scout troop for the past several months, usually with one or two scouts a week.

Some have really developed an interest in smithing, so I printed off a couple instructions for Mr. Lively's washtub charcoal forge. Now, the tricky bit is the blower. Champion 400 blowers are few, far between, and prohibitively expensive for most scouts.

Aside from cheap hair-dryers, what are some other relatively low-cost, but effective blowers?

First pair of tongs? WOAH! They look great!

Evening, all.

I would just like to take a moment to thank all the pattern-welders out there.

I tried a bit of it today, and I'm beginning to understand what an arduous task PW'ing steel is.

I want to thank you for your dedication and skill, for taking blacksmithing as a craft and turning it into an art form all it's own. Your efforts are truly remarkable, and an inspiration to all.

Yours sincerely,

Maillemaker

I wish mine was as productive: I did make a rasp hawk, though!

http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/24296-and-one-more-rasp-hawk/page__fromsearch__1

I was approached a couple weeks ago by a friend who wanted a tomahawk, but wasn't comfortable ordering one online.

This is actually the third attempt at the hawk; the first I only used half of a rasp and there was nowhere near enough material. I still keep it around.

The second try was mild steel with a file bit, but the bit was too small and got swallowed up real bad by the mild steel.

Third try: 2/3 of a rasp with an extra, inch-long bit cut from the same rasp to give me some more material to work with.

Spine length: 5 3/4 inch
Blade width: 2 1/2 inch
Handle: oak, 15 1/2 inch

I'm becoming more confident at welding, and I thought I would try my hand at patternwelds.

I have access to some band saw blades, and was wondering if they would be appropriate to use

They are Roetgen LLC bi-alfa colbalt blades. Now, the site says that the cutting teeth have a high cobalt content, but I plan on grinding/seperating the teeth so all i have is the backing.

The site says this; "With a steel backing strip containing approximately 4% chromium..."

Now, 2 questions:

First, what manner of creature am I dealing with that has 4% chromium? I've looked in the machinist's handbook and there is nothing over 0.80% chromium in any of the alloys they have listed.

Second, is heating this steel up to welding temp going to be a health hazard aside from the obvious really-hot-glowing-metal issue?

How can I make a pair of bolt jaw tongs to hold round stock without a swage block? I've made a few tongs and know a fair bit, but the jaws are frustrating me right now.

Nathan, it's not that we're discouraging new blacksmiths to learn, we are merely cautioning that forging a quality sword is a TREMENDOUS task. I have heard the phrase "you don't know your limitations until you exceed them" but without the basic skills of forging, making anything is extremely dangerous, making a sword even moreso.

We are not against learning and growing in the trade of smithing. All we're forewarning is that if you're not ready, results could be dangerous, either while forging or if the object is going to be used.

So, then, what is "spring steel"? Is is a specific carbon content? I know that 5160 is used for leaf and coil springs, but it seems like there is more to it than that.

What would be the most natural looking way to afix leaves to my copper rose stems? I use #4 bare copper wire, and I would like to stay away from soldering, welding, etc.

Thanks in advance!

This might seem like a bit of a rant, but I do mean well. Here we go.

One of my greatest pet peeves is being asked to make swords three seconds after I tell someone I'm a blacksmith. I understand that swords are semi-legendary weapon forged in the fires of King Arthur, knights in shining armor, samurai, the ninja, and countless other fantasies, and that they have a magic all their own.

I also hear many beginner smiths declare proudly "I'm going to make a SWORD!!!". Oftentimes, there are requests on IFI that essentially say:

"Hi! I just started three weeks ago, and I want to make a sword! How do I....?"

I've seen two "camps" on IFI: the "Go-For-It's", and the "If-You-Have-To-Ask's". Both bring up valid points. Swordsmithing is a very well regarded skill (or set of skills), and the only way you'll learn those skills is to actually do it. Reading books is no replacement for actual forge-time.

However, producing a quality sword is an extremely difficult task that takes years to master. Asking for help is a wise decision, but if you don't have the basic skillset necessary for the advanced techniques, you will not make a quality blade. It's like trying to build a house without a foundation: it's not going to work.

At the end of the day, it's your choice: if you are dead set on producing a sword right off the bat, then by all means go for it. You'll learn to select the right steel, hammer control, how to establish bevels, heat treat, sharpen, polish, attach fittings and crossguards by actually doing it. But that's not the only way to learn the necessary skills: smaller, less complicated projects will give you the same knowledge, along with the RESEARCH YOU DO BEFORE YOU START.

Personally, I suggest starting small and gradually working your way up; at the end of the day, however, it's your call.

At this rate, his dad won't get any money from scrapping the truck!