Iron Striker

OK Thanks! I have a small gas forge that I purchased and I'm thinking of making my next one.

Very nice job! Where do you get your liner materials? Jamie

Thanks! I can tell that took alot of your time and I appreciate it. I'm gonna give it a try! Jamie

Rich, Thanks for posting the blue print for hand grinding. I'm gonna give it a try. Jamie

FordPrefect, Thanks for the link! Jamie

Cotton, I have two small "C" clamps that work pretty well for that. Jamie

Ken, I discovered that imperfections (dimples or thinner areas) affect the way the grind looks. On this blade both sides look similar but are not exactly matched. I can live with it! Live and learn! Jamie

Rich, I searched for bp # 0235 but couldn't locate it. (Not enough letters?) Is there a keyword or phrase I could searh for?

Thanks. I'll give it a try.

Rich, I have a chart that says most of these type blades are L6, that's how I came to that conclusion. The edge of these blades are equiped with an abrasive compound that does the work. What I don't understand is why it won't anneal.

The blade at the top of the photo was made from a circular concrete saw blade. I cut it out with a thin grinding wheel with out any problems. I thought I had annealed it well, however when I tried to drill holes in it to mount on my grinding jig I could not get the holes drilled. I am assuming the steel is L6. Any suggestions? Thanks, Jamie

I saw a jig made of angle iron and bolts. I believe it was CJS Knives. I was at a resale shop the other day looking for some angle iron to make one when I saw a heavy duty hinge. Here is what I came up with. Take the hinge apart and cut off the last pin receiver on the end. Insert a bolt and nut. Set at desired angle. Attach knife. Grind. The knife was made from a piece of cable, that I hope turns out well. The jig seems to work pretty well. It is alot better than my free hand style. I'll post the finished knife soon. Thanks for looking. Jamie

Awesome one man band! Nice tune!

I would have lost money if i were to have placed a bet on that. never knew that was possible. Amazing! Jamie

Cool looking! Are ribs on the handel from the rebar or did you grind them that way? Rebar here in Texas has similar ribs. I didn't realize you could finish rebar to that high of a polish. Very nice! Jamie

Mompy, I just got started myself and I am learning that your list wil indeed be endless. I suggest you look around the forum and see what interests you, read all you can and then just start doing what you like asking questions when you get stumped. Welcome to the forum. Jamie

Rich, Thanks for the reply. My thinking was to do as much as I can on the knives I make. Not trying to skimp at all. It is very important to me to make quality knives. I just bought The Complete Bladesmith and it has a small section about using a home made vaccum set up to infuse glue into bone (I think) to stabilize it. It seems like it would work better with thin scales that with thicker pieces. We shall see. I would like to know who you use for the future. I almost have some Mesquite ready. Jamie

Rich, What is your criteria for determining if the handel material is well stabilized? Thanks,

AWESOME!!!!

Looks like an awesome first try. When I first joined this forum, someone told me "Welcome to your new obsession". Ditto! It would be good if you added your loaction to your profile. Thanks for the pics! Jamie Herring

Knots, At some point I do want to have a forge that uses solid fuel. I bought a Diamondback two burner gas forge back in the summer that I have been learning with. I started out thinking I wanted to blacksmith in the traditional way, but time constraints (of making charcoal) and the lack of a coal source lead me to go with the gas forge. Ironically a coal powered power plant is being constructed less than two miles from where I live. The coal they will be using is railroaded in from Motana I think (Powder River Coal?). I'll have to find a friend there when it is operation. Mesquite is plentyfull around here and is considered a nusiance tree unless you use it for barbque or in my case knife handels. I'm going to cut some up and give the stabilizing a try myself. I'll post some results soon. Thanks! Jamie

I have seen a video on a popular video website that uses a brake bleeder vaccum and a glass jar and one using a vessel for pressure painting. Both seem to work, one is more economical than the other. I new the heartwood of Mesquite was very durable. I'm glad to here it doesn't take much to make it stable. Thanks for all your input. Jamie

I was thinking of doing it myself. I have seen some posts that show how to "stabilize" using wood hardner and a vacuum. I have such an abundance of the Mesquite and I never thought of sending it out. I'm still feeling my way through all of this. Still reading a lot and experimenting. I have used Mesquite for different kinds of handels and have good success with just oil treated surfaces. Not time or field tested though. I'm mainly making "give away" knives for now while I'm learning. Thanks for the information! Jamie

I have lots of Mesquite wood in my back pasture and I want to use it on some knives I have in progress. Some of the wood is still growing and I have some that was cut a while back. Is it better to used older dried wood for stabilizing or can you stabilze green wood? I assume green wood would be harder to stabilize since it is green an has moisture in it already. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks, Jamie

All, If I understand this correctly: You can't vary the speed on a single phase motor. You can use 115V single phase (in) on 3 phase motors up to 1.5 hp. You need 230V (in) for 3 phase 2 hp motors and over. Correct?