matt87

I believe EN43 is roughly 1045.

Rstegman, the discussion is about 'set' or 'top' tools, i.e. handled tools designed to be placed on top of the work and struck with a hammer. The handle keeps your hand away from radiated heat and errant hammer blows. They are most often used when working with one or more strikers or a treadle hammer, but have some utility when working alone or with a power hammer. Examples include fullers, swages, set hammers, flatters, cutters/chisels and punches.

Set tools can be either punched and handled like a hammer (though the handle does not need to be as substantial or secure as for a hammer) or have a handle attached by wrapping the body of the tool with a iron or mild steel rod, or more historically, a withy.

See ya Thomas, and good luck. I think I speak for everyone when I say that this forum has been a better place with your presence. Who's going to correct my history now? ;)

Pictures would help. Is the material wrought iron, mild steel or cast iron?

Arbalist. What you are doing is slicing off thin shavings of the striker with the flint. A smooth surface will work far better than a rough one , Zippo not withstanding.
Finnr

Zippos and their like don't use flint, they use a 22-odd-element alloy known variously as ferrocerrium, Mischmetal and various other names -- it's like those rods you can get from Light My Fire, the Swedish Army, BCB etc. The steel wheel grinds bits from the 'flint', whereas in a real flint-and-steel the flint shaves off bits of steel, as you say.

What sort of work are you planning -- belt buckles or anchors or somewhere in between?

Mass production of nails started with machines stamping cut-nails from wrought iron tire stock, Thomas.

A slightly long read but full of excellent, valuable, free information: Tips - Techniques & Useful Information - Steels Useful for Tools

Laminating was done a lot when high carbon steel was hard to get. I'd just use good steel and selectively harden or temper so the edge is harder than the shank.

Good Luck!

There's also the matter of tempering accuracy -- both in consistency in steelmaking and in tempering methods. Backing dead-hard steel with iron makes for a tough tool which can hold an edge.

A number have been presented on the forum and in the blueprint section. A search will lead you in the right direction.

Is it possible to use the worn gear as a template for filing a replacement gear from metal or other suitable material?

It may have been a variation on the 'browning' process -- this is a somewhat similar process to proper (hot) blueing and is a controlled rusting.

Don't forget there is a veritable rainbow available through temper colours!

Just seen a link posted on another forum of the axe-forging workshop at the Gransfors-Bruks factory, Sweden.

YouTube - Axe forging / Yxsmide

Sorry John, I wasn't able to get out of working that day. Definitely will make the next event though!

Weygers' The Complete Modern Blacksmith details a few different ways of drilling square holes, including making the bits. It's a great book, though IMO he places too much emphasis on grinding rather than forging. (Some of his practices with grinding wheels would make most people run in fear of their bodily appendiges though...)

I was so impressed by your little knife that I've just made a similar one from a 20mm SDS drill. The forging cleaned up and polished nicely but doesn't seem to take a very good edge. I tempered it at a dark yellow, I'll try a bit bluer tomorrow.

What is the problem with your knife? Is it too hard to put a good edge on it? What are you using to hone it with?

Mild steel as a rule doesn't harden appreciably. A36 (structural) steel can do if heated above the 'critical' temperature (a cherry red) and quenched in something severe like brine. It's mainly to do with carbon content. AISI1018 typically has 0.18% carbon by weight, AISI1040 has 0.40% and so on. In general terms it is considered that steel will not harden appreciably until there is somewhere around 0.20 to 0.30% carbon present, so AISI1018 probably won't harden. This is why railroad spikes don't make for good functional knives (even the ones marked 'HC' are maximum 0.30% carbon). When other alloying elements are involved, things can get complicated. Phosphorus is an example; phosphorus iron was used in antiquity for many applications which required some hardness, even though it contained no carbon. A36 is a special case as it is specified by performance rather than composition, so it can and does vary from batch to batch, sometimes having as much as 0.30% carbon.

If you have an electric grinder you can try spark-testing (see BP20).

Hand-forging a sword from S-7 sounds like fun! Who needs a gym membership?

Steve I'm curious, did you have to keep the billet above critical? How long did it take you? Or did you grind it?

The low slag inclusions and the high carbon uniformity are major elements to this, Thomas.

Try reading the article if you can get hold of it -- it's I. Mack, S. Murphy, P. Andrews and K. Wardley: Liquid steel in Anglo-Saxon England, Historical Metallurgy 34(2) 2000 87-96 with printer's corrections in HM35(1) 2001, 65-66

Temper colours are an indication of the temperature that piece of steel has reached (see Steel Tempering). However, you could have a chisel made from 1040 and one from 1095 both hardened and tempered to the same colour but they would be different hardness. If you want an actual hardness (e.g. a Rockwell number) you have to look it up. Temper Colors and Steel Hardness : anvilfire.com

It is your job to choose how to temper your products and there are many factors involved -- the tool's intended use, that steel's composition, the realities of how that tool might be used, whether the tool is solid tool steel or the edge/face is laid onto wrought iron or mild steel, what are the acceptable tolerances? Is it better to have a hammer face that might slump or chip? Will this knife be used as a pry bar or a spade or a hammer, or as a surgical scalpel?

What are the problems you are having making those tools?

An interesting coincidence that the Hamwick steel has been brought up -- I recently read the article in Historical Metallurgy. Turns out they found an artefact which they think is a piece of steel stuck to a piece of grey cast iron. I'll dig the cite out when I can.

A practically-minded person with blacksmithing tools and skills (amongst others) would be very sought-after in an economic depression. To borrow from a recent thread when Bob from three doors down the road has a part on his mower break, offer him to swap you making a replacement for a couple dozen eggs from the chickens he keeps out back. When Ethel from the next street needs a fire grate because she can't afford heating oil any more, make her one in exchange for her making you a new shirt. Jack wants a special tool for harvesting the cabbages on his allotment, sure you can make him one in exchange for a few of those cabbages. Smithing and its related skill-sets are practical, valuable ways and I don't think they will ever be useless. If it comes to having to re-use found scrap, so be it -- this is as old as blacksmithing itself and there is more good quality steel out there today than there was at any point in history.

There have been discussions on this before. As mentioned, there is no 'right' way, but various factors come into play, such as that most London-pattern anvils have a hardy hole at the heel, which can be a problem -- put your hardy cutter in the hole and the horn to the left and one false hammer-blow will rob you of your fingers... left, right, magnetic North, whatever works for you.

If you do it right, the antler will glue itself. Making an Antler Handle Knife