cottonmouthforge

actually i was planing to make a dive knife.i am going to anodize to change to colors.i have i friend in Cleveland who has a computer control gas kiln to anneal glass. will that work to heat treat it. i knew it would be soft before i bought it. if no one here knows how to heat treat ti that is ok. i could not find much any where.

i recently bought a 2 ft by 1/4in by 1 in section of t6-4 grade titanium. i want to make knifes out of it i want to know if it is necessary to heat treat it, if so how do you do it right. i will show you pic of it finished. and i assure you i am not trolling i will even post the link to where i bought it. i did the spark and anodize test it came out positive of ti. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ti6-4-TITANIUM-FLAT-BAR-STOCK-1-X-250-/130424374788?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e5de60604

it can be done but most likely not by you my anvil is cast iron made in some factory in China. so they are pumped out by the thousands. so yes it can be done but most likely not by you. if i absolutely had to i would legally mix a 3 to 4 ratio thermite and ignite that and have the motlen iron flow into my cast. i would not do this because not only would it be hard to mix all that any thing could go wrong. and the words thermite and oops don't mix.

i add charcoal powder to the anvil surface. it does not add carbon. but what it does do is it give me a better working time. it prevents heat being transferred from the hot iron to the anvil.

looks nice

i would heat it up then sandwich it between 2 wooden blocks in a vice and then tighten. then heat treat it back to normal.

i found out something you should want to try. i do not know what is happening on a molecular level. what i did was add = parts salt and baking soda into water i dissolved as much as i could. i put in my tarnished pice of silver. nothing happened so i thought to add current to it so i placed in my aluminum wire with out power and in front of my eyes the tarnish went away. if you add current it will work even faster.you can do this with any al even foil. you should try it if you have tarnish silver. just make sure not to touch the al to the silver or it will not work. i hope you enjoy this it is amassing in person. i know this is some sort of electro chemistry but i am not sure on what is happening.

does any body here know what on like the one in the pic might be worth

i would make the body out of 1/8 in stainless steal with 2 in angle iron as corners and half way through 1/2 in square tube rib. as for the flag i wold use a rail road spike with the fat end hammered to the same thickness as the spike. you might need more ribs though. for the post i would use 2 in square tubing. i hope this gives you some ideas

i live in Cleveland ms 2 and a half hours away from Brandon but unfortunately i have no place for you to stay and very little skill.

i understand your concern.31% is commercial grade hcl $4 a gallon. if i want a weaker solution i will have to dilute it. i still have to work with 31%. so the way i look at it either way i have to work with strong acid. one is faster at etching. either one if i get it on my skin i am getting burned. so it is better to just take proper safety measures, and work with the stronger acid.at least in my opinion.

you have to make sure it is perfectly even. a small bit off will rely mess you up. happen to me with my first hawk.

looks nice good work

yes you are right take England for an example they still have knifes. if you took those away you would have people fighting to the death and no food.just vegetables and mushrooms not cooked. every thing can be used as a weapon. you can not take every thing away. child proofing every thing for adults is not the way to go. do not pad the side walks. should we keep our self in a sterile environment in fear of becoming ill or should we develop our immune system.

sorry i was not able to log on here are the pics sorry for the wait. the site would not let me log on until today.

hi all i joined yesterday. i have made 5 knifes of various types. i have made 3 hawks out of rr spikes. i have very little experience with many things. i think by far the best piece i have made is my last hawk. i will get pics for you asap. i am looking forward to learning over the summer more about blacksmithing. thanks

thanks if every one on this forum is as nice as you i will have a great time.

i just got done with my 3rd try. i will post picks asap i am waiting on my dad to upload the pics. it is really sharp can cut paper. it was acid etched with 31 percent hcl do not worry i took proper safety measures. and i am fine looks nice and i love the finish. i have not made the handle yet. i want to raise enough money over summer break to buy a canoe and 223 varmint rifle. to go capybara hunting. i got the rr spikes legally from i friend of mine who bought 2,000 of them at an action about 30 years back when the local railroad closed down and sold every thing.he gave me 50 so i am at no chance of legal trouble. i will post picks asap. once you see the pics pleas tell me what it might be worth. i am guessing around $45 maybe $50, because i have no name out there. but you all would know more about that thanks and later.

i think stainless steel sounds good. i do not know about you guy but i think it might be a tad soft but with regular up keep it should be fine. then again it probably would not rust with regular up keep. i would suggest electro polishing,because it makes it shiny. it does not need to be elctro polished to be stainless. i would suggest for some one else to do it for you because it requires strong acid. pick a good iron alloy, because the chromium makes it stainless also it makes it soft. find the right one for your uses.and do not forget what stainless means. it means that it stains less then other steels.