Justin Carnecchia

Looking the pictures of your integrals I'd say that it is well within your skill set.

I've seen it done, Scott Roush (over on the Don Fogg forum) did it with wrought for the bolsters. Came out beautifully but all of his knives do. I would have to ask why you would want to? Scott did it to achieve a specific look to his knife, if you are thinking it will be easier than pinning or press fitting it isn't. Before trying this I would suggest forging an integral from one piece, since many of the skills will be the same, but without the added difficulty of welding. -Justin

Thanks, I quench in straight water. As hot as my water heater gets it.

Pine is usually pretty soft, you might think about stabilizing it. I tend to agree with JMC their are better woods out their. The pictures might not be doing it justice but when I pic a wood I look for lots of figure or burl. I can't afford fossil ivory or the other exotic handle materials, but a nice piece of burl wood lets me get the handle looking good without spending a fortune. I have a local source were I'm paying $12 for stabilized burl. Even the higher priced Ironwood at around $60 for a handle sized piece is a good deal compared to a couple hundred for ivory. I see a lot of really nice hardwood burls coming out of Australia, I would keep looking. -Justin

Thanks guys, I appreciate all the great feedback.

Yes the sori is from the quench, it went in straight.

I don't often check the PM's here, my e-mail is probably better. wrencoforge@hotmail.com

Rich is absolutely right, If you can't make a blade that you think is good enough to sell with what you have now, a new grinder isn't going to change that. Take your time, It is better and cheaper in the long run to save up and buy one grinder that is going to last forever than buy multiple cheap ones that don't cut it, only to find yourself buying the good one in the end. The time spent saving up is time well spent learning.

If your good at building stuff their are plans around for grinders from simple two wheel to exact KMG plans. If not save your money. Beaumont Metal Works basic grinder without motor is $750. If you can find a used motor cheap, or a good deal on a new motor you will be into it for under a grand. The Pheer grinder above looks like a good deal for a variable speed unit but it doesn't look as solidly built as the KMG and 1hp is a little under powered. I started using the belt sander in a vise just like you, and you can definatley make knives that way, the biggest difference is time. A 2hp grinder with 72" belt takes off metal a lot quicker. My advice would be keep using what you got till you can save up and get a good quality 2x72" like the KMG or Bader. Also I would highly recomend the Variable speed. I didn't get it and I seriously regret it. It will be years before I can convince my wife I need a new motor, better to do it right the first time. Also keep your eyes open in the tailgating section etc. I have seen a number of used machines recently for very good prices.

Thanks guys, my original plan was to make a saya out of the zircote that the handle was made of. It is currently for sale though, so I will probably end up selling it like it is. If it doesn't sell or the buyer expresses interest maybe I will still do it. To get a hamon like that use W-2 and quench in water. Expect about a 50% failure rate :blink: It takes so much time polishing these that after I finally got a decent hamon I decided it wasn't worth the effort if the hamon wasn't to my liking, so I have only been quenching in water and if I don't like it I re-quench, and often crack the blade and re-forge. But hey, forging is my favorite part of the process so I don't mind that so much. Thanks again -Justin

Thanks everyone. Samcro the prices are largely based on what I have been receiving for my previous knives. I am still pretty new at this and pricing is the hardest part. I currently have this knife listed on E-bay for $350. I feel a very fair price if you consider that many chef knives go for $300 and aren't damascus. That being said it may sell it may not...I may not make another chef's knife for some time <_< . The same with the sword. Also listed on Ebay for $350, it is considerably less than what my last bowie sold for, and given the size was quite a bit more work. If neither of these knives sell so be it. But as this is not my primary employment I am making knives not just to sell, but because I like making knives. Otherwise I would be stuck only making bowies, as that is what I have had the best luck selling. Check out chefknivestogo.com and see what a 9" gyuto by either a Japanese or American maker is going for. One of Stephan Fowler's mono steel blades is $520 with a rough polish. His Damascus is $950. If this knife doesn't sell for $350 it is only because I'm not marketing it to the right people. If you are still interested in the damascus billet let me know, assuming it is something I can do I would be happy to. Price wise would be materials and hourly, depending on layer count 4-5hrs. With more specifics I can give you a better estimate.

Thank you all. The blade was etched in hot vinegar, 4 cycles of 20min each. Cleaned with 2,000g and flitz between etches. Not the best acid for etching damascus but it worked o.k. -Justin

Well as long as I'm putting up the gyuto I'll post this one too. I posted pics of this one when I first got it polished, then it got scratched and I had to re-polish and anyway it's been a while. 19" blade forged from W-2 quenched in water, very active hamon. Heat blued wrought iron and brass fittings, with zircote handle. Thanks for looking. -Justin

Hi, just finished this one up a few days ago. 9" blade around 200 layers forged from W-2 and 15n20. Handle is box elder burl with horn ferule. Around 2mm at thick at heal, tapering to 1mm just in front of the tip. Flat ground to a very fine edge. Thanks for looking, feedback is welcome. -Justin

Yes you can produce a hamon without clay. In a low hardening steel if the spine is thick it won't want to harden anyway. Playing around with the time, temp, blade geometry, carbon/alloy content, etc you can get some control over it. What the clay does is give us some control on where the hamon appears and what form it takes. If you are intersted look up Nick Wheeler, he does some really nice work and a lot of his recent hamons have been without using clay. He's been doing some really cool stuff. -Justin

The knives I use most are my santuko and boning knife. That said a 9" or so gyuto is a nice addition or replacement to the santuko. My large 10" french knife I only use for breaking up chickens. A carving knife and utility or paring knife would be the next two. And yeah I'm a chef.

Beautiful! I especially like the santuko. Great pattern, and overall knife. How do you bring the W's to the surface, it doesn't look like you did an accordian cut. Lap welds?

Thanks guys, your comments are appreciated :D . JMC- I don't think that water creates a more defined hamon, when I quenched in oil the definition was fine. What I found was that oil, at least canola, wasn't fast enough. The hamons I made didn't have any real activity. Water has helped with that a lot, but on the down side I crack a fair number of blades. I know a lot of smiths are getting real nice results with the Parks 50. Manganese content can have a big effect too. 1095 can vary greatly in its content, some will work great, some not so great. Frosty- I use the W-2 mainly because I do hamons. Aside from that though, it is capable of a very fine grain and makes a tough knife that hold a great edge. Honestly I think with the thicknesses we deal with in knives most all steels are better quenched in oil. I have pretty good luck with water, but will likely give Parks 50 a try when I can afford it. W-2 forges much like 1095 and 1084. Other than scrap those are the only other steels I have used, so I can't say much about comparison. Tim- The blade was clayed with Satanite and quenched in water. Thanks again for all your kind words, -Justin

Hi I finished this one up a few days ago. Blade is 10.75" 16" overall. W-2 quenched in water, with mesquite burl handle and heat blued damascus guard and spacer. Thanks for looking, criticisms are welcome and appreciated. -Justin

Yeah sometimes a learning experience is the most important part. Thanks for that link, that was pretty slick.

I agree with John. You need to do something with the finish to bring out the contrast between the two steels. Even if it is just the lower half of the blade, like grind in a large bevel and then polish and etch. Not that it's a bad looking knife, I like it, but it's a shame to do the san-mai then not be able to see it. How thin are we talking? I'm a chef and personally feel like very thin knives. -Justin

What kind of belts are you using? I wouldn't try taping them, just think about what happens to your finger when it brushes up against the belt, wouldn't want that in the face. I would call whoever you got them from and complain.

Really nice. I don't always like the forge finished look but you did it very well, especially with the bolster.

The hammer Grant was running in his video was a Bell

I'm no expert on spark testing but I'm seeing multiple bursts. I maybe don't see quite as much as the 1095, but it can be hard to tell from a picture. It definately looks like it is high enough to harden well, but there are a lot of "spring" steels out their and you will want to do some other tests to figure out how to heat treat it.