Steve Sells

Funny enough, but our Knife section has a few. Read through the sticky's too

Ever see the sticky on "advanced annealing methods"? You might want to read this one. Knives in General - Knife stickies here at IForgeIron.com

Low temp plumbing solder, melts around 400F, not very strong. The high temp silver solder sticks melt at closer to 800f, much better choice for securing a guard. But with a hardening temp for many steels being around 1500F, I would advise waiting until after the heat treat to attach it, or the guard will fall off during H/T.

good start, keep it up. If you would spend a little more time and some finer grits sanding the blade it would make a huge difference. nothing else to add at this point.

for those that don't know what radial nerve pain is like. A short overly simplified version of this is when you hit your "funny bone" that IS the radial nerve crossing over the elbow. Except at least that goes away reasonably soon. Pray you get this mess sorted out Brother.

from Friday knife chat, Mar-06-09 [Cool Hand] I have a long way to go before I could be considered a bladesmith, but I sure enjoy trying! Any ideas on a good polisher? [steve sells] everyone gotta start somewhere, cept for JIm Hrisoulas and Howard clark, they were born with hammers in their hands... [Cool Hand] I have to start from scratch I love making rr spike knives, been giving them out as presents. [steve sells] I know of 2 very good polishers, one in CHicago, starts at $50- per sq inch for katana. [garey] there is one in Dallas to that is good Steve [steve sells] What did you mean? by your question as I doubt you meant hiring a blade polisher [Cool Hand] oops, I meant a shop polisher. I need to make one. [steve sells] lol 10 inch buffer is good, many say 1 to 5 Hp, mine is a 1/3 Hp and only 6 inch [garey] Harbour Freight puts their long shaft grinders on sale get one and change the rocks out for buffes [LDW] low powered bench grinder with buffing wheel [Cool Hand] Any particular kind of buffer top on it? [LDW] I bought one of those [Cool Hand] I don't know the difference between buffers, I told you I was green! [steve sells] the buffer wheels you get depend on the "stuff" you are using [LDW] one that has stitching [steve sells] soft floppy for my 5000 grit,. but stiff stitched for the emery, plus I have a soft stitched for the green chrome its about 1200 to 1500 grit, [Cool Hand] so my car polisher is not likely to work huh?.....lol [steve sells] depends on what ya want it to do, Kill you and some bystanders? Yes work great for that [Cool Hand] heheh [steve sells] ANY buffer is good for that, some are better at it than others [Cool Hand] I have just been putting a BS finish on everything, time to stretch my wings. [garey] i have 4 grinders set up on the bench one for grinding 3 for buffing [Cool Hand] I need one of them 1 kind fits all sort of things [LDW] cool hand, they can snatch a knife out of your hand pretty easy [garey] remember a grinder or a belt sander can and will sooner or later grab a blade and sling it past your head at the speed of light!!! [steve sells] REMEMBER NEVER use a wheel for anything except ONE compound, NEVER mix them on same wheel, always change the wheels when ya change the compound [Cool Hand] BOTH are great advice!!!! [steve sells] emery gets the stiff stitched, when I finish .. I change out the wheel, place in a zip loc bag, and get out the soft stitched for green chrome. After the green, change out to soft floppy, and white rouge, ALSO throughly clean blade between types of buffing compound [Cool Hand] what is "green chrome"? [steve sells] [LDW] buffing compound [steve sells] there are many different compounds for buffing, the coarsest I have is Emery its about 700 grit, which I why I normally only grind up to 400 to 600 grit, [steve sells] no reason to go finer,when I ise non belts for finer [Cool Hand] Is there a buffing lifecycle? If I where buffing a raw, newly formed blade to a sheen, how would it go? [LDW] I found some one time that after applied it hardened and would create sparks when you used it [steve sells] but I have had a few disagree with me, but I have never seen any blade THAT person either LOL [Cool Hand] Ah there is prolly a bp on that huh? [steve sells] I dont know [garey] am sitting here hand (finger) sanding a blade with 500 wet dry paper now. [Cool Hand] what grit would you start with, what next, then what to finish? [steve sells] the green chrome (a name fro one manufacture , may be called something else by another) is about 1200 to 1500 grit, the white rouge is close to 5,000 grit but I rarely use that for a blade, mainly brass or bronze fittings. [LDW] like Steve said, you can get the compounds in different grits [Cool Hand] what are the best 3 grits to start with? [steve sells] all depends on where ya want to blade to go.. if I got belts in finer grits I would not need the emery... [steve sells] I prefer to use belts to 400 then emery polish [LDW] I usually hand sand to 1000 grit then polish, [steve sells] some like to go to 1200 them use the polishing wheel, its all a matter of choice [Cool Hand] Belts are not an option yet. [steve sells] many of mine are machine sand to 400, etch the damasucs, then hand 500 then 600 then a fast emery and/or 1200 and ready for sale, [steve sells] no belts? then files and Block sanding [garey] if you do japanjese blades you will need fine emery and finer water finger stones. thats what im doing tonight. [steve sells] I have papers up to 3,500 grit for mirror finish then a fast 5,000 grit polish at the wheel, but rarely use them. [Cool Hand] It will be years before I attempt a fine blade, I have lots to learn. [garey] me too. [steve sells] me too [markb] here here [LDW] I watched Jim Batson draw file on a rough bowie one time, and cleaned it up as quick as a belt sander would [steve sells] not me garey... I don't do traditional Japanese, my Katana are modern Katana style I make that very clear to my clients [Cool Hand] I prefer to learn slowly, when I do, I never forget. [LDW] I take that back cleaned it to what an 80 grit belt on a belt sander would do [Cool Hand] How does one go about getting knife quality steel, all I have is industrial and car parts. [steve sells] buy it from speicalty places, on line works [Cool Hand] Blanks? [steve sells] security steel supply 1080 and 5160 [Cool Hand] Thanks Steve. What is the difference in the two? [steve sells] read the sticky on choosing steels we covered that a few months ago in this chat,m and I added to it a lot and made it a sticky http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f75/choosing-steel-9286/ [garey] knife supply stores that sell blade steel. Texas knifemakers or Jantz supply [Cool Hand] I want tough, durable field knives. Not show pieces [steve sells] Knife Making Supplies A Rich Hale favorite [garey] Snappper and Troybuilt mower blades make a good thin fixed blade small knife. other mower blades don't seem to have as good quality

Fron Friday knife chat, March 6, 2009 [steve sells] its funny 2 of the kids that are always asking about knives are now in the main chat, and they don't show up here either LOL [LDW] I just built a propane forge to use for hardening [garey] i have bewen working on a shobu. finger sanding the o-kissaki. slow going. [markb] LDW what type of temp control [LDW] I have an infra red gun that will read up to 1850 degrees [markb] what brand? [LDW] 1 I do not have a temp control I have always used coal [steve sells] : LDW you do have a control, the same one smiths have always used our MIND [garey] i go by gas PSI. [LDW] I got it at tooltopia its outside in my shed [steve sells] combined with eyes for color and that temp gun you have a better set up than early bladesmiths [markb] magic [garey] use a big magnet:) [steve sells] I have noticed with the walls I now have I am loosing less metal to scale with my forge welding, I assume I must have been over heating a lot outside, due to color variances... [LDW] I have to pull the steel out to get a reading, I have been using a magnet for the last 8 years [markb] what about temper temp? [LDW] then decided I needed to be at about 1550 degrees, and had to guess the next 135 or so degrees [steve sells] but that temp gun still helps cause you know you are close, and wont have much farther [garey] if it wont stick to a magnet its hot enough to quench to harden [markb] Seems to be a division low tech vs. hi tech [LDW] but my brother got a dern hardness tester and I feel like I am starting over [markb] What kind of tester LDW, Rockwell? [LDW] Its a hand held that tests for rockwell [garey] i have a harbour freight temp gun that works good. but still use the magnet. [LDW] I do not know exactly what you call it [markb] I've seen them on ebay? [LDW] Ricardo has it, [steve sells] how accurate is th HF temp gun ? [markb] Interested in a rockwell myself but need education [steve sells] files are $125 a set cover Hrc 40 to 65 IIRC the machine is 1600 last I checked [LDW] here is the one I got Mastercool (MSC52225B) [garey] i dont realy know Steve. havent figured a way to check it yet. [LDW] garey I just verified critical temp at about 1416 degrees and it seemed close [garey] i havent used the gun very much. was a B-day present from wife & son [steve sells] but ya had to guess tha last 135F? to get to 1550 ? [LDW] but if you point inside the flame is higher than that, how do you determine temp in your gasser [LDW] 95 percent of my knives are cable and I hate using propane for welding cable [garey] WAG ! wild xxxx guess [steve sells] I have not got mine lined yet, the shop build got in the way, I use a friends gasser, mainly I use coal forge [LDW] this will all be new for me [steve sells] I use color, and a magnet. I will be putting PID control on the 4 burner after I get it lined. [LDW] I welded up a cable knife at Terry Vandeventers a couple years ago in his propane forge and hits a bigger area than I like heated when welding. [garey] Terry the Snake DR? [LDW] yeah [steve sells] so I decided I want my own gasser for stuff like rolling out stock in the mill. [Cool Hand] Can you safely make a gasser from a turkey smoker and firebrick? [steve sells] a lot of fire brick forges my first gasser I used was a pile of bricks and a 3/4 side arm burner. as for smoker? I don't know. but if ya line it for forging it won be a good smoker any longer [Cool Hand] is there a decent bp to discuss making a first one? [Cool Hand] I used the wrong word, I shoulda said fryer, can I just used the burner on my fryer as a heat source [steve sells] I dont know... [Cool Hand] too long of a week to speak clearly.....lol [steve sells] what I do know is a forge burner is about 200,000 BTU most fryers are 65,000 [Cool Hand] that answers my question quite effectively, thank you. I will, I wasn't aware the temp of the average gasser [steve sells] 2,500F is plenty, but post in the forum, I don't know much about gas forges. really. Frosty is one what seems to know a lot, and I am positive there are others too [Cool Hand] pm: will do [garey] BP # 192 gas forge [Cool Hand] thank you Garey [steve sells] garey is da MAN [LDW] Steve, I think ther is something like 95000 btu per hour in a gallon of propane.

You could DIE with enough exposure. Look a few lines above this post, there are a few sticky;s on it.

Welcome to I Forge Iron, we have a live knife chat in the chat room Friday night at 10PM Eastern. and quite a few knife makers here as well.

if you say so. Pattern welded steel and bronze, which is Tin and copper. pattern welded blade with bronze - Blacksmith Photo Gallery

Borne101 you didn't, I moved it here for you, we try to keep "like things" all in the same place, as its easier for others to find them when they have these questions that way. Just one more service we offer here from the staff of I Forge Iron.

I suggest you start learning about basic blacksmithing first, and forget knives for a while. You have been posting many very basic questions, which imply's you are just beginning. A knife is not an easy first project, Learning how to move metal in the forge should be a first project. Look through the forums, and the sticky's. Read all you can. There are already many things posted on the information you require. Then ask questions about what you can not find.

Fred Odin, Bill Wyant, Jim Hrisoulas, Terry Moran have been the biggest in my smithing journey. thanks Guys.

many good brands are multi piece, peter wright for one. some good brands were even 5 pieces welded up.

red hot,? not hot enough for good forging, but it was hot enough to soften it, What did you use to get it that hot ?

You have a very good attitude about this, I am impressed. Forgiveness is a virtue. But remember if you let him walk away free and clear, he wont learn anything, and will continue to hurt others. Correction, not revenge is the correct thought. By the same token, don't let the assault change your heart. You have an excellent view of what this really is. Your parents should be proud of your being smart enough to have these feelings for Him, and his actions.

Blacksmith Groups Forum - BAWA at IForgeIron.com is full of Oz members, its a lot closer to you, with more common resources, than most of the rest of us. Also http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f8/oz-roll-call-7380/ is a listing of OZ smiths. Add you name and ask there, you may have a member down the road from you! Welcome to I Forge Iron.

I would not quench in water until after you try oil and see where that leaves you, It may be enough. Some alloys won't like water, and if the hammers(s) are in one of the groups of oil quenching steel, they will let you know in a bad way. Not all hammers are made of the same material. even from the same maker.

Except electrical wires, even Romex, I can always tell an amateur when I see the spiraling wire, those need to be un-rolled :)

to re-tip at the break is fine, but do not weld, it still dangerous. Illegal in competition, and unsafe for controlled moves as well, a slip and....

welcome to I Forge Iron, I appears that you are off to a good start. Don't be shy about asking questions. If ya don't know, just ask and some one in the forums will most likely know about it, and share it with you.

Welcome, but I agree, keep them both. You will understand why later.

Welcome to I Forge Iron, plenty going on around here. glad you have ya.

Jeremiah, that all depends on if you want to keep the barn, you may want to either clean them up, or stock up on hot dogs.

We have 5 sticky's that not only explane everything you have asked, but include references to over 50 other resourced for further reading.