Steve Sells

try here http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f7/grader-blades-4628/
or here http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f14/grader-blade-knife-8322/

I have only been smithing 20- years or so, blades for about 15,

I broke a 0-1 blade 2 days ago, the tang was 3/16 thick where it broke. And it was normalized still. I can only assume it got a crack from me hitting it when it was to cold, it happens at times, most likely from me not paying attention to the heat color and thinking I can get one more hit in before returning to the fire. But I am sure that in 4 months you know that already.

Steve, being new to the process I just want to make sure I'm clear on this. I may try it next week on a couple of hand seax-ish blades that I have ready for HT. This is what I plan to try:
Heat treat: Heat to nonmagnetic and quench in veg oil as it is all I have.

Temper: Reheat to nonmagnetic then quench the edge only- for how long?

Am I on the right track here?

NO, first the entire process is a heat treat, as it is using heat to change the structure of the steel. You started correctly, but then got a bit off in details heat to non magnetic then allow to cool slowly, this normalizing. Then heat again to non mag and cooling fast quench is the hardening part. tempering is relaxing the steel as its very brittle after a hardening, even a differential, it does not magical make it less stressful for the steel.

I covered this in the sticky, but here we go again... if using clay that holds in the heat, slowing the cooling of the area covered, thats why we cover the spine and not the cutting edge. Using an Edge only quench is closer with out the fancy pattern in the line of demarcation. is cools what is in the liquid, and the spine being out of the quench cools a bit slower. in both cases, it should leave a line where the martensite and perlite meet.

Tempering is only heating to a low temp to relax the stress of the steel, How hot that is will effect the hardness of the steel also, I cant give y ou exact temps with out knowing the exact steel you are using. but most simple steels 530F is plenty. if you heated it again to non mag it will cause another transformation into austenite then ouy are back to the begining again.

you also ignored the fact of a failure of the blade while in use could hurt your client, or mother in this case.

who knows what ideas crazy people have, but we do have one member that say's he can actually can tell the alloy of a steel by feel, so maybe she was tasting the metal? :D

What part of the information in the links was not clear about differential hardening? Please let me know so I can clarify in the sticky so others are not confused about this. I also have differential tempered blades, and it is not the same process, and I saw no noticeable difference in the etching from it.

I do understand that many people don't understand the difference between harden and temper, Sadly even some smiths, remember the TV commercials all the rage about Tempered steel blades in razors.. also a tempering is needed after any hardening operation for stress relief if nothing else.

search using the term Hamon, we have a few links explaining this. including these two.

http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f14/differential-heat-treat-chat-9579/
http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f52/japanese-heat-treat-clay-mix-4613/

here is a photo of myself with my favorite bottle opener :D

I remembered your Geology studies from another thread. Just having fun with you, but I will go sit in my corner now.

heat and hit with hammer, you got pieces Ask any 3 yr old it is as simple as that

Yes good deal One thing about wrought is there are various grades, depending on how much it was folded and welded back into itself, Your looks a little better than the 5/8 rounds I have. They need to be flattened and re welded a few times then then can be used for many things. Where as the wagon wheel I have Is all ready to use as-is.

Bob

I think the 6 mil yr old tag was to let us know that it was a properly aged rock, and not NEW rock like from Mt St. Helen's, or that one up Frosty's way in Alaska, as we all know it takes more than a few weeks to age stone for the nice colors and patterning in the Granite that we expect from a quality vintage volcano flow

First to correct the mis quote you made, its not 50+ cents and higher per lb, its 50+ cents per GRAM !!! for Campo Del Ceilo meteorite currently. that's 250 grams at $125.00 or more ! and it doesn't work well for blades in this state, it still need refined. As it shatters when heated and hit. that the reason for using the Can weld to start it so I don't loose it all over the floor of my shop.

After a pattern welded blade gets beyond about 1,000 layers the pattern tends to "wash out" meaning it is hard to see defined layers when they get so fine. because our eyes only see so much detail, like looking at a tree from far away, we see the green top but not any leaves. When closer we may see leaves and bark, but from distance, because there is to much detail to process, we see trunk and tree. The meteorite layer are the same way, with a magnifying glass you should see layers, but not with the necked eye, as its too fine to notice layering of the meteorite, rather is should appear to be a mono steel layer, as the only true way to get homogeneous layer with that rock is to melt it with the wrought in a crucible. But I did it the way our ancestors had to work out the bloom from their furnaces.

For a finished blade I can now use the meteorite as the bright layer. I am planning for around 200 layers in the final knife; should end up with about 100 layers of 1087, and 100 layers of the meteorite I blended with Wrought iron [that blending of wrought and rock is in-itself layered to 120 layers].

so for appearances.... I stated it is the equivalent of 24,000 layers, because 200 layers of blade when finished, multiply by the 120 layers of refining of the rock layer itself = 24,000. that is how thin the layering of the rocks and wrought become in their part of the final billet. at this point, I hope this is clearer what I meant.

you what Steve, just 4get about it, because i came for help but clearly you have a problem with me so leave it ill just find it somewhere else

I have a problem with some one playing the membership of this forum for fools, and refusing to respond when we have sent you PM's. You said you will be going to find it elsewhere? You have it in front of your face.

I am tired of this game of yours. I though that after our talk in the chat last weekend, you were starting to listen, I was wrong. so I am going to help you ONE more time, By helping you not post for a while, giving you more time to learn how to click a link for information.

Simply: You may not post for the next week, Please use this time to help yourself.

nice, Now your journey to the dark side is nearly complete.... my young apprentice... I am your Uncles sisters half brother by marriage on her sisters side... ( gotta love space balls)

As for where I got the idea for using Meteorite? From Col, JPHrisoulas PhD ret. of Salamander Armory, and my former teacher: Bill Wyant, of Avalon Ironworks. These 2 men have given me skills and motivation to try more than just simple blade work.

now its 1.25 x 16 x .2 inches at 120 layers, of wrought iron and Meteorite mix. So it looks like I got it.

Even if I make the blade billet only 200 layers, this one' layering will be too fine to see any separate layers (equivalent of a 24,000 layer billet at this level because 200 billet layers x 120 meteorite)

Try here KNIFE LAWS of the 50 STATES I check here to see if an order complies before I make them to ship, the client may still want the blade, but I know that, they know the legal issues with it.

In general most places accept a credit card as proof of age. But I am not a lawyer, that's my sisters job.

It depends on your definition of Easy.

I heat some steel, then I hammer it, then I grind it, its a sword. The details are in HOW. How to selet the steel, how to apply the hammer, how to use the grinder.

That knowing how, comes from experience, the hammering itself does not change, nor does holding a piece of steel against the grinder.

as i said already i did what you guys told me and i searched the net and iforgeiron but i didnt find it,besides i dont even know what to type in the search bar, i dont know what the chart is called

Click on the links we provided, if you can't do that how did you even get online to get registered here?

or rather than a copy, buy the real Hofi hammer. Here at IFI

4? Not sure that will last long for a real shop. I did 6.5, with 4500 mix. Also used 5/8 rebar on 3 ft centers... welcome to the heart ache of a new shop

Dont ask us smiths about what is best in YOUR area, as soil varies. Ask construction people about what lasts, there WILL be major vibrations form power hammer, so a separate slab has advantages, and not much more $$ to get it right, also electrically bond the floor to the grounds.

maybe your idea of orange might have been my idea of red, because many tool steels don't like to get hit too cold, or they crack to let you know not to do that, Keep it hot, and dont try to get too many hits in it per heat, if it gets red, stop hammering.

need to remove spot rust, like on car bumper or wheel fender? Aluminum Foil, wet with tap water and rub it away. Works on the bike :)

Ao will never last long being used on steel.