Steve Sells

there is another term that comes to mind, but forum rules wont allow me to say it here :)

I use the 2x4 or other wood, to push it back straight, when still soft. Hit it gently when its hot so soft. When annealing its a matter of one more anneals cycle, when hardening if there is a warp/bend, there is still time to push it flat before the hardening sets in and makes it rigid. read the sticky on knives to get more information about hardening. I strongly advise every metal worker that needs heat treat to read the Vorhoeven paper. It is 205 pages in PDF, and 210 in hardback, but well worth reading. See woody's post for the latest link.

no clue, but a 5# hammer on a 100# anvil is asking for trouble I would think. more like 30:1 or better, just my opinion.

one thing I should point out about fixing a warp, since the blade if finished, there is not a lot of material to move, so I don't have to hit it, I use the 2x4 to press it straight while hot, also reducing the risk if a indentation.

At risk of getting yelled at, since you found this out the hard way already. It is always a good idea to make sure you keep a fire under control, and the have ability to put it out. The water hose should have been checked, and turned on at the ready before you started the fire. Shovels too. Also clear the area. Did you really leave the pile of leaves all over? You are very lucky you didn't get the house or surrounding area on fire, and the explosion if that can went, would have been heard a ways off. I don't mean to nag, but as an EMT working with the Red Cross, and a local hospital burn unit, I have been at many fire sites and seen what it can do to lives and property. Please be careful.

wood mallet, Oh don't have one? make one. a 2x4 works too.

That's good to hear, I was falsely under the assumption we needed at least a shade 5 for IR. I fear many using improvised safety gear (sun glasses etc) that's why I asked, as A/O and forges have different outputs of intensity and spectrum. The ROSE1 is what I have from advise of my eye doctor, according to his chart of filters. The Dydidium does not have the same amount of IR protection, as its rated to about half that of these Rose1. http://www.auralens.net/m2_glassworker.cfm

Your blade broke because it was too hard to handle the bending. For a small knife this is not always a problem, but tempering in an oven for an hour or more (use the kitchen, you may have to wait for when wife is away) insures penetration of the tempering temperatures. A pass through the flame does not always get there. Even when oven tempering many time I still use a torch to draw the spine back more. But as you have just seen, hand torching does not always penetrate. It is good that your were willing to do destructive testing. Many do not, and never find out until its too late, that they are not getting what they thought out of their blades and/or their heat treating. Looks like you did well, seriously. Your only failure is now known, and you know how to improve on that the next time.

many terms are listed in BP0078

one nice thing about 3,4,5 is that we can not always reach the diagonal, due to reach, height, blockages from other structure, power lines, etc. Its so nice to have options. Thanks for the reminder.

great first knife Chriss.

Muratic when bought from pool supplies is 30% Hydrochloric acid in a water base. so 50/50 is 15% solution of Hydrochloric. That does seem a bit strong. I prefer the 1/2 vinegar and water solution, slower is safer, and less plating effect from electrolysis.

edge however you desire, Nice work John.

ok, I declare that a good knife, its official, your path to the dark side has begun ....:cool:

What did this testing cover? what was the measurement of IR light entering the eyes? As Dr JPH can attest, and as already covered in another thread, a normal welders lens is not the best choice for forge welding. When dark glasses are worn the eyes dilate and therefore allow in even more IR light than no shades would have. This can allow more burning to the retnas of the eyes. IR filtering is a good thing to think about, Dydidium or Rose1 is what my Dr told me to get for smithing. Check with your eye doctor and see, before damage occurs.

When you use a resource like waki-pedia, one must remember that anyone can post there, so we have to verify other places.

That is correct

Incorrect. Pattern welding dates back much longer than that. There are many viking blades from 900CE and earlier with beautiful patterns.. As for damascus: the true damascus blades are more properly called Wootz, a crucible steel of a higher than expected carbon and carbide formers. the raw ore was presumed to be mined from India, it first came to the attention of crusaders in the region of damascus, hence the name stuck.

card board, natural rope are both good for testing edge holding ability. I use a round rod to test edge flex/return. as well as Rockwell field testing files.

I forge weld much hotter, but that also increases scale formation, and grain growth.

Farmer gal, Please do not allow your family to be robbed by this Highwayman at 200. ANY usable anvil is $2 a pound at least. the PW is a name brand, condition can alter, but $4 per Pound is not unheard of.

I don't know what to say, top of the line there, I really like the flowing feeling you gave to this form.

1800F down to 1300F is plenty hot for Forging, you can run cooler with simple 10XX

I wish my 13 yr old could do that :)

good start. Your distal taper looks good, shape has smooth transitions. but lets see the polish. I wanna see the cutting power, and shine then I will comment more