ddan7

I was wondering if anyone had a reference for the different grades of HSS. I have some T-1 HSS planer knives and was wondering if this was a decent grade of High Speed Steel.

I wear my contacts all the time and have no issues but I would definitely recommend the safety glasses when grinding or cutting.

Why do firepots tend to be cast iron? I was looking at welding one up from 1/2" mild steel that I can get from work cheap (free). Is there a problem with using mild or is it just that with new materials cast is cheaper?

The loss of carbon makes some sense. I suppose that if I tried layers of mild steel, I wouldn't see a pattern because there isn't enough carbon to begin with to show any contrast. Any thoughts on this?

By the way, nice knife, I hope to try and make one soon.

Anvil tools

I got to thinking today and am a little confused about damascus (pattern welded) from cable. Isn't cable the same steel throughout? If it isn't, then it makes sense, if it is, then I need someone to explain it to me. The pattern seems to show up really well on the examples I've seen (I've never tried it) and I would think that would be difficult if it were the same steel. So, is cable made from different steels braided together or not?

Wow! That's really nice. I'm sure your client will love that sword.

I having a little trouble forging a socket (I was trying to make a hoe out of a lawnmower blade) I can fuller a fan shape but I'm looking for tips or the proper hardy tool to create the socket. What tool is typically used for this? I'm guessing the horn, but I need a much smaller cone than the horn. Help Please...

I just bought a new anvil at an auction. It's a 50 pounder that I got for $55. It's much, much better than the 9 pound I-beam I just replaced. The hammer bounces back nicely, which is a new experience compared to the old "anvil". I know that it's pretty small and probably just barely adequate, but is there any specific way to tell what it's made of? I want to make sure it's not cast iron. I can't find a single marking anywhere on it.

I added pictures to the gallery if it helps. Hopefully, they'll appear below this message:

You could always just forge at night:D:D

I'd take a look at Rockler
There is a plan available, but also some good ideas for the hardware.

Very Nice! Looks like Elm to me, do you know what the tree was? Bandmills are very precise, my uncle has a Woodmizer LT28 and it's a wonderful machine that really helped make woodworking affordable to me.

For what it's worth, Sycamore has the same interlocking grain and is used for cutting boards for this reason.

I believe it's because elm has interlocking grain. In other words, Elm is highly resistant to splitting and I'm sure there's a few folks who chop firewood who will agree.

The Radio Shack in town is no more. So, I used white vinegar at a slow boil for 20 or so minutes. I now have a lovely etch but how do I polish it without removing the etch. It's very light. I practiced with wax and a green scratch pad on the tang and it sanded it right off! I supposed I need a deeper etch or a lighter polish. Any suggestions?

I used the roller chain and made a nice billet today which fell apart three times in the process but I ended up with two nice billets which I formed into knife blanks. My method was to fold the chain over on itself until I had a piece roughly 2" wide by 6" long and about 1/2" thick. I wired it together and just kept adding borax and smacking it together. I kept the chain pins parallel to the ground (read that online somewhere) I think that was the right idea because it mostly held together. Like I said, it fell apart a few times and I ended up with a couple of billets about 1/2" x 1/2" and about 3-4" long.

My forge welding needs more improvement as there are a few open cracks in my knife blank, but I thought I continue all the way to see what I'd end up with. So, I've shaped and shined and heat treated, what should I acid should I use to etch? A search turned up ferric chloride as the recommended but I'm not sure where to find it. What can I find at a local place that will etch? I've got a wal-mart, menards, rural king (like a Tractor Supply) in town.

I would like to try making some damascus out of chain. I have access to a chainsaw chain and a roller chain from a farm implement (larger than bicycle chain). Before I fire up the forge, I have a few questions:

1. Would either of these work or is one better than the other?
2. Are there any tricks I should be aware of?
3. Once I hammer a section flat, how often should I fold it? I'm sure there's no magic number, but is there a minimum?

This is my first post here, so I thought I'd post of picture of my first RR spike hatchet that I worked on yesterday. There's a lot to learn in this art, but you have to start somewhere, right? This is a great site.