thingmaker3

I don't care what you call me as long as I get to make cool things. ;)

I quenched them in slow commercial quench oil.  One of them cracked when I took it out of the oil after five minutes and cooled it the rest of the way with water.

You did it backwards... use the faster quenchant until material is just above Ms, then use the slower one.

So after about half of it got quenched, I ran down to the canal in my back yard and plunged it in for the finale. 

You did it backwards... use the faster quenchant until material is just above Ms, then use the slower one.

Look up in your Heat Treating Book. If you don't have one, you should.

Neil gets it. "The truth is out there..."

Has anyone bothered to look up the definition of "definition?"

Looks a bit like a gladius. Nice work.

You barbecue rathelos or fry it?

Nuge, there's a word for the kind of thing you've done. "Awesome!"

Dodge, his 0.4571 is circumference rather than diameter. ;)

Five gallons would run a little over a grand (USD) excluding shipping. Might as well spring for the PPE as well.

Let us know how it turns out. ;)

From an old article by S. L. Semiatin and G. D. Lahoti:

"...the simplest kind of forging opreration, which is known as upsetting from an old usage of "upset" in the sense of "beat back."

It is a pity that any newcomer to this site has NO xxxxxxxx WAY of knowing about the so-called "sticky" threads. There is no "read this first" button on any of the pages. There is nothing in the terms of use (the link for which is buried at the bottom of the main page) about looking for any "sticky" threads. Ther are, in fact no threads on this website labled "sticky." (They're labled "pinned.")

It is a pity that folk would rather brow-beat newcomers (who may be of ANY age or background) for not having read this well-hidden resources.

It is a true and crying SHAME that folk brow-beat newcomers to this website instead of simply copying and pasting the links to said threads. Copying and pasting links to said threads takes LESS of one's precious shop time than brow-beating the newcomers.

I've had my rant now. Ban me if it makes you feel better.

According to page four of the manual (http://www.ka75.com/KA75_manual.pdf) the 8" thick block is not specified. You need half a cubic yard under the thing. (That's a bit under half a cubic meter for those using French measurement.) Your other option is a reinforced 8" thick floor. (Floor, not block.)

I can't see center-punch marks or the like above a red, but can make out shapes pretty well at orange or below. I also can't tell the difference between orange and yellow temperatures by color. I go by how bright it looks. (I control my ambient lighting.)

My vision is corrected to about 20/25 or so by my prescription safety glasses. (I've read that "normal" is better than 20/20.)

A bar of pure graphite is the crem-de-la-crem for making an EDM electrode. Did he by any chance have a few gallons of glycol and some electronic bits lying around as well?

"Anode" means"positive." "Cathode" means"negative." :)

There's more to a knife than the steel (although the steel is quite important), and Bo Bergman's Knifemaking: A Complete Guide to Crafting Knives, Handles & Sheaths picks up where a lot of knife-making books leave off. His instructions are very clear (even though they've been translated into English) and he offers up many skills to practice.

My wife and I have been experimenting with some stuff called "Walker Wax." It's food safe. (It's billed as "edible," but we've not tried that yet.) Biggest thing we've tried it on is a machete, but so far so good.

Also, IIRC, there was a mix-it-yourself recipe for a RenWax knock-off in one of the old Hammer's Blow issues. I'll see if I can dig it out later this week.

Everything in a blacksmith shop is either heavy or sharp or hot. Most things in a blacksmith shop are at least two of those.

If the Earth and your work are trying to get a closer look at each other, it is best to LET THEM.

Aint't but one way to find the answer to your question: Get some brine and some ice and...

Steve, for some reason the links you refer to are not showing up in your post.


These are the ones Steve probably meant to include in his post:

http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/31783-zinc-stickies-and-references/

http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/28262-be-careful-forging-in-this-heat/

http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/24546-how-loud-is-too-loud/

http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/12927-brake-cleaner-phosgene-article/

http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/2007-safety-information/

Saign does armor: http://www.saignc.com/Armor/Armor.html

 Lots of other stuff too. And he gives a darn good demonstration. ;)

I see no need to apologize a secon time. Rant more if you feel the need, Steve.

Some of us do indeed thingk quite highly of ourselves. Survey of folk in my day job shows 50% of us think we're in the top 10% of our trade. :D  (I have the same day job as Steve.)

I was advised via PM re what happened in chat. (Otherwise I'd wonder what the heck Steve was rambing on about.) I still think it is a bad idea in general to jump on newbies as I have so often seen done here. In this specific instance the exhibited behavior seems to be in-line after all.

Sorry about anybody's toes.

Geez, guys! How 'bout we all go jump on the newbie? No wonder this site has such a bad rep.

Abyss, welcome to the IFI site! Current example aside, you can usually find good advice and friendly help here. Usually.

For your current blade, try iced brine. Or you could look up "Rob Gunter's Super Quench" online. You'll probably have to substitute some of the soaps, which may not be available in your area. Another option would be to use some type of case-hardening compound, but you would need to sharpen it "Indian style" thereafter.

For your next knife, do try to scrounge some automotive spring or other good source of high-carbon steel. Keep working at it, and don't let any burned out old crumudgeons discourage you from working toward success!

Make a second drift of identical size. Forge this second drift round and measure it.