markb

Rich, You are a big help to me in learning to learn the basics, at your suggestion, chose one steel to learn, make a template and recreate it, TAKE NOTES, practice, etc. you've made me realize the importance of being meathodical.
With the electrical trade I can approch a job look at it, and chose any number of ways to do it and to a large extent have stopped learning.

With steel I want, almost expect, that freedom, but don't have the knowledge experience yet.
Thanks for your continued support.

Thomas, Appling what I read and making mistakes is essential to learning and I have a hard time accepting mistakes, I should say the fear of making mistakes makes me hesitant. I can accept them.

Ecart, Thanks for that referance

Hope this isn't all too personal, just helps to get feed back in finding my way.

Thanks Mark

Reminds me of the '60's

Seriously that is amazing. Looks like you're well on your way.

Leaf blower and router spd. control!! :cool: way to go!

Forge On.

Thanks Robert and Glenn
This helps in my understanding. One thing I've realized is that my ability and need to understand this complex subject has a limit.
I'm trying to find the limit and I'm close, I think, and rethink, read and reread.

I find contradictions in all the sources I research which raises questions.
I think a lot of it is learning to learn.

Mark

You've developed a style all your own, I like the clip point in your blades.

The first one looks like it has a deep hollow grind near the plunge then flattens out closer to the point, if so could you describe how you do it.

Thanks Mark

This is related to my "Forging and strength" thread.

I started reading studying metallurgy as related to bladesmithing in the "80's.
and have been mostly off until recently, I'm a slow learner, so bear with me.

I remember somewhere along the line that lightly hammering the edge at a dull red would refine the grain (aus forging?) Actually I forgot this until recently when I read from a forum that the heat treat erased any grain refinement at the dull read stage.

That's what prompted the F and S thread.

My knowledge of this edge packing aus forging is very vague, I searched first.

So is there such a thing as aus forging?

Edge packing?

Mark

I thought that forging metal aligned the grain to conform to the shape of the object and adding strength to the piece?

Soon as you heat treat this alignment is gone?

If this correct the only advantage to forging is the ability to shape the knife.( it's fun too)

:confused: Mark

Has a real elegant look, very good.

This bayonet has been around here for a long time don't know anything about it. Didn't know about this blade style more pics in the gallery.

This from the book -"Quenching and Martempering" american society for metals

" Water at a temp. of 55-75 F. will provide uniform quenching speed and reproducable results. As indicated in fig. 6, the surface cooling power of water decreases rapidly as water temp. increases. ( a graff shows cooling power percent X water temp. At 40-80F. cooling power is 90% from 80F. to 120F. it dives to 20% and less to 212F.)

It goes on to say "Hot water has a low cooling power because, as the boiling point is approched, the cooling action resembles that of steam. What Steve said.

AlsoThree stages of cooling

A. "vapor blanket cooling stage""
is charactorized by the Leidenfrost phenomenon- the formation of an unbroken vapor blanket that surrounds the piece. This stage is one of slow cooling.

B. the "vapor transport cooling stage" which produces the the highest rates of heat transfer, begins when the temp. of the surface metal has been reduced somewhat and the continuos vapor film collapses; violent boiling of the quench then occurs and heat is removed from the metal at a very rapid rate, largly as heat of vaporization.

C. the "liquid cooling stage": the cooling rate in this stage is slower than in stage B. Stage C begins when the temp. of the metal surface is reduced to the boiling point of the quenching liquid.

Hope this is helpful.
Mark

I'm thinking of buying drill bit sets but would like to know if there is a prefered system, fractional, letter, number , metric.
Or a combination.

My use is general shop, and knives ,clearance holes for pins, thong holes.

Metric sounds like it would provide the most logical step arrangement but I have no machine shop experience so just a guess. The letter-number system seems confusing, and the fractional bits seem to take large steps.

Maybe a combination of systems or just have all?

Steve
When you mention rolling the grain, I imagine the surface of the steel looking like carpet fibers. With the grinding belts laying them down and the stones leaving them more upright and open.

Is this correct?

Maybe it's this one, I just called the guy and someone is looking at it right now.
Blacksmith 25 # Little Giant Power Hammer

I've been setting up shop for knife making and got my grinders lined up.

The home-job I built in the early '80's had just learned to stick weld, I was going to put a rubber tire on the oak wheel but , somehow got side tracked, never did produce a blade but put a belt on today and just may get a decent wheel for it.


More pics in the gallery.
I used that monster Sears buzz-box in the corrner circa'40s or '50s They don't make'em like they used to.

Mark

Great job.

Thanks Dr. Jim
This has been puzzling me for quite some time. I've not seen any modern makers using this method.
I just found this pic. that shows the tapered tang
http://www.oregonknifeclub.org/Newsletter%200612.pdf
Mark

I can't figure out how this guard was placed on this knife.
San Francisco Knives - Price #1528

I would like to add my way of getting quick, reasonably good pictures.

#1 use a tripod
#2 set your camera to museum (this disables the flash) and uses available light.
#3 use zoom to focus on subject
#4 experiment with lighting
#5 use close-up setting

I feel for you Frosty, we just lost one to a corn cob, dog ate it ,got stuck and died over night at the vets. I didn't think my wife would recover. Buried him out side our bed room window, so he'd be close.

Thanks Sam, Frosty, Irnsrgn

She's a keeper (The Wife) stand too.
Taking her to breakfast today. Oh, she does keep some things for her self, things I find for myself, but more than makes up for it w/finds like this.
Thanks for looking.
Mark

My wife went garage sales today( her birthday) and brought me home this knife vise stand.

Make a meatloaf.

Maybe use the unknown steel for the guard and butt cap or handle on the FS.

Use your own magic for the blade.

Also the unknown could be used in a plaque or part of sheath ,display, box etc.

I like Fairbain-Sykes then Ka-Bar is US origin, and maybe more pactical if it's a user..

Sounds pretty exciting to me,maybe kydex sheath.

What kind of finish?
Bare metal ,patina with age?

I assume it's in a park? Able to touch and feel.

I love the simple shape although i doubt it was easy to create, a beautiful piece.

Please tell us more about it.

Mark

I have a soft brick or maybe cast refractory, very soft. Replaced the door with ceramic wool.

Good tip. I have several 3/4" X4"x6" plates I use to heat the anvil.

Thanks everyone for all the help.

Mark