billyO

I, too, like the irregular finish. Care to give info on how it was achieved? Or is it just hammer blows that are polished?

Thanks all! All the handles are spalted big leaf maple from my property stabilized by K&G. Well, there's some ebony on a few as well. The boning knife is an outer piece of a burl that another maker and I made a form and he cast some blue acraglass(? I think that's what it's called. basically the stuff that bowling balls are made of) to make a block. Regarding the cheese knives, you're correct, they are laminated/3 layers (a piece of O1 with a piece of 15N20 on each side.)

Hello all. I hope the spring is treating you all well. It's been a while since I've been online, but that's allowed me a bit of time in the shop. Here's some of my recent completions. Like the title says, comments and critiques are always welcome. Hunter/skinner in 1095/15N20 Boning Knife - 1095/15N20 2 cheese knives the 2nd with a custom made middle pin - O1/15N20 Feather pattern veggie slicer 1080/15N20 Carving Knife with one of my dog paw pins - O1/15N20 Kitchen Tanto 1095/15N20 This one is wicked sharp! (The handle has been slimmed down towards the front since the pics were taken.) Have fun everyone. as always peace and love billyO

Another thing you can do to help keep tempering temps more consistent is to increase the thermal mass of the oven. When I'm tempering blades, I try to do 3-5 at a time to minimize my electric bill. This means opening the oven a number of times as I heat and quench each blade, then walk from the shop to the kitchen. What I've don is to put 10-12 pieces of steel ranging from 1/2" thick angle iron, 1" thick pieces of 4x4s and a few blocks ~ 3x3x4. The last time I tempered some blades I opened the stove a few times and checking the temp with my laser temp gun, it never varied more than 10-15 degrees. On a related note, if I have any warpage after the quench, I clamp the blade between thick pieces of angle iron and this not only adds to the thermal mass, but usually takes care of the warp in the first tempering cycle. ~billyO

Like I said, I've heard the short handle comment before, once by an ABS master smith, and when he picked it up, he said (in what I heard as a surprised voice) that it felt really good and functional in his hand. I think it's the rounded back part of the handle that fits between the thenar and hypothenar muscles of the palm (sorry, my physical therapy background sneaking in there) The back of the midpalmar crease.

Thanks for all the replies. The depth of the blade is to avoid my big knuckles from hitting the cutting board. As far as handle length, this isn't the first time I've heard that, but it seems to be more of an aesthetic (ie, personal) rather than functional choice. Don't worry, the O1 is the center. ~billyO

Hello all. Here's my latest completion, a 5 layer wabocho (O1, 15N20, mild steel) with more scales of spalted maple off my property stabilized by K&G. Blade length 7", OAL 11" Comments/critiques always welcome. as always peace and love billyO

No need, the oxides from the acid etch will prevent rusting. Anyway you'd get rid of that when you sanded the oxides off the 15N20 to get the pattern. as always peace and love billyO

After etching in the acid, neutralize in boiling baking soda, then wait until the next day to clean/polish it. as always peace and love billyO

Ahhh, I see what you mean, and yes, it is just the shadow of the photo, from a minor but from not being sharpened yet..

They are both 6 1/2" overall with 3 1/2" blades. Also, both are spalted maple stabilized by K&G (I died a few red and blue as a trial. I'm not sure if I'll do that again.) from my property that had a big burl on it. I still have about 300 blocks left, so I think all of my knives in the future will have maple handles (I have another 3' burl on another tree a bit further back on my property that I'm hoping to cut down soon, so I should be set up for life with extras to sell at some blade shows.) Are you talking about the top one? I dropped that one and broke the tip off and was planning on fixing that when I grind/sharpen the edge...

Hello all. It's been a while since I've been able to do any forging, but here's 2 paring knives that I made from scraps of prior billets. The top one is O1/15N20 and the other one is 1080/15N20. It looks like I've got a little more sanding to do on the top one. Any critiques are welcome. as always peace and love ~billyO

Hello all. Here's my latest, inspired by pascalou.

I'll second checking out and joining the NWBA, Northwest Blacksmith Association (blacksmith.org). As the mentoring center coordinator, I can tell you that this weekend is our annual spring conference, and Dave Lisch, MS is one of the main demonstrators. Also, in October, we're having a mini-conference and swap meet (Swaptoberfest, if I'm not mistaken) and we're going to have a billet making demonstration with 6 members being able to participate and take home their own welded billet. I also know that some of the members on the east side of the state have their own "mini conferences" or hammer-ins a few times a year.

I'll second the lumber mill blades. If you have a mill close by, call or stop by and get in contact with the saw sharpener and tell him what you're looking for and why. When I did that, I got about 30 feet of 10" wide blade scraps. I'm fortunate enough to live in the PNW where logging and milling lumber is a big part of the economy, and the mill gives me as many pieces of their broken band saws as I want. I did give the head saw sharpener a Damascus blade as thanks, so that may have helped....

Good to see some of your work in SharpbyCoop's photos.

I like it, Theo! I can see a much more expensive version of a pattern welded billet forged into blade then use the part that would have been the tang to form the handle outline ending up as the finger guard.

Here are the finished gifts. Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season. ~billyO

Thanks! Been having fun with pattern welding lately. Pulling the blade out of the etch gives me the feeling just like unwrapping presents as a kid.

Love the blade, but IMO (which isn't much, I realize) all the other bling distracts me from the blade. But a very nice set-up, nonetheless.

Trying to get ready for Christmas, spent yesterday heat treating (including straightening during the tempering) and today grinding and etching.... I keep trying things outside my comfort zone with the two on the right including an integral bolster and one fully Damascus knife, not sure I'll do that again.... Most of these are 1084/15N20, except for the 2 bottom ones which are 1095/15N20.

Hello all, Here's pics of my recently finished knives. Comments/critiques are always welcome. First is 9" blade of ~ 384 layers of 1095/15N20 with a crosshatch pattern. Handle is ebony and stabilized spalted maple burl from a tree off my property. 5" blade of ~240 layers 1084/15N20 with holes drilled into the blank. Handle is spalted maple from the same tree. 8 1/2" blade with ~240 layers 1084/15N20 with random grooves ground into the blank. Handle is again, ebony and maple from the same tree. Thanks for the critiques....

Hello all. Sorry for the late reply, but for some reason, I have been unable to access IForgeIron for the past couple of months. I found out that these were not cracks, but rather etch lines from not having a deep enough container for my ferric chloride (which has since been replaced). I re-sanded and re-etched no lines Here's a pic of the bottom one with a handle. This will be the last time (for a while at least) that I try the finger swells and definitely will be making sure I don't drop the handle as much.

Thanks again, all. littleblacksmith, here ya go with the basics, make sure to do the pinky side first:

Thanks for the comments and suggestions, all. You are too kind. I had so much fun dong it that I'm planning on a couple variations for my brother... I suggested the felt to the owner, but she declined. I wouldn't be surprised if the next time I go there, I find that she uses something, my guess is a small piece of cloth.