Chuck Richards

for those unable to find the link here it is http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f14/metallurgy-steel-bladesmiths-1896/

Here is one http://www.dfoggknives.com/PDF/Practical_Data_Handbook.pdf. There is also a very good reference available at the top of this forum. Just email the poster and he will emai you the PDF file. It is very long but worth the read.

????What the heck was that???? Very interesting view of, i guess, metallurgy. Let's go align some martensite.

Nickle will weld up really nice to HC as stated above. Just be really careful to keep the pieces clean. Remove all the mill scale from the 1095 and have nice bright finish. Grind the piece so the scratches are perpendicular to the stock. This helps the flux penetrate and also allows for an easier escape when welding. Keep it hot and work fast and you should have great success. Have fun.

Pure Nickle is getting pretty expensive and most scrap yards are selling it as fast as they get it in. The last place I was able to find some was thru Kelly Couples. Admiral steel was also selling a couple of different thicknesses. Be prepared to spend $50-$100/ pound though. If you find it cheaper please let me know.

If you can weld 12-25mm thick stock you will have no problem building a forging press. There are several plans available on line. Don Fogg sells a book that is used widely in the knife community, here is his website Don Fogg Custom Knives.

Good Job. I've tried to make a couple of sets but they did not turn out. I want to try again someday. Need to get caught up though.

While growing up I heard "how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if......" So many times I hated it. So I made good use of it and thus the name Woodchuck Forge was born.

Here is an example of San Mai, The outer layer is a combination of steels and nickle. Since nickle is not good to put on the edge I used it as an outer layer with a 1095 core. Some others are using 410SS for an outer layer and getting great results.

Well JP is the guru of the forge. His books are also very worthwhile to read and reference. "The Complete Bladesmith" "The Master Bladesmith" and "The Pattern Welded Blade", Still looking forward to #4. i can get my cable to stick really easy but the voids are were I run into problems. Getting it to weld up with no flaws is difficult for me. My very first cable blade was very solid, no flaws that I could see. But then it took me another 6 months to repeat it. like someone said, Practice Practice Practice.

kumura, First let me say Welcome to IFORGEIRON. It is a great site and we can all learn a lot from each other. You are correct in saying that most Japanese Smiths have a well developed forging technique. However like Sam pointed out there are good knives and bad knives in both the west and east. Many of us have practiced the craft for over a decade and have tested our product in the shop and field. I have sold many of my knives to customers in Japan and many other areas around the world. I would like to learn as much as possible from every person i meet. I love to study the diverse methods used by all cultures and apply those that will suit my process and make my product better. Thank you for joining our little forum and I look forward to interchanges in the future. Regards

Have you tried any other forge welding yet?? Cable and chain are much harder to do than straight damascus. If you have some experience in forge welding and are comfortable with your fire control then I would recommend getting Wayne Goddards tape on making a cable knife. He describes in detail the process he uses to make cable Damascus. He twist welds several pieces and forms a billet from that. Stacking 5 or more pieces in a bundle. Welds the ends and welds on a handle. Heats the whole mess up to welding temp then presses it together. Heat and repeat. He like to get a lot of cross section reduction to remove the voids that are inherent in the cable and chain welding. It can be done in the single strand method and I used to doit that way. but my success to failure rate was way too low. I have now gone to doing 99% of my damascus (cable and all) dry or in a can. It provides a much cleaner weld and I have a much higher success rate. Good Luck and get some good steel cable, no galvi or non steel center strand material. Make sure it is extra improved plow steel. And no SS it is almost always 300 series and will not make a good knife.

Some do some don't. It is a matter of preference and how you do your HT. If you do harden it then at least to a blue color draw on it to soften it back to a spring temper.

I have used coal, coke, charcoal, and propane. All will scale and can damage the steel. The first thing my Blacksmithing instructor told me about was fire control. All need to have the proper fire to prevent excess scale and even burning. I use a propane forge exclusively now and have no problem with decarb, even after hours of forging damascus billets.

SteamLemming, It might be good to look up a blacksmith in your area, Tom Dudkowski might be a good one or give me a call. I am not a blacksmith but I am a knifesmith.

Looks good. 1095 has no nickle in it but the 5160 has a touch of chromium so this is what would give you the bright areas in the billet. Did you drift the eye or free form it?

Why not forge to shape?? At least profile them in the forge. That is the big advantage to having a forge. If you are just wanting to do stock removal then heat straighten, normalize (heat to non mag then cool in air) x2 or 3 then grind away.

The convex idea is a good one. One class i took we did the same. One thing when you begin to draw the billet make sure it is done at welding temps. This will help keep it together. It will burn up more fuel but it is better than breaking the billet apart. Keep on trying. You'll get there.

What kind of charcoal are you using??

EV, You might be able to reweld but as mentioned above it might not be worth the time or charcoal. The problem with welding in a solid fuel forge is they are very dirty. I can be done and is on a regular basis. Charcoal is cleaner than coal but it burns up rapidly. A smaller billet to start would be advantageous. Good Luck

Chain is the hardest of the pattern welded billets to do. All the voids are cold shuts and inclusions waiting to happen. I agree with Steve it is overrated. If you do it in a box with powder it comes out fantastic. Very interesting patterns. But for a beginner chain or cable should be done later. Practice your welding and do a simple flat damascus first to build your confidence.

I have heard of some attempts but have not seen any real success. The most you can really expect is the faint line you described. However..... Give it a try and let us know how it turns out. You never know it may be the first....

I have the 11th edition of the machinery's handbook. It has plans and specs for hammer foundations. That one will be pretty substantial. If you are still looking I can dig it out and give you the secs. OH WOW. This is an old thread.....

Not a problem. You can apply this to any of your found steels. I would just do the test before you did any major work just to be safe. Have Fun

Archiphile The brine I have used in the past was water and rock salt. Mix in the salt until a potato floats. This is the recipe that is in JPH's book.