metal99

A heal with a sore foot maybe lol

I highly doubt that I would be able to teach you anything lol. Thank you for the invite I think it would be a blast.

I have 1084 and 15n20 :) that would be awesome Mark. I could leave early in the morning and be able to spend a good day out there. Just let me know what it would be worth to you.

To bad your so far away! I would love to come see this done in person.

That's bigger then I thought it was lol. The next time you make one you should try hardening it. I noticed that the damascus I have etched differently when it was hardened. I know you just used mild steel but the 15n20 should give it enough carbon to make a difference. When I played around with it I got better a defined pattern with the hardened stuff. I don't know of it was from it being harder or just having finer grain.

I figured that it was bocote. Sure has a different smell when worked doesn't it?

That's pretty cool Mark aproxamatly how big is it?

Very nice work man. I like the handle materials you chose for them. Is the wood on the first picture bocote or wenge?

I like the look its nice.

I can't believe the prices some of these people are asking for these things! It's insane!!! I talked to this guy and he still wants 2$ a pound for these two. He got mad when I made him an offer lol 2 LARGE BLACKSMITH ANVIL'S FOR SALE on Kijiji http://saskatoon.kijiji.ca/c-ViewAd?AdId=428303541

Awesome deal! I should run that by my dad and remind him of all the help I have given him lol. Actually he's already good enough to me I can't ask for more. That's one of the nicest anvils I have seen!

That's really nice work. How did you texture the guard?

That's really nice and I bet it slices like a dream! What did you etch the blade with?

Bedliner handles hey that's pretty cool actually. Nice looking knife man I like it.

When it comes to tempering it really doesn't matter if you let them cool naturally or quench it. Your tempering temps are no where near hot enough to cause you problems with a quench. I let mine air cool but it really doesn't matter. If quenching after tempering ever did cause a problem then that problem was already in the steel, like a small crack from the hardening quench or forging to cold. Just my thoughts on this. I am still a nube lol

Cool :) I'm pretty new to forging knives but I do have a good "love hate" relationship with 1095. It took me a while to nail the heat treat and I still ended up losing a few blades. Have you had your blades hardness tested? I had some of my test pieces tested and I got the best results out of water quenching but I don't have any commercial quench oils so my tests were with ATF (I knew from the get go that it wouldn't cool it fast enough) canola oil and water. I didn't try brine because water was being mean enough to my blades lol.

I would stay away from HSS steel for a number of reasons. From the little I have read about HSS it's not worth the trouble to try and make a blade from it. High speed steel is alloyed to stay hard when hot hence the "high speed" part. Drill bits are HSS and the way they are heat treated they are barely hard enough to make a good blade but they stay hard at a higher temp then normal "boring" steel. Another steel you mentioned was a "very high carbon steel" when it comes to knife making on a realistic level anything over 0.6% carbon is getting high enough. I would say in the knife making world 1095 would be your "very high carbon steel" and it won't give you a much better blade then 1084 or 1075. There's a point that carbon content doesn't matter any more as far as blade performance goes. A properly heat treated 1084, 1095, 5160 blade (any lots more) will out perform almost any of the "super steels" as far as toughness and cutting go. The only things that the other steels have going for them are a little better abrasion resistance and of course the corrosion factor. Some of the "best" Japanese blades out there are simple "high carbon steel" I have been a knife but since I was a child and I always wanted the "best blades" I could get. I've owned a lot of knives from the cheapest to some very pricy blades. One thing to think about is this. A company like say spyderco has to warranty their stuff. The steels they use are very good BUT they are simply not the best because of the warranty factor. They are not going to sell a product designed to have the ultimate in edge retention because it would be brittle. Make some "boring" carbon steel blades and heat treat them properly you will be amazed. A well made hand made knife will (in my books) always perform very well. Why do you want a rc68 hardness?

Besides some finishing work which could still be done, your first knife looks great! I really like the lines on your bowie and the sheath looks just fine. Once you make more they will definatly get better.

Great videos Matthew, would love to see some more. What kind of steel did you use for the drifter? How thick was the stock? And one more question, what do you use for a quench oil? Sorry for all the questions.

That's a pretty nice knife man. Did you do anything to the guard to prevent rust?

I like that knife. It flows very well. I might have to try something like that next summer when it warms up.

Thanks again for the kind replies everyone. Mark, this one was sold the day I drew it on paper. My friend is giving it to his dad for Christmas. It will have a new home in Newfoundland. I can't believe how fast this is happening. I only dreamt about being able to sell my knives. I have thirteen more ordered and five on the go they are all sold.

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

Hmm I have a 98# Trenton and any size hammer I want so maybe I will try out a larger billet. I have three forges all coal and different sizes so the heat shouldn't be a problem. I just assumed anything "large" should be done on "large" tools lol.

Thanks everyone! I can't wait to start my pattern welding journey. I just wish I had some bigger tools so I could actually make a big enough billet for a knife.