johnptc

i am not an expert but i vote for iron ore.......... meteorites usually( ime limited) have holes burned in the surface

thanks to you both......... any specific refractory recommendations. i would prefer to build for the long haul....5+ years thanks !!

i am using a coke forge made of firebricks............pretty bullet proof. i would like to get a gas fired forge......most seem to be insulated with insulwood or other refractory blanket materials.... or itc100 coated. i heard that these forges require regular relining maybe after every 20 billets of pattern welded steel ........... is this the case ??? or what is your experience ?? what about a gas forge made of firebrick.......?? hard to make it round. comments please

lot of info on this topic but the basics are two pieces of clean metal i like to weld one end but others wire them face to face heat up and before they scale sprinkle with flux heat to welding heat ....flux should be bubbling remove and IMMEDIATELY hammer together lightly with overlapping blows you should feel the metal come together then hammer harder. ((((()))))))

you have all our thoughts and prayers from the left coast.......hoping for a speedy resolution !!! john

you have two choices you could forge the blade or you can grind it from a piece of flat stock. does gp have a forge ???

in the green box its all borax and can be used as an additive to soap :)

what tools do you have to work with ???

pure borax the chemical not 'borax soap" usually applied when the metal is red hot then returned to the heat until welding temp

what tools you you have access to ???

a 15 kilowatt unit will work nicely for a bladesmith

no the first hammer blows need to be 'just enough' you can feel the metal stick..........using overlapping blows weld the billet together. then you can pound as hard as you want :)

it is really a differential heat treat........the hamon is created at the time of quench. the tempering only makes the hamon fade a little i am not sure where the term temper line came from.......:confused::confused:

thanks steve :)

knives are better in the winter when they are cooler ???

often called a temper line but its not. it is usually the result of a differential heat treat by covering the spine and part of the blade with mud prior to heat treat. the line shows up between the hard martensite edge and the pearlite formed in the mud covered area which does not quench quickly enough to become martensite. see http://www.waltersorrells.com/blades/gallery.htm for pics

steve howdid you break it into pieces ???

Must be boric acid that kills cockroaches.............opps !!!

amen and thanks for speaking up

how about sanmai for this one ???

what size were the chunks of Campo Del Cielo Meteorite ???

yes like the three bears you want it just right, none the less a popular steel for bladesmiths

McMaster-Carr http://www.mcmaster.com/#6552k51/=1lbnnn

i own and just exchange them with airgas. 2 lg oxygen 2 med oxygen 1 xl acetylene 1 med acetylene 3 lg argon 2 large stainmix (mig) 1 lg hi pressure nitrogen over the years of use its a huge savings to own them...airgas exchanges them so i always have different bottles and they are never out of date. :)

nice.........my background is in physical acoustics :cool::cool: my favorite trick was to light cotton on fire with sound !!