JHCC

Again, very little shop time, but I did get the blade on the Bowie cleaned up, the rivet holes drilled, and the false edge ground. The O is looking more KS every day. I think we’re ready for heat treat.

Okay, let’s try this again. Did you read THIS POST: Did you do a search of IFI for threads on heat-treating O1? https://www.google.com/search?q=iforgeiron.com+heat+treat+O-1&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari What SPECIFIC questions do you have about heat-treating O-1? Have you ever worked with it before? Have you made blades before? Have you made a sword before? What kind of equipment do you have? Etc, etc, etc. Please understand that people here WANT to help you, but you have to do your part (that is, by giving good background, asking specific questions, and not expecting to be spoonfed information that’s already been discussed) first.

Just picked this hunk of bar up from the side of the road. About 1/2” x 2-1/2” x 28”. Despite the location, it doesn’t look like leaf spring, so I’ll try a spark test when I get it home.

Have you read the pinned thread at the top of this section? Have you done a site search for threads on heat-treating O1? What questions do you have that those threads didn’t answer?

Save the shavings; they’re great for starting the fire in solid-fuel forges.

Good tip, Das. Didn’t have much shop time today, but I did get in some filing on the blank for the small Bowie knife: Also added some leather uppers to the pair of steel toes I picked up at the industrial surplus place. Classy, right?

Automotive adventures aside, the grinding discs were the real prize: at five bucks for fifty-nine of them, that’s less than 10 cents each!

Just make sure that the grain is dead straight.

Lisa and I have agreed that the van is now officially no longer a people mover. The side doors don't work, and I'm considering taking out the back seats to give me some more room for straw bales and the like.

I need to get new guides for that.

They had some other stuff that they needed to check with the ironworkers to see if it was actually scrap. Getting that to fit may be a challenge, but the ~15' lengths of 3x3 angle iron sure would come in handy!

Worth a try. There are some holes on the tops, so I’m going to experiment with attaching some leather covers. If I can wear them safely over sneakers, that will be more comfortable than heavy boots.

Also stopped by the college’s latest construction project to see if they had any scrap steel. When one guy looks at the other, laughs, and says “Give him that big piece of steel!”, be afraid.

Although this doesn't work so well with anthracite, which needs a constant blast to keep from going out entirely.

The industrial surplus place was having a sale, so I grabbed a nice Wilton vise, a pair of steel toes, and a box of about 60 grinding discs (originally 9”, now worn down small enough to fit in my 7” angle grinder), all for $48.60.

Finally got around to weighing it, and it’s 122 pounds. The chains add another 43. I’m thinking of adding some shelving or racking underneath to hold the tooling that fits its hardy hole.

Present company included.

Well, my using the opening stanza of Homer’s Iliad as a lullaby seems to have influenced my daughter’s decision to major in Classics. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad, is open to debate.

Here’s my daughter trying out nailmaking, by the way:

We don't steal ideas -- we steel them!

If only I still lived in NYC!

When steel is heated to tempering colors (between 390°F/199°C and 575°F/302°C), the surface oxidizes and produces colors on a spectrum from straw to brown to purple to blue. At any point in the grinding, did the steel change color and run through that spectrum? If so, you affected the temper; if not, you probably didn't. The shapes of your face and peen look good. Sanding the sides was unnecessary, but if you prefer that look to the previous patina and wear, that's certainly a valid choice.

It is humbling sometimes to realize the limits of how much one can and cannot do as a parent. My daughter had a horrible time in middle and high schools (including but not limited to some horrible bullying that the schools refused to even acknowledge, let alone address), but as bad as that was, it has been amazing to see how she has seized the reins of her life since she went off to college. Should have known that you couldn't keep someone born in a New York City taxicab down forever!

Those are some lovely anvil tools, Hans. Don't worry about being jealous of our projects: we're jealous of yours! (Although it should be noted that one of the nice things about IFI is how readily jealousy becomes inspiration.)