dps9999

hey guys quick question i have decided to start reading some more wich was sugested in another post and it was also mentioned that there is a list of some good books to look for somewhere on the bladesmithing part of this forum i cant find it can any one tell me where this list is??

thanks guys....biggundoctor...usually what i do is turn the forge on fairly high to start just so i can heat up scrap metal to dip in the oil to warm it up usually takes 3 heats of this bar i use to heat the oil. then i knock the flame down to just before the burner starts sputtering off and at that point i have been placing the pipe in the forge and letting the pipe heat up and everything kinda level off then finally put the blade in the pipe and turn the burner up just a lil if needed usually it dont need much.......i actully just tried this again since i made this post and those holes i swaid i had drilled in the end cap for the pipe well i just welded a plate over to cover up the hole and tried putting the blade in the pipe so the tip was at the closed end and it did help still a lil uneven but better than before. i think maybe playing with the fire bricks i use to back the end of the forge and lettiing more or less heat escape by the position of the bricks might help alot of trial and error i guess........thanks for the advice guys

Hey guys. First let me say i have done some searches on this topic both on the web and on this forum. I found a lil but not much so if this is a question that has been answered please point me in the right direction. Ok that being said I am still new to heat treating in my propane forge. I have done much destructive and real world testing and i finally got it to where it is acceptable to me of corse i will always try to keep improving. How ever a problem that i still have is getting a even heat on the blade. I started grinding the blade and MOST of the bevel's but not all then heat treat then finish the bevels after. So then i started only profiling the knife and not doing any of the bevels until after the heat treat to try and help with the uneven heating. It helped but still the tip of the blade still heats faster (wich makes sense). Ok so the searching i did basiclly kept coming up with putting the blade inside of a pipe and placing the whole pipe in the forge. So i did that again it helped but that tip still gets hotter. Then i read about capping the end of the pipe and drill a couple holes in the cap. I welded a piece of plate on one end and drilled 3 small 1/8 holes in it and one 1/4 hole in the middle of the cap. Again it still did not make much difference from when the pipe was uncapped. I also read that you can cap one end with no holes. I have not tried to cover up the holes i drilled mainly because the holes are so few and small i dont think it will make much difference ( i could be wrong AGAIN). But i was curious as to how all of you guys tackle this problem? Does any one use the pipe? Are there any other tricks or tips anyone has? If anyone has some advice i would appreciate it THANKS ahead of time i am sure some one will help as always. Again if this question has been answered some where i would really appreciate it if some one can point me in the right direction.

thanks frosty trust me you wont discourage me. i completely understand your point of view i dont like answering repete questions in daily life and someone like you and a select few out there that even from my limited time i have been on this forum i can see some people (you being one) seem to be very active in the forum community and helping when you can i am sure even the questions you have answered hundreds of times they probily have been asked thousands of times over the years i get its probily tireing. I really hope you dont think i am not willing to put in the work if i was that type of person i wouldnt have this hobby i would just buy things. I did search for a while on this subject and didnt come up with many answers or no i didnt come up with many answers that seemed reliable and from a reliable source. but as you stated my first problem would be looking for "blacksmith goop" but much of the reading and videos i have seen that is what its been called even when the recipie is completly diffrent from one person to another. i will take your advice as to reading on the forum until i come up with another name to search for. again i really hope you dont think i just want some one to tell me step by step how to do everything that cannot be further from the truth. since i have picked up this hobby it has focused on knife making but i would also like to learn the bigger picture of what a blacksmith can do. and let me tell you with out the material (hours and hours) of reading i went through sugested by others on forums and the select few i was talking about i would be lost i think in 6 months i have come farther than i could have in years with out this info so i do appreciate what you and others do in helping people......if you know of any reliable sources (besides reading the forum wich i do anyway) any published stuff or anything like that i would appreciate the point in the right direction and ill go from there as i said your right gota find a better word than goop to describe this stuff ausfire....thanks carnuba would be great i am going to try that. not all but most car wax is carnuba (at least the good stuff) and i have a ton of it so that would be perfect. didnt even think about that tho...try it tomorow and see how it works out thanks again for the help and your right searching through everything for hours is hard deffinite information overload forgetting where you read what and you start combing memories of completly diffrent sources its a pain sometimes

ok thanks i did do a search in one part of the forum seacrch was for recipie for blacksmith goop .....didnt find all that much ill look again Perhaps if you looked at the alchemy section, were I will relocate this lost post to.....

Hey guys i had another post a while back where this subject was touched on. However no one really got into the details. what i want to do is finish a project so its has that semi shiny black "forged" look to it. so "blacksmith goop" seems the way to go but i am curious as to what everyone's recipe is. I know it can contain beeswax, turpentine, linseed oil and maybe some japan drier but i haven't heard much as far as how much of each ingredient is used and how it is applied. Is it applied when the metal is hot? How hot? How "finished" does it need to be before the goop is applied example one piece of this project is a leaf i forged so being it was already heated its black so can i just heat it and apply like that or do i have to grind it down back to silver and shiny before heating and applying? What should i use to apply a rag? Steel brush? Brass brush? Thanks guys! any advice at all would really be helpful i have never applied any thing like this and i am trying to make another gift for someone important so i want it to come out good THANKS AGAIN ahead of time

the only real book i have is is the 50$ knife shop wich does not have much on heat treating but does touch on it....i have read ALOT online i try not to depend on youtube i have read alot of stickies on many forums and old post's that have gone up i have had some help from a couple knife makers online to.....i think i am getting closer the last piece of steel that i was using as test pieces bent to about 45 deg and then snaped i think the grain size is getting better it is smaller but i think it could get a lil smaller tho i am going to make another knife shaped object and try again i am deffinitly going in the right direction its been getting better hope that continues

i was thinking over heat too i am going to try again tomorow yes it has 2 sides only one has that pattern on it wich faces out when done.....i think its over heating ill try again tomorow let yat know how it turns out thanks

this piece was holtex and it has somewhat of a checerboard pattern on it just like how some carbon fiber has that pattern to it before i heated it the pattern was nice crisp and shiny after taking it out it it was very dull and hard to see that pattern not the molding

seems simple so far but there is a problem somewhere ......i start by heating the canola oil to 110-120 degrees during this it gives the forge time to heat up and stabilize. so then put the knife in and watch as soon as it changes a lil bit of color i pull it out and test with magnet if it is not yet non magnetic put it back in for 10-15 seconds. check again i do this until i get it non magnetic then put it back in for a few seconds then pull out and quench in canola oil right away. after the first 2 i thought maybe un even heating could be a problem so i added a pipe in the forge then the steel goes in the pipe....first knife i did i imdeatly tempered for 1 hour at 400 degrees...tested brass rod test then went to bend it broke with out bending at all so that has got to be too hard... second way to soft bent to 90 degrees with out breaking....after that i just started cutting pieces of steel and heat treating that with out going through the steps of makeing it into a knife first...i cut 2 lil notches on each side of the piece of steel to give it a breaking point as i was told...i have done 2 of them now with only hardening (no temper) and then breaking to see the grain both of them the grain was small (deffinitly smaller than the first knife i broke that seemed to hard) but they were not as small as the old nicholson usa files that i broke to get something to compare to and to try and emulate the file has very very small grain its xxxx near imposible to see by eye.

Hey guys i am wondering if any one can help...i have been trying to PROPERLY heat treat 1080...i have read all the facts i understand the science behind it. i have some one (also on the computer so he cant come physically show me) helping me. i made 2 knifes first one too hard second too soft then i just cut off a couple pieces of steel to heat treat to avoid spending all the time making a blade to break. wich i will do again as a test once i get it right. the problem is i cant get the grain size small enough i ruled out the tempering process by just hardening and breaking at that point without the temper. the grain is small but what i was told is to break a old nicholson usa file and that is what i want to shoot for grain size. to me by eye the file's grain size is XXXX near to non exisistent the stuff i am doing is small but not small enough to match the file. the only thing i can think is i am quenching to early or too late is there any way to know wich is wich or is it just flying blind till you achieve it one way or another......any lil tips, tricks or advice on getting the quench right would really be appreciated.. Watch your language

Hey guy's sorry if this is in the wrong spot didn't see and "sheath making" or anything like that if it goes some where else or another forum just let me know. So i got a piece of the red holtex (the one that has almost like a carbon fiber type of pattern almost like a checkerboard pattern on one side. So i went through the process and when i took it out of the foam press (homemade) it was very dull looking. Is that just how it is i have never used one with the pattern on it? is there any way to "brighten" it up? Thanks ahead of time again let me know if this belongs somewhere else.

Hey guys i haven't been on in a while (computer is acting funny) but thanks for the info there is alot of good stuff here to look into, Steve sorry i know there is alot of info out there already but i do think this is a evolving topic, new products come out, people try something new that changes their opinion ect...but you are right there is alot of info out there. Bigfoot, thanks your imput does make alot of sense your right the grinding i have done 80-90% of it is on the lower belts originally i was suggested to get ceramic (vsm) 80's then 120 and 220 zirc/alumina (blue fire) and 400 hermes AO then he told me above that try what i want but they not needed and that right being a beginner i am not making knives for profit or to put into peoples collections where they would need to be polished....you advice matches that and i am going to get mostly the same i am just curious about others and i keep reading about the gators

Lots of good info Thanks guys.....I think what i may do is get a few cheap ones in a low grit for roughing out the shape and maybe cheap ones a lil higher grit for some work on handle's and then spend the extra money and get some good ones for final shaping of the blade and handle and the bevels since i think that is the most important i dont want cheap belts there. where does everyone get there belts...the first batch i got for the grinder was from TRU GRIT i have been looking around tho checking out prices just curious as where all of you guys go. TacticallySharp....you said you were getting them from Phoenix Abrasives i am assuming your grinder is not 2x72 right? i didnt see any 2x72 belts in there catalog...maybe i missed it.

bigfoot...on the blades you forge how close do you get them , how much material are you removing....i have only done one by forge and a couple stock removal (in the middle of one now) but i am still new

hey guys so i got a new kmg grinder. i know this question has been asked before but i think maybe it might be a question with a evolving answer as people try new things and new products. i would like to know where every one weigh's in on grinding belts. the first set of belts i got was a mix of a couple different companies that was suggested to me so i just did what was suggested as i wanted the belts asap...however i was told these belts go fast using 1 or 2 of many different grits on one knife. i guess that changes on design and size of a knife. so i did some reading and i am torn am i better getting cheap belts and going though them like crazy or spending more and maybe being able to stretch them for more than one knife...i think the answer might be somewhere in the middle and different on each grit...the 3m "gator belts" seem interesting any one use them? so basicly what does every one use?...any advice relating to this topic for someone starting out? thanks guys

thanks guys i really appreciate it looks like i got some more reading to do......tacticallysharp...i cant find the youtube channel do you have any links?? sorry never mind found it thanks again guys

hey guys so i just got a KMG grinder i was using files and a 4x36 before this new grinder always did everything by eye....not that i have done alot i am still new only made a few blades so far i wasnt even thinking about a new grinder as my financial situation wasnt there but a family member offered to buy me one piece of equipment so i chose the KMG. so since i have this i figured i would do a lil research and find out what the "right" process is to grind a knife. This may be a stupid question but can any one define and describe a "plunge cut" i keep coming across people talking about it and some even decribe how to do it but what is it exactly why is it needed? THANKS!!

i need a new wire (cammera to computer) i am going out in a lil while ill pick one up check back around 2 - 3 oclock ill deffinitly put them up as soon as i get home

thanks guys!.... Thomas you mean make a wooden piece same size and shape of the knife?..........Biggundoctor..thanks going to check out that site right now

Hey guys any one ever use kydex? I tried for the first time got the foam and kydex and holtex sheets from knifekits.com made my own lil press from wood with the foam in it and 4 clamps one on each side in the center. so i took a sheet, taped up the knife threw it in the press (folded over taco style) clamped it down and let it sit. now when i came back to it as i was opening the press and pulling the foam off it was stuck to the kydex it peeled off with a lil pressure but it left a slight imprint in the foam (you can see where the sheet was on the foam) i thought this might mean i got the kydex a lil to hot maybe or too much preesure on the clamps (i dont know if that is even posible). So when i tried to pull the knife out it wouldnt come out so i took the side opisat the fold and tried to pull it open a lil and the kydex seemed to be attached to the knife and peeled off just like the foam. so it took alot of twisting turning pulling to get that knife out but i finally got it out and took the tape off now when i try to get it back in i really have to wrestle it in and even then it doesnt want to go that last 10% in and taking it back out is the same you really gota wrestle it out of there. deffinitly not something you could carry around and pull in and out. has any one had ths problem? any ideas how to fix it or what i might of done wrong to cange on the next one. is it possible to clamp it too tight? thats what it feels like it just toooooo tight some how....any advice is appreciated!

something to look into thanks i apreciate it

Hey guys just one quick question the regular JB Weld (NOT the quick set one). Once you mix it up how much time do you have to get everything in place before it sets up to hard to move stuff around? it says set time 4-6 hours but i can imagine having that much time to be able to slide and push things into place....i have used permatex "steel weld" a couple times and is sets up quick you gota rush to get everything in its place. I actually just ordered the Acraglas kit but i havent gotten it yet and need something now. but i am going to need more time than the permatex stuff so i figured jb weld cause i hear its suposed to be strong but i wanna make sure ill have enough time i dont like to rush and take chace of making a mistake...any info on how long you got to get things in place or any other tips or advice on the stuff would be appreciated! thanks guys

Thanks T.J. it helped i think the steel wool made a big difference than using fine sand paper....I ended up doing a mix between dipping in ferric and muriatic. the muriatic (diluted) it come out alot brighter. If you only keep it in for a minute its actually similar to a hologram where you can only see it at certain angles. If it stays in longer it gets a bit more contrast but still alot brighter than the ferric. The ferric comes out very black but as soon as i hit it very lightly with very fine sand paper the blackness goes away. I played around going back and forth between the 2 until i got what i wanted. I am curious about one thing if you use ferric do you sand (again very high grit) right away after its cleaned or wait a while? One of the reasons i used both is because when i went to sand after ferric i wanted to get rid of some of the black not all but 95% of the black came off. But after i finished (of course) i came across a video where the guy cleaned, and let it sit for a few hours before using sand papper he said it let the black set in so it doesnt all get sanded of only some. Is anyone familliar with this technique and does it work??

hey guys so look i made my first attempt at damascus 1080 and 15n20 by no means was it easy and by no means is it perfect...now when it was still a billet i etched it. i was being impatient at first i did what every one told me dillute ferric and go...first there was no pattern just a grayish blackish mess ( i didnt know it was supposed to be sanded down...corrected that problem so tried again i got some what of a pattern but not much. i watched a video of some kid with 3 damascus pieces and he took one it ferric one in muriatic and one in sulfuric...i think the muriatic came out best so i ran out got some muriatic sanded the billet a little and diluted the muriatic and i got a distinct pattern finally (not the best as far as patterns go but now at least whats there is showing up).ok now i shaped that billet did the heat treat got the handle ready to go on so time to etch again...i went right to the muriatic a pattern showed up but it was more like a holigram you could only see on certain angles...i thought what am i doing different BINGO when it was a billet before the muriatic i dunked it in ferric and lightly sanded when it didnt come out good. so back to the ferric.....horible its 90% black lil bit of silver here and there but the most part i mean JET black....so lightly sanded and back to muriatic and this time nothing it didnt brighten it up and make it distict like last time i am lost i spent almost 2 hours trying different dilutions diferent soak times different levels of sanding every thing i did every thing to copy what i did last time and its like the muriatic (that last time really brightend things up ) just doesnt react the same way i cant figure it out guys ANY advice would really help i would REALLY apreciate it.. i know its the first one i did and it aint going to be the best pattern but the first time there was a pattern now most of it is JET black with a few silver stripes and circle here and there but NO WHERE near what it was....well any way thanks to any one who can help