gearhartironwerks

Dang, I'm looking at all the beautiful work recently posted and feeling like I should get my rear end in gear just to keep up. Seriously, I'm impressed seeing all the good work showing up on the site and find it inspiring. Thanks to all who show us their work. John

Great hamon and a really nice wa handle. Ok, so you can come visit me or I'll come visit you...and we'll play. John

Has anyone used Tru Oil on their handles and if so, how does it hold up? thanks, john

Looks like you've got a lot of work on your hands. I'll be anxious to see the outcome. John

That's a beauty! Nice job and thanks for showing it. John

Dodge, Surf in Nebraska? I'm guessing you either lost it, or need to come visit me on the OR coast. :) Bring work clothes if the surf isn't double over head. John PS: I don't surf. My son does and he'll be happy to give you a memory. You can stay in the apt above the garage.

X2. guess we're in the same boat. I needed a couple of days to be nice again after forging that one...old, sore and cranky. John

It is incredibly hard to temper without having a reference point from maximum hardness after ht to where you want to be on the rc scale without the aid of a rockwell tester. Anything less is just guesstimation. My suggestion for anyone serious about their blades is to find someone who has one, work out some temper times/temps and keep using the same materials until you are happy with the results. The key is consistency of the process imho. John

I guess, as on old guy, which knives am I looking at? Can you post them on this forum? Thanks, John

Nice candle holder. Did you clean the shop just for those pics? :) John

I like the rustic look of both and the handles are really nice as well. You can get a similar effect on the blade like the first one by sandwiching 1095/whatever with 304 and welding around the billet for a dry weld if you want stainless on the outside. This stuff is really addictive. John

Steve, If you never want to make damascus knives, don't make the first one. It's a slippery slope. I said the same several years ago. John

Senft, It's called an eccentric crank. Other than that, I'm lost. John

Michael, It started as 6.5" dia x 12" long. The piece is being machined now. It was the third and final forging. Don't know if I could do another as I thought I was in better shape. :( John

Steve, I like to soak in battery acid diluted 1:1 with distilled water about 15 mins as a cleaning for the blade. Then neutralize and into the ferric. A slight etch begins in the acid. John Maybe this should be in fit and finish? OK its moved

Jeremy, I bought it off Ebay. It's not totally accurate and reads a little higher than a thermocouple. It's in the ballpark at 25-50 deg difference. Spend your $ on a thermocouple and pid reader. John

Mitch, I buy the pins . They're about $30./per foot. Expensive, but good eye candy. John

Hi, Here are some pics taken last week of forging a part for local folks who are restoring a steam locomotive in Astoria ,Or. The billet started out as a piece of 6.5" x 12 round 4130 and was brought down to 2.75 x 18" with one end spread to about 9". The forging took 4 hrs on my 385lb. DeMoor hammer. It was a long 4 hrs and Aleve and single malt scotch were the order of the evening. I did the work gratis as all are volunteers working on the project, a worthwhile endeavor in my estimation. John

Steve, I used 1095 and L6 saw blade. The key is to etch,sand,etch,sand etc so the etch is deep enough that the L6 (the more noble of the two) stands slightly proud of the 1095 and is the more polished of the two. It's important to sand the L6 highlights to about 1500-2000 grit to get non muddy highlights on the L6. If you can see grind lines on the L6, it will come out muddy. I typically use a painters stirring stick with some gasket material glued to it as a backing block for the sandpaper. Unfortunately, there aren't many shortcuts for hand work. Anyone care to chime in here? John

I'm sure we all throw billets in a drawer that we think we'll get back to later. This is one of them for me. Since my assistant is leaving in 2 weeks, I thought it may be a good time to get something out the door if possible. So, here it is. The handle is tulip wood and ebony. Unfortunately, the photo does not show how pretty the tulip wood is. Comments/critique welcome. Thanks for looking. John

You need some empty beer bottles laying around that chair. :) John

What will be interesting to see is how well the face holds up and whether or not it mushrooms. I quench 1045/4140 and 4130 in water and do no temper. That includes the 4140 dies on my 60kg Saymak, which have developed a saddle again. Next up is super quench. Industry calls for an oil quench, but reality for me seems to be water. John

Cool, I like your creativity. You're a much better draftsman than I am. John

Hello to All, I have several hidden tang blades that I need to drill/file out for the tang. Can anyone recommend a good set of small files or rasps to enlarge the opening? Thanks, John

Try "micro mesh mx" for hand work. Amazon sells a kit that is a good starter till you decide what you specifically need/want. John