Will W.

How thick are the pieces?

Do you have access to an oxy/acetylene torch you could use to isolate the heat? 

Why is it that you need to upset the stock in the middle only?

Dont quench one end in water to cool it down, that will end badly.

22 hours ago, Steve Sells said:

on/off switch,  and many dont have a starter

I used to work for a sprint car racing team as their welder (frames were tubular chrome-moly, not fun to weld) and i used to help during races too, changing shocks, gears, etc. With those cars, you have to push start them (we used a 4 wheeler) for this same reason, starter would add too much weight. 

Johnathon, i always grind the teeth off when i do it. Im sure you could leave them on too, but i have found it results in better welds and less hassle at the forge. Also, just use one stack. If you stack two billets and weld them like i think youre thinking, side by side, any direction you hit the billet will be putting shear force on a weld, or multiple welds. It can be done, but its pretty advanced stuff. Keep it simple until you get it down pat. 

16 hours ago, JHCC said:

How DO you start a Formula One car?

With a key, one assumes 

Pretty much covered already. I do all my pattern welding by hand and it takes a lot of effort, like lyuv said, but i find it to be rewarding. From barstock to blade ready for the grinder, i would say it takes me between 4-8 hours, depending heavily on the layer count. And that whole time im either turning my blower or swinging a hammer. So its quite labor intensive. If you have a friend who could act as a striker, it would be helpful.

Im glad you didnt as well, i think it turned out great. Its one of the better cable patterns ive seen. Has a very "reptile scales" sort of look to it. And im loving that handle! Bummer about the open weld, but still a reasonable success in my book. Great work. 

I like the way you put the kogatana in the sheath, it blends in very well, but also presents itself for use. Fantastic work on the tanto as well. 

3 hours ago, Ranchmanben said:

When is it time to throw that piece of metal out?

Is "never" an appropriate answer?

Looking pretty good so far! Keep us updated. I, for one, want to see how this turns out. 

I agree, im going to bookmark this thread! Good info here.

Great work on the handle, looks clean and well executed. I really like the shape of it, looks comfortable. 

The only real problem i can see is the way the ricasso extends beneath the edge. That will make it nearly impossible to chop through things in one clean motion. But even that is negligible depending on its intended use. 

I agree with Das regarding the tip.

Nice work. 

13 hours ago, Jonathan Smidt said:

Also went back to college for Welding, Machining, and Metalsmithing/jewelry courses, hoping those skills I will be able to transfer over to my bladesmithing

Those skills will definitely transfer over! All three of those are used in the construction of many blades, sometimes all three in the same knife. At the very least, youll have a handful of useful skills in your pocket.

Certainly an interesting commission. They came out great too! Clean, as always. 

18 minutes ago, Jonathan Smidt said:

thats the top of my phone case

I see now, didnt really look close enough the first time. My skills of observation are keen as always, apparently! 

Using a belt sander to bevel blades freehand is pretty difficult, i struggle with it myself. It takes a lot of practice to develop the skill. But thats just all the more reason to make more knives! Just ignore the people who think youre strange for having a massive knife collection (i mean, who doesnt?! Theyre the weird ones! Lol)

You are progressing, that much is certain. Keep at it. And never forget to have fun with it.

Nice job on the polish. But the picture seems to indicate a crack in the blade, just below your chin in the reflection. You are aware of this, i assume? Or perhaps i am mistaken. 

Ricasso and plunge line need work. By the shape of them, it looks like you used an angle grinder to shape your bevels, and if that is true, trust me, leave that thing behind. Angle grinders, in my experience, do not work well for beveling. Look into making a file jig, and using files for your bevels, you can get the plunges and ricasso to look amazing with a few files, some skill, and patience. Oh yes, and sandpaper, of course. Or use your belt sander. Requires a lot more skill though, IMO. 

Thomas Powers mentions often that with a solid fuel forge, you can get your fire very hot (lots of air) before you put the billet in. Then insert the billet into the fire and cut the air completely to create a very reducing atmosphere. Once its up to a red temp, remove, brush, flux, reinsert into fire, and go for welding heat (using air obviously.)

I have a different method than the above one, and its given me a lot of success. I always tack weld the corners of the billet before forge welding, so ill make all my arc welds fairly quickly to build up heat in the billet, and as soon as im done with the last weld (or after you weld a handle on, if you prefer) sprinkle borax on. Theres usually enough heat to just barely melt the borax. This way, you can put it in the fire and go.

In any case, good luck with it.

10 hours ago, templehound said:

Will,  with a piece of tool steel(20x10mm) and a checkering file, I made a stamp.I punched it into a copper stripe, which I formed into a ferrule and soldered it from the inside.

 

 

Interesting approach. Thanks for sharing. 

I was going to comment, but Das already did it for me. 

On 1/11/2018 at 10:22 PM, Marc1 said:

All he has done since then is look for anything that is compatible with what he already believes and is convinced of. Not searching for knowledge or truth, but for a compatible prefabricated set of values that fits nicely with the array of values he has accepted without much challenge way before he had the age to discern. 

For the sake of brevity, this is called the Confirmation Bias. 

Just thought i would throw that in. Please return to your regularly scheduled philosophy debate. 

Beautifully clean, as always. Simply fantastic. 

Im curious regarding the bolster, did you hand cut the knurls or did you machine them?

Looking good so far. I like the serrations on the spine. It would look really neat with a false edge running down the rest of the spine right after them. 

As far as the size of the handle goes, thats totally up to you. Does it fit well in your hands? And, more importantly, will it fit well in his hands?

I hope you normalized at least once in between quenching the blade twice. 

If its on an industrial/production scale, cost and time are ALWAYS considered, usually over every other factor. 

I agree with what Glenn said, 100%. Find out what works for you. Get it down pat. Once you can consistently weld different steels time and time again, then start experimenting with what other people use/say. You cannot accurately rule out the possibility that a bad weld is a technical error and not your experiments fault if you cannot conistently forge weld in the first place. 

That certainly is... one interpretation. 

Seriously though, that knife is beautiful. The file work in the tang is outstanding, and the handle looks fantastic and functional. 

Fantastic work, Theo. Clean, as always. 

4 hours ago, Frosty said:

Ah, get your anvil properly warmed up and you can sit on it if you get chilled

Frosty's Hot Anvil Treatment. 

Brought to you by Frosty, Master Anvil Tamer. 

Ive never bought it myself, so i cant necessarily help there, but how much do you need, exactly? 5 lbs is quite a bit. 

http://usaknifemaker.com/1084-powdered-metal-coarse-mesh-5lbs.html

They sell 1084 in a 5 pound can, and i have ordered from this company many times, they are reputable, ship fast, and will help you with anything you need, if they can. Were i to order some, this would be where i would buy it.

(Hopefully the link does not get removed, i believe it complies with the TOS.)