Rich Hale

Thanks Joe and Mike

Medium size slip joint folder with my damascus and premium mother of pearl scales

More options: Along with borx and E Z weld you can find Sure Weld and Cecils Swans flux at farrier supplies. I have used all and this is what has worked for me. Swans is about the easiest to learn to forge weld with. It just works great. It is also the most costly of the bunch. Get a container and use it until you get things going your way. Sure Weld or E Z weld seem alike to me and are next on the list. Borax is the last to use. It seems to me to have a narrower working ragnge of temerature. There is only a narrow heat range that it is best at. If you overheat a bit it will burn and crust and the only way I have saved a weld like that is to cool and grind surfaces and begin once more. Use every advantage you can to learn this,,later it will seems like it should have never given you a problem. If you weld something everyday and all is well use the borax and smile

Ron dont give up do some faggot welds and get them down pat. there is not cice in useing a lot of stack and getting frustrated ,save the steps of bending just turn a piec back on itself for an inch or so and weld it,,,whack it with a chop saw or whatever and do it agian three feet of stock will do a lot

Tyler pointed the way, on the first heat just tap both of the ends down lightly. Have hammer in hand and to not touch the anvil until you are in a light swing with hammer tap one side and have the tongs so you can sping to tap the other then brush and flux and proceed with weld You do not even have to make a link to get this down, just tip and end back on to itself on a barf and weld it to itself hot hut and do it again, ten or a couple of dozen welds will make it seem like it was never hard to begin with

Jim The above items should help you a lot I did a Blueprint a while back that describes how I take a rough ground heat treated blade to a mirror finish and yes the last two steps involve a buffer...BP0235. It should be reposted soon as there are lots of changes going on here. If you want more specific help it would help to know what steel was used, how it was worked, and one of us can maybe help a bit more.

You can speed up the learning process if you scarf the pieces then put a little tack wild with tig mig or stick on one side then forge weld, let the scarfs over lap a bit so when you get done the rod is the same size at weld as the rest of stock

Brownells sells some solder they c all Tix strips,,have to get the flux with it,,,it melts at under 300degrees f........Should work.

The sheep scales are ( I believe) marino,,,a domestic sheep,,,,lots of texture and not a regulated item. I do have them stabilized for long life.

Thanks Peyton but remember I only put pics of the good ones on here........lol

Whether you remove stock is a personal decision. Many knives are forged and not ground, that gives a bit of what I call a traditional look with just the edge cleaned and sharpened.

I have posted a couple of new knives in the gallery if you would like to check them out,,thanks.

Or another option thanks to Glenn is just to look up

Picture in your mind somethin nice,,,or go the the gallery lol

This is a fairly large piece 1/4" thick blade, almost 12" overall length. Guard and pins are 416 ss and the scales are stabilized sheep.

Hoof nippers look a lot like pull offs,,,used for removing shoes for the hoof. Pull offs make great tools if you reshape the working ends,,All the pull offs I have seen or used had a little ball forged onto the end of the reins. Nippers do not have the ball. Most have a little flare on the end. Nippers are indeed made from tool steel and like above would likely not survive a quench from hot. GE is one of the better made nippers and run roughly $150 a pair. If you find any of the above for a good price buy them..If they are nippers,,especially if they are GE and they have some life left in them a farrier will likely let you walk away with some profit.

7014 for me, it will make you look like an experinced welder.

Bill Epps is in Mesquite,,,

If the welding shop repairs torches see if you can get them to dab some on your parts if youi have them dissassembled and take them in...May have to pay a minimum fee but that beats $81

If it has teeth welded or soldered on it is not likely going to hold an edge band saw blades used to cut wood are usually L-6 steel and it is a wonderful knife steel.