Rich Hale

48 views,,,no comments,,interesting!

I'd shy from it for a couple of reasons..the first being the tempering requirements. Too Touigh to forge as it is designed to resist moving while hot..then the resistance to abrasion means I would spend a lot of belts to clean it up. it will laugh at cheap belts. and lets not forget the temperatures required for tempering are not held in a home forge. But that is at my shop...your shop your rules...take pics...

Makers publish the info. Google will find. Gotta wonder why no one picks that steel for blades? It is not because they lack skill.

My rockwell tester had test coupons so you can see wot a known sample checks out at with your machine

Are they a matched set of belts? If not one of them may be loose.

Wonderful experience for both of you. I do not see that as correct anvil height,,,I think he needs a bit higher. Look at the tongs...close to parrelel with the ground and the work is a few inches above the anvil. If the shop floor is dirt,,easy fix. As it is he will have to bend knees and squat a bit when he strikes. I keep keep my larger anvil low so I have to do that very thing. But I do not do small forging on it. I get a bit more power into a strike if I drop a bit. You may get other thougths from other smiths.

If you read knife making lessons we speakof the amount of carbon a steel needs for a blade...if you google the steels you listed youi can figure it out...5160 is a popular knife steel,,could that be a typo?

Have you looked at knives with maple burl on them and like it? It is too tough for me to know wot you like for handles

When you set up an area to be forge welded there is not room for any slag to escape...Every time I tried that it failed..I weld a handle to one end of a billet now and wire the rest ,,cutting wires as I weld a section...that is not the same as an axe i know..but hope you get the point. Fluxes: I seems to me over the years I have been through the full range of fluxes for welding mild and high carbon steel. The best i ever used was made by Cecil Swan. wonderful stuff and with it I got instantly better at forge welding mild steel..which is harder than HC. I spent long hours at the forge with a lot of forge welding in those hours...and after wot seemed like forever it just got easier..Gradually I stopped looking for a magic flux and went back to borax laundry soap..that is wot I use most of the time. However when i am welding up HC billet that i spent a lot of money on I add a small amount of boric acid to it...Think maybe it is a mental thing.but it works and I will likely continue. There is a newly mentioned flux on here...Think Brian Brazzeal spoke if it,,,Iron Mountain?..He says it allows two pieces to stick together at a lower heat than he has seen before...That sure seems like a step forward., not sure if it is the Patterson that Frosty mentioned. So , like hammer skills, i believe it is shop time over the anvil that is a key to forge welding. Teeny you said youi would try again tomorrow,,,Hope it goes well for you. I would suggest you get a stack of the kind of steel you want to weld and try it a dozen times or more. And repeat that every chance you get. When you get together as a group I bet you will move forward a lot.

Was the instruction with pictures in the knife making lesson of any value?

:)

A london pattern post?

The thread on this site about modifying store bought hammers may have something in it for you.

This is another one of the things that is best figured out in the shop...This is a wonderful site. but it for sure does not replace times at the forge and anvil.

I like watco dark walnut wood finish...Apply with a rag and let dry...do a sample piece to see if you like it.

Might look for knife file work.

Best learned in the shop..try both ways and decide.

The end cap is snuggly threaded onto the tang.......

One of my favorites. Sambar stag handle clip point with 440 C SS blade heat treated including cryo. 61 on rockwell C scale. Fittings are 416 ss with nickel and black spacers

Did you find any information in the section of forges that helped you with this?

93 I guess you saw that in the knife making lesson I forged a blade from round..and tried to give some tips that might even make it easier for folks wanting to do that. Moving metal is not a easy task to learn but it certainly was easy enouigh for me to learn. But then i sought out in person help.. The lessons start very basic for those new to forging. But I won't mention them again as it seems to bother you..

May find something interesting in the knife makin lessons in this forum.

That shows alot of skill with tools.....I have to wonder wot the carbon content of that crowbar is. I like high carbon steel for my blades...Shop testing when complete may help you decide.

One reason for your elbow pain is you may be allowing your elbow to move away from your side..as well as holding the hammer too tight. Another thing to think aboiut is fatigue..It takes a long time to build muscle memory and the tool skills to match. Woriking with other smiths and or observing how they work will help..hands on instrucion by a qualified smith can analyze wot you aer doing and may get youi straightened out the best way. If you watch enough u tube videos you may likely become confused as to wot is correct and wot is harmfull to your body. Find a local group for starters.. Are you sure it is the handle that is the problem? too heavy a head may also be an issue...one size does not fit all. Was any of the information in the above thread,,modifying store bought hammers. of any help?

Last R,,,Maybe this will help a bit about the quality, and believe me I think i know exactly what you are saying: A fine Steak dinner cooked just like you wish it to be I believe would be a quality meal for wot it is intended for. however that would not be considered in the same part of quality as food designed for toddlers. Those examples are about the quality of the food for its intended use. And I believe I have stretched a bit on the use of the word quality to say this...but it works for me.