JPH

Hello: What the good Brother Thos. said plus I wouild soak it in some liquid flux (supersaturate solution of 1/2 borax and 1/2 boric acid) for a while and heat it up slowly in the right size of forge. I could "save" it cause I weld up some pretty monsterous billets for a one man opperation all the time.. It's just like Thomas said...you need to size the billet to your forge. Hope this helps.. JPH

Hello: If it were me, Id' just round off those sparp corners and wrap wet rawhide around it nice and tioght and then let it dry and shellac over it and call them done.. That way you'd be "preserving" the overall "feel" of what you already have...and it would look "right" too... Hope this helps.. JPH

Hello All: Well..I had a long and interesting discussion with an investigator from the NV Attourney General's Office and he said while it looks very "bad"..it just boarders on being legal. Since they provide what they say, a "certificate" and the materials they say they provide, they are fulfilling a contract. As far as the legitimacy of the certificate, that is up to "the industry" to either accpet or reject. The gist of the matter is unless a bunch of people start throwing a fit there's little that can be done as they ARE providing what they say. From what I could garner from my talk is unless someone is wiling to get "taken" for a couple of hundred bucks and take them to civil court for fraud, there's not much that can be done and these folks know it... So..I am sorry to be the bearer of unhappy tidings but I am open to suggestions.... JPH

KB: I simply use my bluing salts that are a satuate solution of sodium hydroxide (lye) and ammonium nitrate (ferltilzer). I use it hot (290 D F) and quench in that... Like I said at that low a hardness I see no reason to draw any temper. They will never cut like a "solid" (>50 pt C) carbon steel will but at 50 Rc, they do hold an OK edge...at least for me they do... JPH

Those are rather spiffy...what did you harden them in? I get about Rc 50 on mine using caustic soda (lye) brine.....I don't even temper them at that low a hardness...Never had one break... Looks good...I really like the lines on the top one... JPH

Hello: Actually if this is HT'd right, they aren't all that bad. I have handled a lot of the Chitana ("Chinese Katana) and what you get for the $$$ is very decent. I even own one myself out of curiosity more than anything....and the HT is descent, so are the mounts. Actually the mounts are beautfully done. As for seeing the "pattern" in the steel..on the Japanese style stuff I make I WANT to see the Hada....if the blade is in a traditional "full polish" you will only see very subtle patterning but the Hamon will "pop" out at you more than in a more visible patterning.... If he is happy with it...that's great...like I said for the ones I have seen and the amount that they sell for...the tsuka parts alone are worth more than that....and you get a fully made sword...I know I can't even come close to meeting that price..I have more than that in the samegawa and menuki... JPH

Here's a new toy I just made for cutting/scraping Bo-Hi into Japanese style blades. Plans will be in book IV. It's adjustable for depth of cut as well as position on the blade and uses 1/4" Sq lathe tool stock..Works great so far. NO welding involved, just some drillling and bolting and a good deal of hand fitting so everything slides smooth without any "slop"... A bit heavy but that helps with the "cutting action" JPH

Hey.. Ya know what... I got me an idea... www.becomeabrainsurgeon.com It'll only cost ya $19.95 but wait!! Call now in the next 10 minutes and I will include my course www.becomeacosmeticsurgeon.com for only additional shipping and handling. Billy Mays will be selling these courses on late night TV in the very near future...We will even throw in some ShamWOW's to help staunch the bleeding.. Seriously folks..these scammers need to be stopped... JPH

Hello.. OK...I have been doinh more "digging" into this scam and now they refuse toi give any names of any of their "World Famous" graduates..In fact as they out it if it wasn;t for Become a Licensed Bladesmith! NONE of their graduates wold of "made it".... I gotta get these shysters shut down.... I am ready to go to the matresses with these folks and whiloe they will refuse to "acknowledge" my "legitamacy" as far as my creds go...they are in foir a very rude wake up call. They refuse to name this Italian "MAster Smith" that has several books published and is "world famous"...they are a scam and hey need to be stopped... Know this..I can be a great big PITA when I have to be and when i walk in to the NV AG's office I will be gunning for bear... JPH

Sam: Ya forgot www.becomeabladesmith.com......for under 300 Yankee US dollars he can become a LICENSED MASTER BLADESMITH!! Gee....only took me 40 years on my own and I ain't got no paper to "proove it"..sigh...... Ok seriously now.. STAY AWAY FROM THAT PLACE.... The other suggestions are fine...good, sound ideas.... Just stay away from these shysters,,, JPH

Hello: OK ENOUGH IS ENOUGH with these folks... I am constantly checking on these scammersd and well,..Dang it...look at what I just found on their site: (pretty much what was fore-told previously in this thread) "I am a Master Bladesmith, have written several books, and my name is well known worldwide. I got my PSU degree for a different reason than many: both the certificate and the wallet card help me buy materials that are otherwise very tough to get since 9/11" Now I want everyone here to know that I AM NOT part of this scam. The only other "well published" Master Smith that I know of is Wayne Goddard and I am very certain that he is NOT part of this either but I am checking with Mr. Goddard in any case. OK I am going down to the office on West Sahara, probably tomorrow and give it a look over...I will report back my fingings... Sorry for the rant but ENOUGH IS ENOUGH JPH

Hello: What is the diameter of the core" If it is 1/4" or so..go head and use cold rolled 1018 as a replacment. You will never get the CR anywhere near the edge of the finished piece unless you do something really off the wall working it. Just wrapp it in tight and twist it shut at Cherry Red prior to welding it solid. You will, more likely than not wind up having the CR running down the long axis of the blade, more or less dead centre of the forging. This could be compared to the Japanese method of Kobuse construction with the HC wrapped in a U around the WI core, or to some of the N European methods of lamination welding HC to a WI core for a sword. I would be very comfortable in doing this, no problem at all..but then again..what do I know?? I am just some olde hammer head working outta his garage... JPH

Well not exactly...It's his side-kick...(OK bad pun..running for cover) Just finished this one this AM....boy it feels great to be back to work...Did this for book IV. I tell ya the Japanese section is growing....and growing..sheesh....Anyway..... Blade is 11" forged from some tahamagane iron I made out back, scraped in the Naginata-Hi (what a pain...boy forging them in is easier by a long shot...), made the blade in the "naginata style" just for grins and giggles... Black silk ito wrap on the tsuka over white samegawa with black silk sageo (I am still learning tsukamaki so give me a break)... I "salvaged" the kashirae from a "El Cheapo" tanto..and they are very NICE..the best part of the thing, (which is why I bought it to begin with).... The Siya is gold leaf under cracked black lacquer (this took me almost two weeks and I just found out this morning that they got stuff that can do this in like two hours...(figures huh?? My luck strikes again..) sealed it with three coats of clear lacquer. I am finishing up a "red" one later this afternoon. All in all I think it turned out rather spiffy, and well, thought I would share...One of them will be going up on the webiste the other for that show here in Las Vegas this coming January... So I think it didn't turn out too bad at all... Oh the kanji mei is Hage Bokatsu ..(Bald Educated Barbarian) along with my 8R chop....just to be confusing... JPH

Hello: I suggest you use a sacrificial plate made from a piece of kiln shelf over a layer of at least 1/2" deep el cheapo kitty litter...that's the easiest thing to do. I do more welding in a week than most folks do all year and this works.. Flux will eat its way right on through most refractory materials at an alarming rate...this will prolong the life of your lining.... Hope this helps...

Thos: The information I have came diredctly from both Makita and Atlas' tech departments..So at least those two manufacturers use S-7. That's all I can tell you on that. This is the problem using what I call "mystery metal"...aka "recycled materials" cause you usually cannot be 100% certain what it really is... JPH

Bjorn: Oh ok...when you said a "bit" I thought you used a small amount of the material..oops...lost in translation.. Air harden it and don't worry about getting a hamon cause it's not going to happen... Rich: The reason why I was asking is the fact that this last week Wally Beinfield talked me into doing that show (we have known each other since he owned "American Blade" magazine before he sold it and it became "Blade" magazine)...and I was hoping I would know someone who was going to be there.. Dunno what I will have to show as yet..probably some of the Japanese stuff I am doing along with some of my more usual offerings...might do a book signing, dunno yet JPH

Oh oh: I jumped the gun and re-read the original post/// OK how much is a "bit" of the jack hammer bit that was used?? Do you have a percent of the blade like say 10% of the material?? What you might of done is set yourself up for a catastrophic failure.. Was the blade annealed/normalized in still air (not in any insulating medium like lime) and if so can you cut it with a Nicholson file?? If you can you might be OK in a oil heat treat. You have any idea at all what else you used for this? I would hate to see something like this let go in HT...what was the original use for the metal you had "laying about"?? This may be a good clue as to what it could be... Talk to us...the more info you give the better answers we can have.. JPH

Hello: Rich you are right on the S-5..it is either that or S-7 Air Hard, hence, no hamon unless you want to cheat and etch one on like all the ones you see for sale cheap on e-bay. Besides any true sword "nut" will have to admit that it really doesn't matter whether a sword has a hamon or not as long as it cuts like it should. Alot of the tamashigiri crowd around my area are getting great cuts with 9260 and A-2 blades. I am using my Nagi-Dachi Tachi which is the "monster" of the group but all it really is, well it's styled after the U-no-kubi-zukuri blades, along the lines of a 16th Cent Naginata Naoshi, which really cut well, even though I have been told that I "cut like a peasant" or like I was "swinging a sledge hammer"... So don't expect much of a hamon on a S series steel unless you etch one on, then again, you really don't need one if you heat treat it right... JPH (oh Rich,,you doing that show up here in January at the Riviera??)

Hello: Where is it warped and what kind of warpage are you talking about..? I straighten a lot of blades with not problem at all..All depends upon what type and direction of warpage you are talking about.. Any chances of a photo showing the area(s) involved?? JPH

Thos: Yeah....I know..but the urge is genetic..Say "crusader" to a Kurd and well....but what the heck....I still think it turned out pretty good... JPH

HW: I would sooner cut the crusader given the fact I am 1/2 Kurd... JPH

Steve: It just turned out that way..I was goofing off trying stuff with my flypress and it just "happened"...That and I was really tired of doing the same thing over and over again..so I got a little crazy. I mixed a few designs up and this is what came out. I will say the more I play around with Augustus the more I like it...Julius is great but too much power and no "feel" at all while Augustus is all "feel and control"....you can actually feel the steel move under the dies. Easy, quick and man..the results are wonderful... JPH

Just finished this while I was waiting for stuff to cool. THis is a cross between a Yataghan and a Said..welded cable with Ni accents, recurved single edge blade with fuller and a "T" back 29" in length. Bronze mounts and Coco-Bolo grip....Overall length is 35". Thought I would share... JPH

Hello all.... Just finished this little wedled cable Seax. 8 1/4" fullered blade, bronze file worked bolster/pommel plates, black horn spacers and a piece of my now infamous fossil bovine ivory for a grip. OAL 13 1/2". I tell ya..after all that my family and I have been through it is absolutely GREAT to finally be able to get back to work in the studio. I wish to thank everyone on IForge that have written in, loending support and encouragement. I do appreciate it all.. Thank you all again... JPH

Justin: I am in Henderson actually..depending upon the map you have I am either 18 or 21 miles from Las Vegas... It use to be the boonies but now I am getting neighbors... My wife is expecting delivery of her new car today and that address of these folks is right on the way...we will do a drive by when we get the call that her car is in...will advise ya all as to what we see, if we do see anything.,.. JPH