MilwaukeeJon

It is an herb chopper so the rocker profile is intentional. Thanks much Thomas. Which AG parts in particular should I try to find?

Nice work on the draw knife. It is such a nimble tool. Blade up it can really rip the bark off of a log, while blade down it is possible to tear into a wood billet for removal and shaping or do incredibly fine surface work.

TA’s wonderful videos include this one, and to date I’ve probably made at least a dozen of them, large and small. At the start he partially cuts an end section that then gets drawn out to become the handle (his hammer work is really fine). I’ve made these from 1075, 5160, 1084, 80Crv2, 1080, and 8760, and he uses O1, which I’ve not tried. Even when working carefully and keeping the steel very hot it is not uncommon to develop small stress fractures, and sometimes catastrophic ones, at the initial bend point where the handle gets drawn out. What I’m curious about is what you all think might be the best carbon steel for this particular forging move? The technique really is useful for creating handles and tangs for all sorts of choppers and also woodworking tools. But the bend seems to be very high stress and drawing out the handle sends a lot of vibrations back to this stressed area (from the start you can see definite stretch marks in the steel). Are chromium or magnesium desirable addition to the alloy or more prone to fracturing? Could it be that the bend needs to be done at near forge welding heat? I’ve not really thought about to date but I also am curious as to what steel you would think is best suited for this type of single steel project.

The painter Wayne Thiebaud paints wedding cakes and makes millions....last year one went for $8,760,000! Wish I could make that kind of money for a wedding cake hatchet....

In educating myself on low layer pattern welding, I decided to give a stab at the simplest possible approach. The original 1084/15n20 stack had 14 layers, and the handle is from a rescued horse chestnut branch that was trimmed near here last year.

Would love to see a picture of that.

Nicely done indeed! I too am a year out from a broken collarbone and then, last summer, follow up 95% rotator cuff repair. One arm blacksmithing ain't easy....

In an effort to do a simple twist Damascus knife, I ended up uncovering an odd fish who was hiding in there!

While it is hard to drill an 1/8” hole in the thin 15n20 pieces, my good old Silver Mfg. 1 1/2 post drill ripped a 3/8” hole through a 15 layer forge welded axe billet:

Which brand/model do you have?

Stunning workmanship. Beautifully done and the patination is perfect.

Thanks Thomas....wow, those better quality bench punches are pricey!

One question to follow up on this: drilling 15n20 is a beast! Even when I drill slowly (using a post drill) and even when being careful not to overheat and work harden the steel I still am struggling to get through the 1/8" pieces. Broken a few bits in this process. Any suggestions? By the way, what gauge wire do you use?

Thomas, is it uncommon to see both the "cottage cheese" crumbling and vertical cracks at the same time?

I'm my own striker and not a very impressive one at that! Henceforward, I shall march on with my quest to be the Master of the Mini Billet.