nc_cooter

Thanks guys.

Been trying some new things. A poured pewter ferrule on the knife. A deer rawhide covered sheath with bead work. With my old eyes and fingers, the sheath took some time to complete. The bead work could be better, but for a first try, I am a bit proud of it. It was kind of tough working the beads around the pewter turtle. The blade is forged 1084 and 5"long. Thanks for looking. All comments are welcome.

I made these for a friend and his two sons. Dad is into competition camp cooking and his sons are young hunters. The blades are forged from Aldo's 1084 and the handles are curly maple. Thanks for looking.

I started making knives using strictly stock removal. After a few years, I got the itch to try forging. I had zero experience and zero equipment. I asked a zillion questions and read a lot of posts on forging knives and forging in general. Someone on this forum summed it up to the basics = "something to heat it with, something to beat it with, and something to beat it on". I built a two burner propane forge. Total cost, $65. I am still using it after 5 years. I had an assortment of ball peen and cross peen hammers I had collected over the years. I even had 3 tongs from some junk shops. My first anvil was a piece of railroad rail. It took two years to find a real anvil. (bought 2 in one week). I had no teacher, so I taught myself. Using junk steel from the scrap yard, I began to heat and beat metal. My first attempts were dismal. I got very frustrated and stopped for a while. Someone on one of the forums suggested making some tongs. The fourth set actually worked. This was the turning point. Still using scrap, the "blades" began to look like knives. In the next 6 months, I forged all my blades. I was a happy camper. Then I fell and broke my right shoulder. Took 5 months to heal and I didn't have full movement. To make a long story short, with the help of Mr. Hofi, his hammer technique( slighted modified due to my limited movement) and one of his hammers, I was back in business. According to some, my forging was actually better. I guess what all my rambling is leading to is this. With or without existing black smithing skills you can learn to forge a knife blade. Either way you will acquire the skills as you progress. Equipment can made or purchased. Finishing and heat treat are still very important no matter how a blade is produced.

I have been using the HF hori/vert band saw for over 4 years and for me it's the best bang for a buck. Scrap the stand that comes with the saw and build one from angle. Remove the factory oil from the gear box and replace with a quality oil. Take time to do a complete wheel/ blade alignment. Replace the factory vertical cutting table with one made from 1/4" plate. Use a LENOX bi metal blade and cut some metal. There is a lot of info on the net about these saws and ways to make them better.

Keeping a blade from twisting during forging takes practice. Flipping the blade during forging is good advice. Also try to keep the number hits per side a close as you can. Try to keep the blade in full contact with the anvil. To forge the bevel, make sure not to twist the blade but change the angle of the hammer blow. After the profile and bevels are to your liking, use a wood faced hammer to straighten the blade and remove any twists. Here's one I made for that purpose. Kevin, nice knife!

Thanks for the comments. Frosty, it weighs 2#. I also have used ball bats and also large wood table legs(seconds from a local shop) to correct the banana bends. I wanted something with more of a forging hammer cross section. The 16" legs at Lowes cost less than $5 and it's a repeatable source.

I have been using cheap wood mallets to do the final straightening of hot blades when forging. The main problem is they are to light. Been brain storming for a few months and here's what I come up with. The materials I used were: 2"x2"x3/16" square tube 2" long 3/4"x9" sch 40 black pipe 3/4"x3/16"x2" flat stock 1/4"x1-1/2" lag bolt 1-5/8"sq oak leg (Lowes) 16" long (makes 4 heads) Note, this hammer is not used to remove the banana curve on forged blade. I still use a big oak stick for that. Thanks for looking.

At age 63 I have a lot of aches. I used to suffer with "tennis elbow" and a bad rotator cuff. Two years ago I fell from a ladder and crushed my clavicle. When healed, the x-ray looked like Picasso designed it. My orthopedic surgeon,also a knife customer, told me my forging days were over. Well, he was wrong. Thanks to Hofi's hammer and hammer technique, I am able to forge knives again. It took a lot of time and practice. Had to adjust my anvil height and I beat up a lot of mild steel in the practice. Some have suggested using a piece of wood to practice hammer control. You can't forge wood and it's not the same. Heat some scrap steel and practice on that. I no longer suffer from tendinitis and the rotator cuff only limits what I can do overhead. Some of my friends say I am forging even better than before.

Beautiful! Great work.

I wasn't happy with the shape of the large bowie blade I forged earlier this week. Went back to the forge this morning and did a little rework. The top one is after rework and the bottom one is before. What do ya'll think?

Nice work, Eric. The walnut really sets off the blade.

Thanks MRobb devins, yes I forged these on the post anvil. I really like it. CBrann, round here you can just sit still and break a sweat. Eric, I hope you can find a way to make the trip for a visit. I learn something new every time and I'll be glad to share.

It's been so hot the last few days, I have only been able to work in the shop for about 2 hours each morning. Drinking lots of water and sweating like crazy. My wife said it looked like I peed myself. At my age, who knows. Here's a pic of what the sweating was all about.

Thanks guys. Drako11, the blades were etched in a ferric chloride solution and then rubbed with 0000 steelwool.

Great work. I have a clip that was dredged up from a near by river. You have inspired me to give mine a go.

PIC #1 Steel- 1084FG, Handle- curly maple, Blade- 5 3/8", OAL- 9 3/4" PIC #2 Steel- 1084FG, Handle- curly maple, Blade- 6", OAL- 11", Guard- buggy tire. PIC #3 Steel- 1084FG, Handle- black cherry, Blade- 5 5/8", OAL-10 5/8", Guard- buggy tire. PIC #4 Steel 1084FG, Handle- rose wood, Blade- 3 1/2", OAL- 7 1/4" PIC #5 Steel 1084FG, Handle- walnut. Blade-4 3/8", OAL- 8 7/8" All the blades were hand forged from 1/4" thick stock. Thanks for looking and all comments are welcome.

That beast ought to do some serious cutting. Ya did good.

I think the tung will work well. Nice knife!

Here's a pic after grinding, HT and tempering. I did a short soak in vinegar and scrub with steel wool. Blade is 4 1/4" , 9"oal and 1"wide. Farmer Phil mentioned decarb. I use a muffle pipe in the forge for HT and there is almost no scale or decarb. The pipe gives a more even heat to the blade and I put a couple of small pieces of hard wood in the pipe to eliminate the 02.

Earlier this week someone asked how close I forged to finished shape. My answer was that I try to get pretty close. He replied " close as in hand grenades or atomic bombs". I had never really thought about it that much. I forged a full tang blade to day and decided to measure it in a few places. I wanted about a 4" blade with 9"oal and about 1 1/8" wide. Started with a 1/4"x3/4"x6" piece of Aldo"s 1084. I ended up with a 9 1/4"oal and a 4 1/4" blade that was 1 1/4" at it's widest. I forged a distal taper on the blade and a taper on the handle. The first pic shows the thickness as indicated. The second pic is a shot of the top, showing the taper. I'll post more pics with measurements after grinding.

Beautiful! Bruce that one will be handed down through many generations.

I usually take my blades to about 80% when forging. I do all fit up after heat treat.

Thanks guys. I really have enjoyed the last few days banging steel on this anvil.

Avadon, you can find some pics here:http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f83/wip-post-anvil-build-13137/ Here is a close up of the support.