eutrophicated1

Every time I view images of this knife, I like it better.  Nice thin wide blade, just right for the kitchen and carving meat.  It looks really strong too.  those woods are just beautiful.

I know of several support groups for absent minded smiths.  I forget where they are though.

I was surprised to find how low this alloy's critical temperature is, along with how many small percentage elements comprise its makeup:

Typical Chemistry

Carbon 0.90%

Manganese 1.25%

Silicon 0.30%

Chromium 0.50%

Tungsten 0.50%

Typical Applications

Blanking Dies

Jewelers Hobs

Engraving Tools

Paper Knives

Forming Tools

Taps (Hand)

Gauges

Trim Dies

Hardening

Critical Temperature: 1370F(745C).
Preheat: 1250/1350F(675/730C)
High Heat: 1450/1500F(790/815C), hold 10/30 minutes at temperature. Quench: Quench in oil to hand warm, 150F(65C).
Temper: 350/600F(175/315C); hold one hour per inch of thickness, two hours minimum, four hours preferred.

This has to be very difficult to forge out.

Slag, your detailed explanations involving the various toxic metals, acids and bases is properly explicit and exact.  Your knowledge of the right processes to deal with these various issues is extensive.  Thanks. 

One thing I would like to add about heavy metal coatings in general and galvanize in particular, is that we as end users or workers with products involving heavy metal coatings do not "Know" what exactly the coatings are made of.  Assuming that they are only zinc, even when that may be the only metal mentioned on the packaging, if there is any, is very dangerous, since the whitish powdered oxides of all these metals look very similar.  Moreover, it is not safe to assume that for-profit companies dealing in products that have coatings on them, will always be ethical in choosing the sources of these products.  Just my 2 cents.

I have worked in chem labs professionally, doing wet analysis for traces of lead in "Food-grade" sulfuric acids, as is government mandated, because 450 parts per million of lead4 oxide, ingested by a human being, will over a short period of time kill him.  And the lead does not get flushed out of a living person.  So ingestion of it is cumulative.  As an example, handling weathered galvanized pipe barehanded for an hour, then eating a sandwich without thoroughly washing the hands in soapy water, then rinsing, will allow ingestion of several hundred parts per million of heavy metal oxides.  I cannot in good conscience have not gone into this rant, so cannot say sorry for going on about this, because in fact the very devil is in the details.  If you've read all this, thanks.

I've got 3 historical events I can relate on this topic that goes back 1000 years, each of which describes the horrifying deaths of 10s of people.

No question, anything, and everything you feel like imparting, would be gratefully received here.

Is that workbench frame solid Knotty-Yellow Pine?  Wow.  Look at all those grinding belts...  Er.. whet stones?

Zachary, I Grew up in North-Western Indiana; It was full of Red, White, Pin, Burr Oak, Sycamore and Sassafras trees.   North Central Indiana means East of LaPorte, and west of Napanee, right?  I gotta believe there's some burl available from a local mill out of some of those tree species.  Though I haven't seen Oak used much for knives.  Maybe some Walnut or Hickory burl?  Some of the big branches off of an 80ft. Red Oak gotta have strong decent figure in it.  Good luck.  I enjoy your posts.  Want to see lots more of these so-so knives from you.  Thanks.

Do you see the rubber-housed tubing under the front opening of the press?  What happens when a piece of yellow hot steel hits and sits on it?

Raindrop is such a beautiful pattern, I've looked at your pics here several times.  Maybe make 1 large drop point Chefs knife out of it, using just convex bevel grinding to preserve the pattern.  Maybe only a 40 or 50% grind.  Maybe use some nice well defined straight grained hardwood on the handle, like old yellow pine  with close dark growth rings.  Zebra wood is also like that.  Just a couple of thoughts.

When I was 1 or 2 years younger than I am now, I made galvanize steel at Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. (Now defunct)  It was a summer job, in that I was an engineering student at Purdue U. at the time.  1962, I think.  Turns out that hot galvanizing liquid is actually a 700 degree solution of more than 3 metals.  It's mostly lead(the fumes of which will kill you), and also zinc and aluminum.  I know this because I was the kid who had to keep throwing the ingots of the various metals into the vat.  There's a chemical term, called vapor pressure, which means (if it were water)the steam rising from off the surface of the simmering liquid.  Only these are the vapors given off the 'heavy metals' as they are melted almost to their boiling point.  Minor exposure to Zinc vapors won't kill you, but they will make you sick.  Aluminum vapors are the sneaky ones.  Breathing those fumes won't leave obvious symptoms, but ongoing, we don't know the long-lasting effects.

So please, don't work directly with lead coated metals.  Lead forms an instantaneous layer of lead2 and lead4 oxides, (that's the white-ish coating you see on older galvanized stuff) ..  Don't even work in enclosed spaces where solid lead has been sitting open for a few weeks.

Every time that 10Hp motor kicks in, the torque could roll the whole works on its casters.  Maybe fixed legs that are welded to the base would be more stable.

Beautifully executed.  

The damascas is not overstated. 

Have to watch who touches it, some are alergic to the oils in coco. 

Knife on one side of the belt, Colt on the other.  Xxxx, its unreal.

Exquisite

We all know these fishermen don't live in Arizona, cause there're no places to fish in that state.  Lake Meade doesn't count.

Fabulous, working knives.  I'm jealous, envious, etc...

Sweet.  Newbie question:  Can it be used safely in the kitchen with that bluing on it?

Beautiful raindrop pattern.  I Like the downward curving handle.  Pinned handle, so I'm guessing full tang, very durable.  Can I ask what steels you used?  It would have to be 2 of the stainless alloys, right?  This knife is for taking to the stream.  Gut the fish on the spot.  Then back into the sheath wet.  Now stream water is a little higher ph, Colorado trout can't deal with acidity in their water.  Regular carbon steel will rust out there, so W2 and 15n20, guessing?  xxxx, never thought about this before; I love to fish too.  So, if I'm going to make anything for fishing, what are my options?

Thanks for all the forge pics.  Very instructive, inspirational.  No way I would have understood how you did it without the visual aids.  Man what a process.  At first I wanted to ask you how long it took.  Then I thought, "as long as it takes."  2 tries or 12.  So what.  The result was worth it.  The veggie chops just put the icing on the whole beauty of the knife.  I love xxxx that works.

On 1/7/2019 at 2:30 PM, rhitee93 said:

I'd call that a win.  What did you use to make the center cut?

The only nit-pick I'd throw out is that the handle doesn't quite live up to the steel.

Great looking piece of work none the less.

I believe the handle perfectly compliments the blade, doesn't overshadow or detract.  Very nice work.

Boiled Linseed Oil(BLO) doesn't dry by evaporation, unless some thinner is added before use.  It oxidizes to a soft finish over a period of days.  I've used it for furniture wood health for decades, since woods take it into their pores somewhat, keeping the woods from drying out.

I can understand why it works to inhibit rust, as it not only seals a steel surface, it probably takes any oxygen out of the steel's surface "pores".  But I've found that BLO softens significantly when heated over 90 or so degrees F.  

Sorry if I'm repeating what others might have already said.  Just my 2-cents.

I've also used rags like cheesecloth dampened with BlO, left for a couple of hours in the open air to get sticky, then bagged them in ziplock bags to stop the oxidation process.  They make great "tack rags", for removing dust from everything.  Putting them back in the recloseable bags keeps them sticky for years.

I never use any petroleum-based oils(like 3 in 1 oil) to coat any metals.  They all contain enough sulfur to promote rapid rust on steel surfaces left in the open air.

And lastly, of course, I never leave any rags, or other porous materials that have been soaked with BLO in enclosed room-sized spaces.  The oxidation process of curing BLO to a hard surface is exothermic, having caused building fires historically.  There isn't enough surface area on any hardwood furniture I've coated with BLO for it to cause a fire problem.

Truly beautiful.  And I'll bet it'll be also all kinds of functional.  Never make the perfect knife.  Then we'd not see any more works like this one.  Thanks.

That is so amazing, One day that piece of art could be a thousand years old.  How difficult was that W2 to forge?