Blood Groove

Thanks rmcpb.

I'm making a roughly 12 inch knife out of 1095 steel and have put a lot of work in it. I'd like to know what your most reliable ways of treating 1095 are and if maybe you have any tips that would prevent warping or cracking. I've already had one successful bowie knife made from 1095, but I'd always like to learn more about heat treating. Thanks a lot. :D

I'm in a blacksmithing apprenticeship and I'm trying to make a knife from a crow bar. My idea is to have a super sturdy knife that has the pry head of a crow bar on the butt of the knife. That would make it good for prying (which knives are usually used for but don't axcel at). Anyway I've tried twice to make one, and both knives have cracked in heat treating. DOes anyone know what type of steel crow bars are made out of (I was using a craftsman) and if so how to heat treat them? We were using a salt water solution, would oil have been better? Any info will help, thanks -Blood Groove

Thanks for that info. Yeah I went to work on another knife today, and my teacher said that when a crow bar is heat treated, you don't have to get it that hot at all. Only like 1400 degrees or soemthing. Hey I've got a question for you. Are you of Irish descent? Becuase my last name is Powers too, and my great grandfather was born in Ireland. It's funny my middle name is Thomas too! Man that's weird.

Yes, actually I've read that. It's more of a strength thing (think of the designe of an "I" beam) instead of a providing a space for the blood to flow out thing. Thanks though, I do think it's a really cool name haha.

Thanks! That's a very interresting piece of information. I'm definitely going to give that a try for my next knife.

Ah I can see that mistake being made. Well, no worries, I really consider it a compliment that you thought I was in the military I did name myself Blood Groove after the one in my Ka-bar though. haha

Well I thank you for your service in the Marine Corps. I'll always respect someone who's served their country. I'm kind of embarrassed to say that I wasn't in the military. What was it I said that made you think I was in the service?

Hi. I had a designe for a knife, and it incorperated the pry head of a crow bar as the butt of the knife. I had been making it for about a month, and then I got to the heat treating. Saddly the knife broke during this process. That stuff is hard! We didn't even get it up the the critical temperature when we put it in the water to treat it, but it broke anyway. Usually we heat treat in oil, but were experamenting with a salt water. This was also an old Crow bar. Probably made in America:D So my question is do any of you know what metal it might have been made from, and if so how do you harden that metal. We were thinking that it might have been an air hardened steel or something. Any info on this is going to help with my next attempt. Thanks.

Hi. I'm a knife nut basically. I love reading about them, collecting them, and desinging them. I am currently a Black Smith's apprentice. He's mostly teaching me how to make knives though. I've already made a nice 11 3/4th inch bowie knife. It's make out of 1095 high carbon spring steel, and has a brass guard with a black walnut handle. I'm basically here to read what more experienced people have to say about things. Thanks.