November 18, 200916 yr Hello: Well my latest experiment on making steel turned out pretty good...This was done from taconite pellets and magnatite sand using direct reduction in a hardwood charcoal beehive smelt. The resulting bloom was refined and welded back to itself..I figure by doing what I did the "layer count" is in the 100,000 range. This was oil quenched and the results are as pictured...this blade is about 3/4 polished. I am doing a hybrid polish using abrasives and reagent etches. The Hamon has a good deal of activity in it and you can see the very fine Hada from the refining of the bloom. This is a section of a Kobuse blade that I am doing for a gentleman in Southern California...I am working on another one for my website from the same bloom...this one will be posted once it ios done and I get the furniture in from my art foundry... Hope the photos turn out. The Hada is best seen in the photo of the kissaki..Hopefully the rest of the blade will display the same degree of Hada as the kissaki does... All in all I say this one turned out OK..for an olde fogey working in his garage JPH Edited November 18, 200916 yr by JPH
November 19, 200916 yr JPH - that is really nice. I am fascinated by you guys who are able to smelt the stuff yourself. It seems to be the ultimate in understanding your material, and just plain cool. thanks also. kc
November 19, 200916 yr Author Kevin: It really isn't all that hard to do..just requires the time space and at the least understanding neighbors..Lucky for me I am not that close to anyone else and besides, when you use hardwood charcoal it smells like you are having a cookout...which by the way I did for lunch that day...No sense in letting a good mesquite charcoal fire go to waste right??? Smelting you own iron and making steel is the way it was done for centuries and centuries if you were a blacksmith. Trade of iron/steel bars came later on..so it really isn't all that unusual when you start to really delve into it. I will say every time I do it I learn something new...My next one I am going to try a tatara-esque design and see what happens... JPH
November 20, 200916 yr JHP, I need some definitions, sorry. Hada? It that the watered pattern behind the harmon? Kissaki is the point portion, but I am confused if that is the specific shape or a general term. Google is only so helpful. Wonderful pictures and detail. Thanks for sharing Phil
November 20, 200916 yr Author PK: The Hada is the grain visible in the surface of the steel..you are correct there...This can be seens as "layers" as in mokumegane (Wood metal) or as little "flecks" like is seen in the photos. The Hada is also visible ever so slightly in the hamon but there is so much more "going on in there" that it is almost obscured. The Kissaki is the point, you are also correct on that...you are on the right track so not to worry. Alway feel free to ask anyone here any questions you have, I am sure that no one would mind...I know I don't... JPH
December 3, 200916 yr That is a lovley blade ,did you use Borax during the welding up or a more traditional paper slurry method ? I love the Hada . All the best Owen
December 4, 200916 yr Author actually I really didn;t need that much flux as the stuff just stuck together pretty well on its own for the first three welds...after that I need to flux and then I used my steel glue.... JPH
December 4, 200916 yr I'll be the rude one. How much are you gonna sell this thing for? It's amazing.
December 5, 200916 yr Author Hello: This one in particular was made for a gentleman in Pasadena, California...so it already has a home....I just finished it today..will post pics of the finished sword sometime tomorrow once I get the right lighting.. JPH
December 6, 200916 yr Author Hello: Well the sword it done....here are some pics of the mounts..He wanted an "Ice Dragon" theme and well it took a while to get the colours right om the siya but I think I got the idea and the motif down pretty well... Silver and gold tsuba and kashirae, ice blue/grey silk over white rayskin with a silver dragon menuki...this is now on its way to its new owner.. JPH
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