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I Forge Iron

First forged knife!


mrkiddi

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hey there mrkiddi,
just joined the forum and this is my first post. i'm quite new to bladesmithing myself and wanted to complement you on a great looking knife. looks way better than my first one. well done sir :)

Welcome to the Forum :) i can tell you that you will learn Alot here and everyone is willing to help!. and thank you for the compliment!.
maybe you can post a picture of your knife on this forum? i would love to see how you are starting out! ;)
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yes, very good for a first!
but, why no pins or rivets?.
the epoxy will probably never come undone but there is always a chance.
i like epoxy but if my joints aren't perfect odd color lines result.that is why i made my first knife without any glues just to test the strength of the blade without it. but back to yours. was this your first knife ever? because it has a good shape, which many peoples first do not. also do you intend to put a finish on the grip? how did you heat treat it, and what are the demensions?
lots of questions but i just gotta know :D

Ed Steinkirchner

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hey there mrkiddi,
just joined the forum and this is my first post. i'm quite new to bladesmithing myself and wanted to complement you on a great looking knife. looks way better than my first one. well done sir :)


Welcome aboard, glad to have you!

If you'll include your general location in your header you'll likely be pleasantly surprised at who you'll find close enough to you to show you some smithing. It'll also save us old farts from relying on our memories for who's in the neighborhood when we're traveling and want a snack or place to nap.

Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure "Newbie" is about used up. How's about a name? Not required but it's sure nice to know who you're blaming something on. :rolleyes:

Frosty the Lucky
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yes, very good for a first!
but, why no pins or rivets?.
the epoxy will probably never come undone but there is always a chance.
i like epoxy but if my joints aren't perfect odd color lines result.that is why i made my first knife without any glues just to test the strength of the blade without it. but back to yours. was this your first knife ever? because it has a good shape, which many peoples first do not. also do you intend to put a finish on the grip? how did you heat treat it, and what are the demensions?
lots of questions but i just gotta know :D

Ed Steinkirchner


i just couldn't get a good strategy to drill holes for pins, the metal was too strong and i once tried to punch a hole through but the pin broke :rolleyes:. this was not my first knife but it is my first forged knife :) .
i put oil on the wood and it came out pretty well,
the grip is good but it's not for swinging, decent cutting knife.
i heated the knife to bright yellow and waited for
it to turn cherry red and then dipped it in oil.
then i heated it again with a torch but just the backside and dipped it in water.
it holds a fairly good edge and looks wonderful!.
the Blade is 13cm (5 inches) and the thickness spans out from 0,5mm to 0,4 mm the tip is 0,2mm. the handle is
11,5cm(4,5inches) and the thickness is 2,4cm(0,94 inches). im really happy with the knife!. i have had a passion for knifes since i was a little boy. im glad you like it :P
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Darned nice first knife! What kind of wood is the handle?

Well done.

Frosty the Lucky

it's nothing fancy, my brother is a Carpenter and when i consulted with him he gave me a piece of wood and oil...it's not very strong but it doesn't chip. a good quality when it comes to Handles in my opinion. i didn't ask but i sure will the next time i meet him :) and thank you for the compliment!
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was the hardening carried into the tang? because if you draw the temper from the tang you should be able to drill the holes. also you should only heat the blade to critical when hardening because if you get it hotter and let it cool to hardening temp grain growth will weaken the blade. but like i said before very nice work, keep it up!

Ed Steinkirchner

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When you're hardening you really need to catch critical temp on the rise, NOT exceed it and wait till it cools to quench, that allows excessive grain growth and no matter how you temper it, it's likely to be more brittle than you want in a utility knife. On the up side, spring steel is a lot more forgiving of heat treat mistakes.

Get a good magnet, cow magnets work really well. Slowly heat the tool steel, whatever you're hardening, and as it starte gaining mid red heat, start checking with the magnet. As soon as the magnet won't stick quench it. Cow magnets are pill sized strong magnets you feed cattle to clean any steel or iron from their gut, bailing wire, old nails, lawn tractor parts, etc.

Frosty the Lucky

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When you're hardening you really need to catch critical temp on the rise, NOT exceed it and wait till it cools to quench, that allows excessive grain growth and no matter how you temper it, it's likely to be more brittle than you want in a utility knife. On the up side, spring steel is a lot more forgiving of heat treat mistakes.

Get a good magnet, cow magnets work really well. Slowly heat the tool steel, whatever you're hardening, and as it starte gaining mid red heat, start checking with the magnet. As soon as the magnet won't stick quench it. Cow magnets are pill sized strong magnets you feed cattle to clean any steel or iron from their gut, bailing wire, old nails, lawn tractor parts, etc.

Frosty the Lucky

Will do:)
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