Jonathan Smidt Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Hey all, so I'm new to this, I've taken a few blacksmithing courses, and about 6 hours of basic bladesmithing (as well as watching videos/reading books.) I just finished my first ever attempt at a knife, 1084 steel, with inlace acrylester as the handle (bought from texasknife). Any who, I have it now near my forge, as a reminder of my starting point, and while I feel I learned some lessons as I worked on it, I'm curious what noticeable issues there are that I should focus on fixing, and any/all tips on how to go about doing that would be greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will W. Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 I like the design. I can see where you were going with it. I think your bevels are much too short. Unless what i am seeing is just a secondary bevel. They are also quite wobbly, not following the edge truly. This can be seen in the plunge line. Look into draw filing to improve both of these aspects. You also have no ricasso on the blade, the perpendicular step should help keep your hand away from the edge, but IMO, the only time a blade should not have a ricasso is when it has a guard. Personally, i dont like seeing hammer marks and pits in blades, it can be pulled off correctly, but usually i just think it looks sloppy and incomplete. Mostly, this is all opinion. But you asked for my critique . Oh, yes, when you take photos of your blades, try to chose plain, mono colored backgrounds that do not reflect light, and with good natural lighting. The countertop you used is too busy and reflective, it draws the eye away from the piece that it should be focusing on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 I second everything @Will W. said, with the additional note that, so far as the finish of your knife goes, you can either leave part of it as-forged and the rest polished smooth, or grind the whole thing even, with no forging irregularities remaining. Either way is legitimate, but halfway in between just looks sloppy, like you couldn't be bothered to finish what you started. Good start, and I look forward to seeing your next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latticino Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Couple of other points of constructive criticism: Good rule for beginner knife makers is to "forge thick and grind thin" That will help with your hammer marks. You can also work on keeping scale off your billet with a good butcher block brush, proper forge atmosphere and "wet" forging for the final passes. You didn't mention how your heat treatment went, and that is one of the essential, relatively invisible, parts of knife making without which you only have a KSO in my opinion. You blade exhibits somewhat profound sabering. That is fine when it is intentional, but for many beginners that is just a side effect of forging in the bevels and becomes somewhat of a hallmark of a new bladesmith. I recommend that you design the blade in advance (at least the general profile) and make a concerted effort to forge to a specific shape. I know this is your first effort (and a good one), but this is for your improvement as you move forward. There are several ways to address this. I most often precurve the profile towards the edge before forging the bevels. In addition to the adhesive holding your handle slabs on, I like to see a mechanical joint (rivet or thru tang). In fact my most recent completed knife has the slabs only riveted on (Keesler style) and It seems to hold up extremely well. In any case riveting on scales is a skill that should be learned. I also agree that for this type of blade a defined ricasso and plunge line makes the knife look a lot more professional, but they certainly aren't necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Smidt Posted November 10, 2017 Author Share Posted November 10, 2017 Thanks everyone! I really appreciate your comments and critiques, and will do my best to put them all into being as I move forward! (I'll also start taking pictures on a better background, my apologies on the busy background!). As for the heat treat of the blade, that went really well, I didn't get any warpage or bends, and I tempered it in my oven as I'd read was supposed to happen, so that part at least was a success (though I doubt the wife was happy I was using the oven in the house....) With regards to the sabering...that was not intentional in the beginning...as I was working the blade it started to curve...so I just kind of embraced that and went. That being said, I have been working on a second knife, and just as you mentioned, I have started drawing up the design of the blade (I got a chalkboard in my forge area now, so I can draw up a profile, and look at it as I work!) With regards to mechanical joints, I do not have a drill press yet, but I do have a power drill and bits....would it work if I tried to drill holes through my tang while it was still slightly hot (and before the heat treat), so that I can get through it? I was thinking I could punch some small holes into the tang while forging, then drill through those with my drill bits, for my full tang handles. Also, is there a way to decrease initial hammer blows/pits, is it a matter of improving my hammering techniques? And I will definitely look into draw filing for the bevels! (For this blade I just used the forge, my angle grinder, and a lot of elbow grease with sand paper haha....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latticino Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 20 minutes ago, Jonathan Smidt said: With regards to mechanical joints, I do not have a drill press yet, but I do have a power drill and bits....would it work if I tried to drill holes through my tang while it was still slightly hot (and before the heat treat), so that I can get through it? I was thinking I could punch some small holes into the tang while forging, then drill through those with my drill bits, for my full tang handles. I wouldn't drill while the blank is still hot. If you know how, you can always hot punch, but it seems a lot of extra effort to punch a really small hole to me. Personally I like annealing the blank after final forging (heat to non-magnetic and bury in either wood ash or vermiculite), then an overnight soak in white vinegar to remove scale. That will make it a piece of cake to drill rivet holes and help with your draw filing as well. Then normalize and quench after you have the blade fully shaped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will W. Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 I drilled the rivet holes in one of my knives with a *hand drill* so yes, a power drill will work, but expect it to be slower than a press. Annealing will help with drilling as well. I also agree with Latticino, dont drill while it is hot. I expect all that would do is ruin your bits. Decreasing hammer marks and pits is a matter of technique and hammer control, yes. (But keep in mind, even the best bladesmiths need to grind on their blades.) After the rough forging is done, i like to go over the entire blade with a 1.5 lb hammer using light but precise blows to get it roughly evened out. After that, you can take a bar of mild steel flat stock, place it on top of the hot knife and strike away. The anvil acts as a bottom swage while the bar acts as a top swage, flattening the steel. Then its off to the grinder! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 As an amusing Friday note: the forge thick and grind thin is mentioned in Moxon's "Mechanicks Exercises" published in 1703. One question; the curve of the blade, looks good but was it intended or just a happy result of forging in the bevels? (If not intended do you know know how to deal with that while forging?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Smidt Posted November 10, 2017 Author Share Posted November 10, 2017 8 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: One question; the curve of the blade, looks good but was it intended or just a happy result of forging in the bevels? (If not intended do you know know how to deal with that while forging?) I was originally going for a curved camp knife design in my mind....but as I started workint thr bevel and it started to curve more...I just embraced it. As for fixing it, I know it was mentioned above I can put in a countrr bend before hand. that should straighten it out as I work the bevel correct?? And Will, thanks for that, I will definitely give those techniques a try to get more level and cleaner blades!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 I prefer to: while HOT, place the spine on the anvil and *tap* the edge forcing the blade to straighten. I generally use my hammer; but have done it with a chunk of wood when I was worried about the edge getting messed up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latticino Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 6 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: I prefer to: while HOT, place the spine on the anvil and *tap* the edge forcing the blade to straighten. I generally use my hammer; but have done it with a chunk of wood when I was worried about the edge getting messed up. I use this technique as well, but it is a bit more advanced. One additional trick when using this technique is to let your blade edge rest on the anvil for a short count to cool it a little before flipping it over and hammering as Thomas suggests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will W. Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 6 minutes ago, Latticino said: I use this technique as well, but it is a bit more advanced. One additional trick when using this technique is to let your blade edge rest on the anvil for a short count to cool it a little before flipping it over and hammering as Thomas suggests. Better yet is if you have a piece of cold thick steel that you have not been forging on. It will draw the heat out of the edge faster and leave your spine hotter for straightening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Smidt Posted November 10, 2017 Author Share Posted November 10, 2017 So glad I joined this forum, you guys are amazing!! Also, getting ready to head to my forge...had to make a quick stop.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 24 minutes ago, Jonathan Smidt said: So glad I joined this forum, you guys are amazing!! Also, getting ready to head to my forge...had to make a quick stop.... Unless you're already made it to the checkout counter, you can also let your turkey-frying friends that you'll accept donations of used fryer oil after Thanksgiving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Smidt Posted November 10, 2017 Author Share Posted November 10, 2017 quench done....omw home to temper, will still finish this blade...but after getting all the tips etc in here, I know there is a lot I could have done differently in the forging process for it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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