April 24, 20179 yr A further few points on using 52100 to make knives...it is tough, slow grinding (do not do heavy grinding that raises the steel to a red heat) - you will use up a few belts just getting thru the forging scale. Once you get the form grinding, harden and temper process finished and get a proper fine edge on the blade, the edge will hold up to some heavy abuse - a friend used one of my knives to skin and butcher a deer in Kentucky and did not need to stop to sharpen the blade once...he did screw up, however, when he did not completely clean the blade immediately when he was finished - deer blood left on the blade overnight left deep pits in the steel the next morning. 52100 is NOT stainless and will require periodic maintenance - it may not be the best choice of metal for a "survive-in-the-woods" situation.
April 24, 20179 yr Today I did the last risky move on the parang: the tang had got a curve while HT, and I had to straigthen it hot. - Looks like it's okay now. Made a special, long sheperd's axe head - I want to make several different patterns in the next few weeks. No picture right now, I want to finish it first. I made this candlestick a couple weeks ago. But just today got pictures of it:. Starting stock was 40mm dia mild steel, all stem work done with power hammer. Very difficult to photograph, you have to use your imagination to interpret the pictures It's not chubby but has got bottom weight,,,
April 25, 20179 yr On 4/22/2017 at 10:40 PM, littleblacksmith said: Today- Forged a large radius top fuller. Forged from 2" round (imagine forging the billet from that), all done with out a striker except for the last 2 heats which were to isolate the striking end and bit from the cheeks. Then forged what is probably the worst bolster plate! the part closest to the handle I will drill a 1/4" hole, 3/16", and 1/8". And will drift out a 1/4" square hole. its fine that its bad, because I probably wont use it much, I just made it because I didn't have one! Also forged a quick and dirty drawknife out of an old high carbon WI buggy spring. This will stay in my shop deffinantly! not good enough to leave!! Today was alright, not a bad day, but things didn't end up pretty, but functional, so that's good. Littleblacksmith Dang Littleblacksmith.. You are killing it.. You are progressing super fast.. Keep up the great work.. Glad you got something out of the hinge video..
April 26, 20179 yr Had a fascinating session with IFI members Dan/Latticino and Andrew/skyforgemetalworks, learning about hammer making.
April 26, 20179 yr 24 minutes ago, C-1ToolSteel said: Gonna show us the finished product? Here it is as forged, cooling on Dan's striking anvil (with a very tired Andrew in the background). I'll post another photo once it's been ground, heat treated, and handled.
April 28, 20179 yr Author man ranchmanben! and I thought the ones I made C-1 were nice! here is a pair of tongs I made to replace a not so good pair I had made early on. I gave the other pair to a guy who came and bought some coke today (we got another 2,000lbs in). Its amazing how excited people can get over trashy tools! Also finished that drawknife, and man it cuts! I didn't bother polishing the bevels to a high grit because it will stay in the shop and would just be a waste of time for me.
April 28, 20179 yr On 27/04/2017 at 0:39 AM, Ranchmanben said: Got a little time this afternoon to beat out a set of 3/8" bolt tongs Very good, I like the fresh and clean forging. I have often left "no nip" lumps on the ends of my reins which double as ring retainers, but not quite so elegant as yours. Is there a practical/process function for the shoulder/offset I have ringed, or purely the aesthetic function? Alan p.s. I have just looked at your other tong progression thread, and am now doubting my first interpretation of the image. I am not sure if what I am seeing is a joggle with a scratch or a shoulder! Whether the rein at the ringed point is coming towards me or going away! Could you post a photo of a 3/4 view of the jaws? Are there shoulders on both sides of the jaws...so the jaws come off the reins centrally. Or is the transition a joggle? Alan
April 28, 20179 yr Thanks LBS. That's a good looking pair of tongs and a mighty nice looking draw knife! 7 hours ago, Alan Evans said: Are there shoulders on both sides of the jaws...so the jaws come off the reins centrally. Thank you Alan, I didn't really need this set of tongs but I like making them. That ring is how I do my offset. I'd seen it done similarly on Riley Kirkpatrick's tongs and decide to incorporate it into mine.
April 28, 20179 yr All is clear...it is a joggle...the play of light in your other photo puzzled me. Thanks for the illumination! On one of his videos, Clifton Ralph has a tool with a series of profiles as a bottom block on his power hammer which enables him to produce cross-chops / bolt tongs in one heat! Very cunning. Worth a look even for those without a power hammer, to get some insights into efficiency. Thanks again for the new photo. Alan
April 28, 20179 yr I'll check that out. I haven't got a power hammer but I'm always looking for ways to make things easier.
April 29, 20179 yr Looking great, you have really made it your own. Like the terracing in the peen section, bet the limited annealing we did helped make it softer to enable that . Make sure you radius the end of the peen to where you want it before heat treat.
April 30, 20179 yr Bit of an unusual project: my mechanic asked me to burn the number of his camp into a rough-cut board. Considering how well he keeps me stocked with axles and springs, I was happy to oblige. Didn't make any special branding iron; just used the end of a length of 1/4" x 3/4" bar.
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