BayardStrachan Posted July 1, 2022 Share Posted July 1, 2022 Finished filing the bevels on my first knife. It's going to hopefully end up a puukko style knife, wasn't intending a full grind, but I screwed up the plunge lines so I had to file further up to hide it. Need to heat treat it now, it's made out of a Nichols file, any ideas how to heat treat it? I have left it very thick because I am terrified of melting the edge in my coal forge thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted July 1, 2022 Share Posted July 1, 2022 Heat if to a point where a magnet will not stick to it (about medium red, usually) and then quench it in vegtable oil. Plain old cooking oil from the supermarket will do (whatever is the cheapest). Then, with a file or grinder get it down to to bare metal and use a propane torch or above the fire in your forge to temper it. I like a differential temper where you heat from the spine and let the colors run across the blade. Stop (quench) when the edge is about straw color and the spine is blue. It takes kind of a delicate touch and you might want to practice on a similar size and shape of mild steel until you get a feel for the technique. You can practice multiple times with the same practice piece, just polish, grind, or file the tempering colors off and do it again. If you heat slowly and keep your eye on the colors in the forge fire you should not have a problem with burning the edge. You can use the same practice piece to practice heating the final piece. BTW, if you overheat a piece of steel you will burn it, creating lots of sparks, not melt it. Try to do so with a thin rod or piece of steel wire (like a coat hanger) so that you know what over heating looks like. Good luck. IMO the forging and heat treating of a knife are the easy parts but the fussy work of polishing and making and fitting a hilt and guard are the tedious parts. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayardStrachan Posted July 1, 2022 Share Posted July 1, 2022 Ok thanks, planning on giving it a shot tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 1, 2022 Share Posted July 1, 2022 As it's winter down there, preheat the oil to around 140 deg *F* / 60 C and draw temper IMMEDIATELY after hardening! To avoid burning the edge you can take a piece of black pipe, (non-galvanized), close off one end and bury it in the hot coals and make a muffle furnace. Add some powdered charcoal as an O2 scavenger and place the blade edge up in it and watch while it heats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted July 1, 2022 Share Posted July 1, 2022 I like the shape of that knife, pretty nice. Made a pitch fork by request from my aunt, or at least tried. Did not take in account the difference in length from the middle 2 tines with the outer ones. 2 pieces of 3/8" round, bent in the middle (that is where i made my mistake) welded the bent ends and drew out. Should have drew out the ends of the bars then folded the middle ones a bit shorter than the outer. Anyway figuered out the process will try and grind, cut, weld, trim, file, etc. to get the ends even. And some straightening of course. About 95* out today so i am done for the day. Overall happy just figuring out the process really. I did use the stick welder a little at the junction where the bars come together just to keep from making a weak spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayardStrachan Posted July 2, 2022 Share Posted July 2, 2022 Thanks Billy I had to scrap trying to heat treat it today, as I noticed that the tip wasn't centered and one side was more filed that the other. It just made it looked warped when you looked down it. I decided to fix it now, rather that post HT when the steel would be harder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rojo Pedro Posted July 2, 2022 Share Posted July 2, 2022 Super nice fork Billy. Most impressive. Its been a few weeks but got home early enough to make a couple hooks. I am really happy with the square corner. Was fun and hope to get at lease one more session this weekend (wifes out of town) thanks for looking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted July 2, 2022 Share Posted July 2, 2022 Adding gifts for the step daughter… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 2, 2022 Share Posted July 2, 2022 Oh MY Charles, you sure want folks to know she's part of the family don't you?!?! Nice looking brands. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 2, 2022 Share Posted July 2, 2022 Finished the grill; drilled one end of the bars and then marked where the frame would hit the other end. Heated and forged the marked end flat. I had already drilled all the mounting holes in the frame and so was able to stick a drill bit up from the bottom and with a rivet placed at the other end scribe where the hole in the frame would hit and then center punch and drill the corresponding hole. Rivetted it all together using 8 penny bright nails for rivets; then went to the belt grinder and ground off any overlaps to the outside of the frame. The grill fit and we cooked hamburgers on it already so I'm good to go on the fourth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted July 2, 2022 Share Posted July 2, 2022 Outstanding TP. Jerry, I think she intends to mark her property. Her Dad and I have to hold cris down… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 2, 2022 Share Posted July 2, 2022 How about one done in Old English Black Text? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted July 2, 2022 Share Posted July 2, 2022 Doable, but I think it will smear… might have to do a multi piece set Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wandering_R0gue Posted July 2, 2022 Share Posted July 2, 2022 Mostly finished my first HC knife today. Heat treatment and final sharpening pending . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Shears Posted July 2, 2022 Share Posted July 2, 2022 Work from yesterday, I volunteer at a local historical site/conservation area. A couple of years ago I was asked to make a trivet for open hearth cooking. I couldn't quite come up with a pattern that my skills were capable of until lately. When Thomas posted his find at a scrapyard, I took a guess on its' size and used that as a starting point. I used 1/2 inch square wrought iron by 14 inch lengths salvaged from a diamond harrow. The WIP image shows how I set up for my second weld. I lashed the third piece in place with safety wire. That gave me less to worry about than a dropped tongs weld. The finished picture shows the trivet sitting next to a printout (8 1/2 by 11 sheet) of Thomas' 27 March post. I didn't realize until I'd finished that there's a boot heel print (by the lower left leg) in the image Thomas provided that now provides a better idea of the size of his found trivet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 Looks good Thomas, what you grilling for the 4th? Post pics if you would please Charles. Agreed, we don't want any smears on Cris so pin him good. Will Cris's brand be G rated? Your trivet came out nicely Don, well done. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad J. Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 Made several basket hooks today, I've got the number I want for my both at the craft show now so I'll move on to the next set of items. This was fun to see though. I tend to give my gf stuff that I make, my first rose, and apparently I gave her a couple leaf rings when I first started making them. Check out this progression, I was actually shocked at how clearly I progressed on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 Nice, how much do the baskets hold? You're working them a little too hot or not brushing hard enough. You're getting pretty good at leaves. Keep it up, you're getting better fast. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad J. Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 Well, I've hung off of one of the big hooks... these are just basket twist s hooks, I went with 1/4 inch for the twist and 3/8 for the ends. I drew out the center after I welded them and squared them off. I'm happy with the look. I sold several last week when I did a demonstration so I decided to make more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 7 hours ago, Wandering_R0gue said: first HC knife today WR, looks really good for a first! I’m assuming you’re going to smooth the bevels out some more. That’s just a little constructive criticism, overall I really like the style. How’s it feel in the hand? Keep it Fun, David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalfgreen Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 Everyones work looks amazing. First time in 20 plus years bunch of family in town. No forge time for me yet. Keep up the eccellent work. Maybe tomorrow light the forge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jobtiel1 Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 Been doing some more axe making, practicing my forge welds at the same time. A 1.5 kg head and 70 cm handle, nice forest axe size. Used a piece of wagon tyre, not WI, and leaf spring to forge the axe. ~Jobtiel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 Thomas, i am kind of jealous of that grill. Did you also make the stand it is on? Also what is that under it with the hammer head? I am assuming some kind of ash dump? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 Don; I've made that type of trivet in multiple sizes---before I had even found the "antique one". I have tended to use strap 1/2" x 1/4" for the smaller ones so the legs end up around 1/2" sq. (As the legs corrode more sitting in the ashes.) They are trivially simple once you get good at forge welding and bragging rights for doing it out of WI for the historic site! I tend to true them up by placing the top on a round of steel the correct height on a heavy steel plate and then adjusting the legs to hit the plate. Of course the originals for out door use were not too picky as you could bed them in the dirt to suit. That grill I picked up used at a thrift store about 40 years ago; it was all cast iron and has a ash door/draft control on the lower side and the top has a draft control for the outlet. We stopped buying charcoal and use only wood in it as you can control the fire with the two adjustors. Out here it's 100% mesquite. The cast iron heats up and the hamburgers cook fast as they are getting heat from top and bottom. The stand it's on is something from the scrapyard. It originally had pipe legs bolted on but it's getting old and frail so I wired it to the stand. Cast iron doesn't take falls well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 Guys is this cast iron? anvil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.