Jasent Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 I would agree. I believe this was 8 strand 1/8” wire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 Thanks all. JHCC I like the 6 strand idea. It would fill up some of the uneven spacing between each strand. I was worried about one of them breaking off so I quit tweaking them to be even while I was ahead. In drawing out the upper portion (twice) I lost a lot of the material on the end of one of the strands to scale. I initially planned for it to hold two candles, branching out at the top in either direction with pretty much the same holder style at either end. However, quite recklessly I'll admit, I forgot to meditate for several hours prior to making my forge welds at the strike of midnight, and I unfortunately I was facing south-southeast at the time. So I experienced some.. *ahem* delamination. The likes of which I was unable to get to weld back together. So I chopped off the top and made do with the material I had left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 I bet you forgot to use the Magic Welding Hammer, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
671jungle Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 Ginkgo leaf from railroad spike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 Jasent, that looks really nice! I think starting out with a thin round stock (like you did) would save me a lot of time, considering I started with a railroad spike.. Inefficient? Yes. Still fun? absolutely. JHCC, I knew I was forgetting something! Now where did I leave that thing.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KYCATS Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 Hammered out a few leaves. These are for some roses I'm making for valentine's day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsoldat Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 Finished up my second Serbian chefs knife today. Piece of 5160 and mahogany, maybe, for the scales. Wood came from a box full of scraps of a recently passed friend. Came out much lighter than the first which has birch scales. First one has already gone to it's new home and second soon to follow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 Finished this the other day. Every time I make a knife I am reminded of why I don't like making knives, so much file work and hand sanding (I don't have a grinder yet). I do however like to carry things that I make, so it's worth the time. Walnut handle, copper pins, started with an old Simonds square file I picked up from a tool thrift shop by me for $1. I love that place, very inexpensive second hand stuff. Full disclosure, I am not a bladesmith, but I do appreciate the handwork and time they put in to make nice blades like yours Michael. Heat treatment went well. It's about 6.25" overall length, pretty small to fit nicely in one of my leg pockets. I also finished this poker last week for my mom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virusds Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 I love the knife. Im new to blacksmithing, only been doing it for a little over a year now, and i am still not very great at it. I like to make knifes more than anything so i really love that one especially knowing that it was ground down with hand tools. Also how did you make the pattern on the fire poker? I understand that you twist is right then left but the twist lines keep running through the entire peices and i was wondering how you accomplished that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 Thanks! It seems we are in the same boat then haha. Well minus the knife maker part, but that's just a matter of preference. You are likely far more patient than me. Unfortunately, there is no medal for doing things by hand. Simply for the sake of efficiency I'll get a belt grinder at some point, it has just been a lower priority considering I don't really need it all too often. For the poker, I forge with coal so I just heated up one section (about the size you see in the twists) at a time and like you said, alternated the direction of the twist. When heating the next section I tried to have just a little bit of the end of the previous twist at a dull red, so it kind of smoothed that transition from one direction to the other. Then I straightened everything with my handy dandy wooden hammer (a hand sized piece of 4x4) to protect the look of the twists. Also just a recommendation, cut yourself a little extra material than you think you'll need (I used a coil spring because I have a near infinite supply), square everything up and start making the poke-y end first, working back from there. The first time I tried it, I misjudged how much material I'd need and ended up making it too flimsy in trying to get the length I was looking for. Better to have a little extra on the end and cut it off than have too little and get stuck. To add insult to injury, I broke the leaf on the end off while working on the middle because I did things out of order. I always learn some ways not to do something along the way. Just important as when it goes well haha as I'm sure you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasent Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 11 hours ago, Frazer said: Jasent, that looks really nice! I think starting out with a thin round stock (like you did) This video is how I did mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 I belong to a historical re-enactment group and you do get bragging rights for doing things in a historical way; but folks are still not willing to pay for the time involved. I made myself a friction folder, # 309 in "Knives and Scabbards, Museum of London" that dated to 12th or 13th century and did it all by hand. I remember working on the sides for 6 hours using a natural stone immersed in a tray of water; then etching in hot salt and vinegar and then patinating with a strong tea solution---for the tannin as I was lacking a peat bog. Handle was hand worked boxwood (works a lot like Al with hand tools without gears!) Ended up with a quite plain looking knife; EXACTLY what I was going for as it was a medieval EDC for a smith and not a fantasy piece for a king. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 Thomas, that is quite impressive, I'm sure it was more of a labor of love than an expectation of large profits on the other side (by all accounts much of the trade is that way to one extent or another). I would say bragging rights are well deserved for that particular case. I'm sure it is a reminder of the craftsmanship and ingenuity of the people of that time. And also of the reasons why people were always looking for ways to do things more efficiently. Not to sit here and glorify the "days of old" and such. If they had a grinder or a CNC or whatever in their shops I am sure many of them would have fired that bad boy up in a heartbeat. I on the other hand, sat at the counter for I don't even know how long (took me about 2 weeks of working on little bits at a time) making little piles of shavings, dust and spent sandpaper also to just make myself a simple little tool I'll get plenty of use out of. Not to be historically accurate (I was not by any stretch of the imagination), but just to make do with what I have available to me at this point. Besides what else do I have to do? Making things is fun, even when its tedious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 I did my first couple of knives with drawfiling and sandpaper. Then I did a couple with an angle grinder and a bench grinder. Then I got my 2x90 belt grinder and I'm NEVER GOING BACK!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 Actually while many of the techniques I used were accurate; having me do them and not an apprentice or journeyman was very ahistorical. In some ways it reminds me of a training exercise described as part of an OCS where the Trainee is given a Sargent and a platoon of soldiers and told to erect a large army tent. The correct answer is for him to say "Sargent---get that tent up!" and not work on it or micromanage it himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 A friend of mine was invited by the British Army to try out for an officer candidate program (his father had been an officer, and the British are all about hereditary leadership), which involved among other things directing a squad of sergeants through an obstacle course. The idea was that if you didn't have the force of personality to make them do what you wanted, you weren't good officer material. He did well, but declined the offer to attend Sandhurst, opting instead for a career as a Baroque harpsichordist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 JHCC, hahaha I expect that is the case for many. Turn 5 hours of work into 20 or so minutes? Pretty easy sell. I'm still in the process of building up my collection of tools. However, the welder beat out the grinder in the hierarchy of required shop tools during my last cost-benefit analysis. Also, officer in the army or Baroque harpsichordist. Talk about a fork in the road. Thomas, fair point,. but I'm sure even the most critical of historians will forgive your approach in this situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 I got lucky with the grinder: $149 at the industrial surplus place! 4 minutes ago, Frazer said: the most critical of historians The most critical of historians is a limp doormat compared to an authenticity-obsessed reenactor! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 Historians also generally have more context. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 Tried to weld the transfer chain from a 4T65 trans. Man what a pain in the behind, all them little openings almost like an English muffin. Anywho first attempt at something like this. So of course there are a lot of spots that did not weld. I also ground down one end a little and did an overnight vinegar soak. Just to see what it would look like. I got oodles of these chains from many varieties of transmissions and transfer cases. I do not know what kind of steel these are nor if they are hardenable, just want to try something different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les L Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 Billy, I like the pattern you have, it will look good on several different projects. From what I’ve read and seen on other posts I think that the chain is able to get hard, but you’ll just have to test the material you’re working with to make sure it’s what you’re looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 5 hours ago, Frazer said: Talk about a fork in the road. When you come to a fork in the road, take it. ~Yogi Berra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted February 8, 2020 Share Posted February 8, 2020 Billy, That is a great start.. I've done them out of different chain configurations. bicycle, motorcycle, chainsaw, timing chain, etc, etc. No matter the chain I find they don't get quite as hard as I'd like but they do make a very nice usable blade.. the secret to the pattern is to only weld as many times as you need to to get rid of voids.. I'm always hopeful to do 1 fold.. I do do enough clean up to begin with it can be pretty cool.. @Jasent What did you think of the method on that handle.. Your welds look great.. Nice job. Frazer, nice knife. Filing can get faster with some experience. Never as fast as grinding though.. I love to file. Lots of mighty find work here guys.. here are some photo's of a bicycle chain knife showing the amount of chain to make this knife.. and the last photo is from the next video in the knife series.. I still need to punch a hole for the handle rope hole but it's good for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasent Posted February 8, 2020 Share Posted February 8, 2020 @jlpservicesinc it worked great! I’m no forge welding master and I was nervous I could even pull it off. Hardest part was getting the twist nice and Symmetrical. Highly recommended Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted February 8, 2020 Share Posted February 8, 2020 thanks for the reply and feedback.. Your weld seams look amazing.. I could not have done a better job myself.. Well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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