HondoWalker Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 I knocked one out today. Only took me 3 hours. The handle is a bit too narrow but I'm still learning. Here's mine. Post yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BsnNFrnt Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 Three hours of grinding after forging about an hour. My attempt at a tapered lamb splitter to make the next hunting trip go smoother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 Hmm seems like I've heard of the Texas Lamb-splitter massacre before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfloyd Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 Middle one is the newest but they are all pretty recent and all ive got, havnt been forging long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 2 hours ago, HondoWalker said: The handle is a bit too narrow Easy to make that up with the scales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhitee93 Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 Hmm, I recently posted that last few knives I finished, but here are a pair of folders I did just before those. One is nearly done in the pic, and the other is still in the assembly phase so the parts are still a bit rough. I took the pic mostly to document the parts I used. The blades are mosaic pattern welded 1095/15N20. The bolsters are nickel/copper mokume gane. Scales are jigged bone. These took me a bit more than 3 hours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 Very nice work but a couple questions: 1) Do you use commercial rivets or make your own? If you make your own, what is the process? 2) What do you use for the springs? 3) Is the mosaic pattern welded steel better at holding an edge or in general use than, say, straight 1095? I've always wondered how much of the use of pattern welded blades is aesthetic and how much is practical. I suspect that most of the decision to use pattern welded steel is mostly "for the look of the thing." "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhitee93 Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 George, IMHO, pattern welding is purely aesthetic these days. I don't think I can forge weld together anything that would outperform most (or any) of the modern steels that are available. I just like making pattern welded steel I make my own rivets from either stainless or nickel silver stock depending on the knife. I just hold the round stock in a 5C collet, and form a head with a tiny ball-peen hammer. Then I cut the rivet to length and peen it in place. I think I have some pics somewhere of the process if you want, but it may take a while to dig them up. I've gravitated towards 1075 for the springs, although I have dabbled with some in S35VN when I made some stainless blades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 Thanks. Your comments are about the same as my thoughts re pattern welding, beautiful blades but it's probably better to go with a uniform steel for an actual working blade. Thanks for the info on rivets. I've made plenty of larger ones for general black smithing projects but never any small ones for knives. Getting the spring just right for a folder is something I have found fussy between dimensions and exact temper. Again, thanks. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 I's say that situations that require the most out of a knife would not be ones where you would want to use a fancy knife anyway. Like the heavily engraved and decked out guns; how many US$50K shotguns see much rough field use do you think? (Now I have dug a firepit with a pattern welded seax; but as I told the onlookers: "I can't do anything to it I couldn't fix---I made it!) I have a number of blades just waiting for power to my shop. I decided that with my hands getting arthritic I'm not up to doing all hand work anymore; love the forging, hate the grinding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhitee93 Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 Oh, there are a nbumber of my folders out there in daily carry situations. My personal knife has held up better than the last 3 commercial pocket knives I had. (I'm a confessed knife abuser) A good pattern welded blade will hold up just fine. It won't improve performance, but if it's done right, it can perform just as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HondoWalker Posted February 2, 2021 Author Share Posted February 2, 2021 Here is the same blade after a week's work week's work on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPH Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 howdy: Here's one of the four I finished today...will post all four under different header.. JPH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 Eye candy alert! Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarvestGapForge Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 I recently made this as a submission for an art scholarship which didn't pan out. Feather pattern 1084/15N20 blade with brass, copper, sambar stag, and curly maple. This is also the knife that taught me to always put a pin through the tang. Frosty, I'm sorry that we never met last summer when I was up in the Big Lakes area. I stayed with friends on Crooked Lake which inspired this knife, which I call "Crooked Lake." It is one of my humble offerings on my newly launched web page. OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluerooster Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 After seeing the blades posted here I'm embarrassed to show mine. But I would like some input, so here goes: The pattern is evident, being 1095 and 10(low carbon =/<30) But The "Ol Lady" sez it just looks dirty. I agree. Mabe more layers? (only 12 here). Other than that I'm happy that it's smooth, and no flaking, of layers. (I assume good weld) I would like to find some known 23xx to bring better contrast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John in Oly, WA Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 My latest blade has taken me about 3 years to make. It was/is a steep learning curve, starting with I'd like to know how to make knives. The photos aren't great, but here it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 My latest. I rarely make blades but was asked to make a chopping blade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 John: VERY nice work. What do the ideograms say and how did you create them? Is the box your work too? "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philb86 Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Just finished this one up this evening. Just need to oil the handle and finishing sealing it, and oil the blade. Oddly enough this is my first hidden tang that wasnt a Wa style handled kitchen knife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Mr. Philb86, Beautiful knife, What are the scales made of. And what alloy of steel did you use. SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Philb86, beautiful handle is it dyed; or spalted; or other? My pareidolia seems to see lost souls in torment in the main section near the blade end! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Beautiful handle Phil. Nice all around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedWest Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 13 hours ago, philb86 said: Just finished this one up this evening. Just need to oil the handle and finishing sealing it, and oil the blade. Oddly enough this is my first hidden tang that wasnt a Wa style handled kitchen knife. Damn. From a guy just getting started in BS with zero knives under his belt yet... that's beautiful. Handle's fantastic. Would love to see it again after the oiling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John in Oly, WA Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 George: Yes, I made the box too. The characters are Japanese Kanji characters, also represented on the box upper right corner. Left to right on the box, the vertically aligned pairs meaning (if my research is correct) is Abundance, Serenity, Harmony, Health. Those pairs are on the blade guard and pins of the knife - visible are Health on the blade guard and Abundance in the two pins on the handle. The pin in the darker rosewood has my initials in it - JAM. The pins I cast in brass from 3D print outs from models I made in a CAD program. They are essentially Corby bolts, each pin half having male or female threads. In this photo you can see the latches and hinges I made for the box along with the rough castings of the pins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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