ghost blood Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 thank you, thats very nice of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 He's not being "nice" saying that, he's commenting on what he sees. It's a nice knife and we'd like better pics of it. You can relax Brother, we're generally a pretty nice bunch unless provoked in which case we TRY to be restrained in our responses. Do you have a name, nick name, etc. ghost blood is kind of clunky way to address you. Of course we can make something up but you'll be stuck with it if we do. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddyyz Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 This is my first attempt at Damascus, used 1080 and 15N20 for a low layer twist veggie cutter. I am happy with it for my first time trying Damascus and 3rd blade overall. Will add pics when handle is finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 Bevel looks a bit abrupt, perhaps a chopper rather than a slicer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddyyz Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 I know bevels are the most frustrating part of bladesmithing for me, always afraid I'm going to grind it to dust or go to far and not be able to correct it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 Bevels are based on what the blade is supposed to do. If you worry about going overboard: rough grind them and then finish by draw filing them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rojo Pedro Posted June 2, 2021 Share Posted June 2, 2021 Looks really nice. I like the low count pattern Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HondoWalker Posted June 3, 2021 Author Share Posted June 3, 2021 Nice damascus. I haven't tried any yet since every single attempt I've made at forge welding has failed. That and if I do it I'd like to try one piece of steel folded like 50 times. But can't do anything until I figure out a solution to my blower problem. It was an old hair dryer that had a cool setting. I locked it on cool last year and forgot about it. And it stopped working and melted my adapter that held it on the pipe. I figured no problem and took it a part and cut out the heater wire. The really bad engineers that made that thing was using the heater wire as a voltage drop. Without the wire the motor won't run. It is a 12 volt dc motor! I do not have a 12 volt dc power supply. A battery would die before my forge even warmed up. Luckily I got the blade I was working on finished before the blower trouble became apparent. This one started as a chunk of hinge I had been given. It forged nicely and even got semi hard. The handle is made of teak from an old boat I had 20 years ago. Saved the wood just for something like this. The pommel is carved from a solid chunk of aluminum. Things I learned on this one: If I use 7/16 threaded rod it's easier to cut a slot out of the center and place the tang inside the slot. It really welds up solid. But it's harder to tap. And my 1/4, 5/16, 9/16 and 3/8 taps are worn completely out. Also, starting at 36 grit and going 100,150,220,320,400,500,600,800, 1,000, 1,200, 1,500, 2,000,3,000 then buffing still leaves little scratches!!! Even starting at 500 and going up two more times still left tiny scratches! It's maddening. Hope I can get my blower up and running soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzkill Posted June 3, 2021 Share Posted June 3, 2021 I don't know if this will apply to your situation or not. If you are going for a mirror finish it is absolutely essential that you erase every single mark from the previous grit before moving up. For all practical purposes you will never get rid of a scratch made with a lower grit if you leave it there and continue to move up. It's also essential that your buffing wheels are clean and have only been exposed to one buffing compound. If you get any residual abrasive dust or even a buffing compound not designed for that mirror finish then you will be frustrated. Even with a buffed mirror finish after 3000 grit if you get the light just right you can typically still see some tiny lines. However, you should be able to see yourself just like a .... mirror when looking directly into the polished surface. I've only done a few mirror finishes and I do not recommend it for any piece that will see real use. It doesn't take much to scuff up that shiny surface. Even cutting through cardboard can do it. I'd reserve that finish for showpieces and wall hangers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 3, 2021 Share Posted June 3, 2021 Note: if you take High Carbon steel and fold it 50 times you get mild steel---is that what you want? Forge welding generally LOWERS the carbon content. That is why some Japanese blade materials start out at nearly 2% carbon and end up with 0.5% carbon whereupon the fancy quench will work! You also don't get that many layers as 2 to the 50th is 1.1258999e+15 and the diameter of an iron atom is 9.9212598e-9 inches so you would be splitting the atom to get that many layers! What you get is you are good at it is a fairly homogenous low carbon material which you can buy for MUCH less than you can make it! If you are not good at it you get a bunch of scale... Lots of Urban Legends about Japanese Blades out there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted June 3, 2021 Share Posted June 3, 2021 15 hours ago, HondoWalker said: starting at 36 grit and going 100,150,220,320,400,500,600,800, 1,000, 1,200, 1,500, 2,000,3,000 then buffing still leaves little scratches!!! Why are you using so much sand paper? 36, 100, 220, 500, 1000, and MAYBE 2000, is plenty, Just because they make various grits, does not mean you have to use them all. And leaving that hammer mark/gouge in there isnt helping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted June 3, 2021 Share Posted June 3, 2021 15 hours ago, HondoWalker said: The really bad engineers that made that thing was using the heater wire as a voltage drop. Without the wire the motor won't run. Not bad engineering in this case, value engineering sure, but not bad. 4 diodes and some resistor wire is an easy way to rectify AC and drop the voltage, creating the necessary heat as a byproduct. If they were designing a hand held forge blower they wouldn't have bothered with the heating element. Anyway, if you want to stick with the hair dryer, they still sell them with the "cool shot" for ~$20 in most stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HondoWalker Posted June 5, 2021 Author Share Posted June 5, 2021 Thanks for the knowledge. I've never made Damascus and only know the legends about the Japanese and Syrians. I just guessed that the more steps you take up in grit the cleaner the shine. Lately I've begun realizing that I can only polish wood so much so I don't have to go through every grit up to 3,000. Never been too good at talking to people or asking questions. I've always tried to figure stuff out myself. It's usually worked out pretty good that way. However this metalworking stuff is quite a bit more complicated than it seems. I can use the advice. Saves me a ton of time and bother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad J. Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 With wood 220 is really the highest grit I'll go. You go too high, the finishes and stains don't take as well. It's kinda like with the old leather boots. You're not shining the leather, you're shining the polish. If you want a nice shiny wood handle go heavy on the finish and sand that down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 I usually use 0000 steel wool between coats of Tung Oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 You sound like most of us here, we all have a bent for figuring things out ourselves. Then we show the gang what we did and folks start making suggestions for the important things: better, faster, cheaper, easier. You fit right in here. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 Frosty; you forgot: "less blood loss" and "fewer Burns". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 I was inviting group participation. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad J. Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 5160 rat tail knife. I took it to 400 brit and then a surface conditioning belt. I made the handle a little short but it is comfortable. Not sure why, the handle ends just before the pinky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlycuervo Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 Hi everyone, greetings from Argentina. I'm new here, rookie knife maker. This was my last work before the covid sent me to the hospital for 16 days and left me battered. It's made from a disc of a disc seeder (sowing machine? I don't know wich term is correct), stock removal treeated with ferric chloride. It's 10" total lenght, his edge is about 7 1/2" and 3 1/4" width. The handle is made from a very hard local wood called "quebracho" (something like break-axe). I hope you like it, and sorry if my english isn't good, I speak spanish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 It has a great shape to it; what is it's intended use? It looks a bit hard to clean for food use where a smooth surface helps a lot! We've had folks from all over the world here; so no problem with translation issues; (Tambien, yo puedo hablar/leer un poquito de español.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlycuervo Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 Thanks Thomas, it's a kitchen hatchet, we use it for butchered and chopping chicken or big meat pieces. My late wife had no problem cleaning it, at least she never told me When I designed it I liked the rustic finish that the steel had, so I decided to leave it that way. I´ve learned english at technical school, long time ago, and still have some difficulties with it. I'm glad you speak spanish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Dirt Posted July 1, 2021 Share Posted July 1, 2021 Beautiful work charlycuervo!! Love the curves. Sorry I haven't been on for awhile y'all. Life has been crazy, but I have managed to get some hammering done. I will have to post some pics soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 1, 2021 Share Posted July 1, 2021 I really like the profile of your blade but prefer mine ground to a finish. Different tastes, not a criticism. Don't worry about your English lots of our members in the USA don't speak it as well as you. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.J.Lampert Posted July 1, 2021 Share Posted July 1, 2021 Charlycuervo butiful blade the moment i say it i had thought chopper M.J.Lampert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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