metal99 Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 hey everyone im new to the whole knife making thing. I have played around with iron before but the knives I made were only for show I really want to learn the right way to make them so that they will be useful. I spent a few hours checking out some ken onion knives today and fell in love with the layered steel. I just want to try to make someting really small to start with and was just wondering if I could use a torch to heat the metal up? Or should I make a small forge? Thanks Julius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratel10mm Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 Hi Julius, & welcome to IFI. May I suggest you edit your profile to show where you are, as there may well be someone close to you who's willing to help, and it'll help us to suggest local resources. Second, make sure you don't overlook the sections on bladesmithing here, there are some hugely respected names who are members here & may help. Third, join the forums on Don Fogg's site and British Blades. Both places have an incredible wealth of information & also very many people who are willing to offer advice & assistance. And to answer your questions - depending on the size of steel, you may find you can get it hot enough with a torch. But a small forge would keep the heat in & make it all a LOT more efficient & easier. A one-brick or baked bean tin forge will do fine with a small torch for pocket knife sized projects for e.g. To make pattern welded steel ,which I think is what you fell in love with, is simpler than it may seem, but like so many things is also harder than one feels it aught to be to get it right every time! You'll need to get the metal up to forge welding temperature to stand any chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt87 Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 But of course, you can buy billets of pre-made pattern-welded steel from specialist websites. It's often named Damascus steel for slightly complex reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal99 Posted September 1, 2008 Author Share Posted September 1, 2008 Lol I tried to post this in the ball bearing thread but I guess your first post ends up here? lol Thats not a bad idea to buy some pre made damaskus but I think I want to try to learn how sounds like fun to me. How do you tell if your hot enough to forge weld? And what flux should I use? Borax ok? Im going to have to learn alot before I try to make something. I showed the damaskus steel to my wife and she loves it and wants me to make something for her lol. A few years ago I was talking to a guy that makes knives out of shock rods and he mentioned something about using carbon to get a bigger affect out of the forge welding layers is this true? Thans for all the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Fredeen Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 Welcome Julius, The first step in gettin started with bladesmithing is research. Learn as much as you absolutley can about the processes involved in bladesmithing before you ever attempt them. While you could go out and take a torch and some makeshift anvil and try to make a blade, it will take a lot longer and be much more difficult, and the end result mostlikley dissapointing if you do not have any background knoweledge to help guide your experimentation and learning. Research as much as you can on the internet, there are huge amounts of websites with great information available, and forums such as this which provide a wealth of knoweledge. However, when it comes to asking questions on forums, be aware that many of the people who are members of these forums are very talented and in many cases professional bladesmiths, with years of hard earned experience and master craftsmen. They had to work to get where they are and had to fight for the knoweledge they have, and it can be taken offensively when someone barges into a forum and wants to be "told" how to make a blade, and wants the answers "given" to them. The majority of smiths are great people and more than willing to help guide persons new to the craft, so long as you make the effort and devote your own time and resources and aren't looking for a handout. Keep that in mind when you are asking your questions, and ask your questions in a professional manner with having researched as much as you can independently, and you will find bladesmiths very nice and helpful, but otherwise you may be rejected. Researching on your own displays your initiative and true desire to learn, it will help you ask the right questions to get the guidance you need and ultimately help you understand the answers to your questions to a higher degree and allow you to impliment them in your work more effectivly. I don't say this to scare you off, only to help prevent you from falling victim to one of the most common and discouraging problems new commers can face. I would also suggest buying, or checking out from the library, as many books on bladesmithing you can. "The complete Bladesmith" by Jim Jim Hrisoulas is highly recomended, as well as any of his other books. The more you can learn before hand the better. Then as you continue your research, start accumulating some of the tools and equipment you will need to start taking your theoretical knoweledge and put it into practice. Build yourself a decent little forge and get yourself something to function as an anvil and start learning how to move steel under the hammer. And if you can, try to find a smith in your area that you can work with and learn from, even if they aren't a bladesmith, it will vastly help you learn. I would recomend that you hold off on pattern welding until you have mastered the basic forging processes. There is no sense in trying learning how to forgeweld a billet before you can actually forge a blade to shape. It is best to start small with something basic and gradually build your skills, rather than trying to start with something advanced and end in failure or dissapointment. You have to learn to crawl before you can walk, and you have to learn to walk before you can run. I think that is about the best advice I can give on starting out. I will be glade to answer any more questions you have as you begin your research, as are most smiths here. Graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal99 Posted September 1, 2008 Author Share Posted September 1, 2008 Thanks buddy thats great advice I apreciate it alot. I will try to find that book anr studdie it. And your right I should try to forge a blade before trying to start out with something over my head. thanks again for the help. bladesmithing has always cought my eyes thats why I want to learn how. I have made knives that look alright but I simply ground them to shape from mild steel lol. Thanks again your advice is gold to me. Julius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 Any book by Jim Hrisoulas is a great place to start. Pattern-Welded Blade: Artistry in Iron The Complete Bladesmith; Forging Your Way to Perfection Master Bladesmith Advanced Studies in Steel There may be others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammerkid Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 I`d get the $50 Knife shop book. Its been very useful. I would build a small forge myself. Start beating rr spikes out and leaf springs to make blades is which is easy to get and most of the time is free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal99 Posted September 1, 2008 Author Share Posted September 1, 2008 Thats a great idea man thank you. I found some damaskus steel 12 x 2 1/2 x 1/4 for 40 dollars at the knife shop here. Some day im going to buy that and try it out after I get the swing of things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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