Will Brouwers Posted October 14, 2022 Share Posted October 14, 2022 This might be too ambitious for a beginner blacksmith like me, but I have this knife drawn up, with the hopes of forging it out of 1/4 leaf spring, 1 1/2 inches wide. The question is: do you think this will be enough material for what I am aiming for. My overall length would hopefully be around 7 3/4 inches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 Will, I would say that 1/4" is more than enough, maybe even a bit too much. Don't forget the old adage, "Forge thick and grind thin, if a good blade you would win." Before starting I suggest taking a amall piece of the spring, maybe 3 cm by 6 cm and experiment with heat treating to make sure what you plan to do will work. Heat and quench and test for hardness. Then temper and test hardness and maybe malleability by putting it in the vise and seeing if it will bend or break when hit sideways. Some springs are made of odd alloys which are hard to heat treat in the shop. I've had some that would never harden. You don't want to discover a heat treating issue after you have put in your time forging and grinding. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Brouwers Posted October 15, 2022 Author Share Posted October 15, 2022 Thank you George! I have tried to see if this will harden, and it does. It shatters when hit after being hardened in water, and is much tougher after being hardened in oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Brouwers Posted October 15, 2022 Author Share Posted October 15, 2022 Well, results of today. I forged for 2 hours, and made lots of mistakes. The final mistake was to gently dip it in water a couple times to cool it so I could see how I liked it in my hand. Then it cracked. Chucking it in the water bucket didn’t help either, but now I am thinking, can this be salvaged? It would sure be a thin profile though… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 Good Morning, Consider this a GREAT Lesson. You have just created a object to put in the Recycle, or, Hang it above the door to your workspace. "This is where I started"!! In 20 years you will look back at it and chuckle. Enjoy the chuckle!! Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 OOPS! This is a great example of the advise I just gave a member about rushing making mistakes permanent more quickly. I agree with Neil about keeping it as is to remind yourself how far you've come in the future. It's also good to show folks YOU are teaching the ropes as one of your starting project fails. Mistakes are one of the BEST teachers, saving yours so others can learn from it is better. However, if you REALLY want to make a knife from it all you need do is cut it at the breaks, sand it CLEAN and shiny, place it between steel in a stack and forge weld it into a billet, draw it out and repeat until you're SURE there aren't any cold shuts in it and forge your blade. Hmmmm? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Brouwers Posted October 15, 2022 Author Share Posted October 15, 2022 Well Frosty, that would eliminate the cracks and cold shuts. Now to learn how to forge weld so I can make a knife… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 Good Morning, Or it will imbed the cracks into your now homogenous piece. Your luck will show up near the last, when you are putting the final finish on your creation. A Crack-Ectomy!!!. When it is cracked, STOP!!. Hang it on your wall of Knowledge. Start again with your new knowledge still fresh. Enjoy the ride!! Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 Will, you don't need to forge weld to make excellent knives. That is only necessary to make pattern welded/damascus blades which are not superior to a blade made out of a single type of steel. They may be "prettier" if your aesthetics run in that direction but they will not be superior cutting tools. Design, forging a shape, grinding/filing, heat treating, building a hilt, and leather work are IMO skills that should be mastered before getting into pattern welding. Also, in my experience only about 20-25% of building a blade is actually forging and heat treating. The rest is all bench work, grinding polishing, hilt and handle making, sheath making, etc.. That is why I don't do knives that often. I'd rather be hitting hot iron. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 30 minutes ago, George N. M. said: That is why I don't do knives that often. I'd rather be hitting hot iron. That is exactly where I stand George! David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Brouwers Posted October 16, 2022 Author Share Posted October 16, 2022 I was joking about forge welding my knife. I will do what swede fiddle suggested and keep it as a reminder and an example of how far I’ve come! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 note that besides the crack you can see, dunking it in water caused many more cracks you cant see Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 As pointed out by people who make blades the cracks in the damaged blank aren't likely to be healed by forge welding. I don't make blades and shouldn't have made that suggestion as an alternative. My bad. Frosty The Lucky. 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.