March 5, 200917 yr A small fixed-blade pocket knife...tire tool steel, spalted cherry scales, brass pins and braided leather lanyard. A "blacksmith" knife with twisted and scrolled handle, also from tire tool. I am starting to like this...someone please stop me before I butcher any more innocent tire tools... thanks for looking...bart
March 5, 200917 yr Nice looking knives. Hate to say this, but it's too late. Your hooked. Pretty soon you'll be looking at coil & leaf springs and old files with a glaze in your eyes. Seeing knives & all sorts of sharp pointy things............ join the club.
March 5, 200917 yr Very nice designs Bart. I especially like the little fixed pocket model. that one just looks really useful. I will have to try one out.
March 9, 200917 yr Hey, good work. What are these tire tools made of (please don't say steel, or iron and carbon). Serioursly, what type of steel is it? I may decide to reshape a few myself. Kevin
March 9, 200917 yr Give in to the "dark side." It's okay that you are starting to like it, you must just accept it. I think the knives are super!:D
March 10, 200917 yr I like the one without the scales the most. Kevin, to be honest, if you don't know what's in the steel, easiest way to find out if can hold an edge, etc.. Cuz I piece off, grind an edge on it, HT, and see how it does, use the file test, temper at 350 for an hour.
March 11, 200917 yr Author Thanks for the kind comments. Not sure of the type of steel in the tire irons. By the way, what I am calling a tire iron or tire tool is one of the "L" shaped tools with a screwdriver end for popping hubcaps and a socket for lug nuts. I have found several at flea markets for less than a dollar apiece. Steel may vary from one manufacturer to the other. Anyway, I have found them to work well over a fairly wide range of heats. To use it for knife-making (total of 4 blades so far) I aneal in ashes overnight then forge to shape. Then do file work, shaping edge to within 1/32 inch or so, polish bevels to 220 grit, etc. Then normalize in calm air x 3. Harden in oil. Temper by heating back of blade on red hot chunk of steel till edge runs to dark bronze. Then quench in oil. Hope this helps...I am really a newbie at this although I have learned a lot from you guys. thanks a bunch...bart
March 11, 200917 yr not that it hurts, but why anneal before forging? We do it after forging to make is softer to grind and file.
March 11, 200917 yr Author not that it hurts, but why anneal before forging? We do it after forging to make is softer to grind and file. Like I said, I'm a newbie! Not sure why I anneal first??? Will try forging without annealing first next time. Thanks...bart
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