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Just finished the two week Intro to Bladesmithing class and here's my two test blades. Both passed, but it was very close, especially with the edge retention on the blade on the right. As you can see, the blade on the left had a nice curve after the bend test showing that the bend was over most of the blade. The one on the right did almost all the bending right at the point above the vice. I had a lot of trouble getting a sharp edge on it and the instructor thought I might have over-tempered, plus (can't really see it in the photo) the distal taper is the entire length of the blade, where as the left blade maintains it's thickness most of it's length. Rope cuts was a no-go for me, but the instructor was kind and easily cut the rope for me. I thought chopping the 2x4's would be easy, but it and the rope cut are definitely a skill best practiced. Over all , good class. I'll write up a review later.

If you want to try the test for real, assuming you meet the time requirements of having been an ABS member, there will be at least three ABS mastersmiths at the hammer-in in a few weeks. We have the rope, and I'll get a 2x4...

I took the intro class in 2008. When my blade survived the bend it was one of the proudest moments of my life. Two weeks well spent..

I don't know, nothing I think, except you don't get the positive feeling of knowing you got it right. Two blades are so if one fails, you've got another chance. It's great prep for the test if you're thinking of going that path. I couldn't swing the blade well enough to cut the rope and the chopping was a lot more work then I thought. The instructor showed a video of him doing it in 6.5 seconds, I took long time, long enough to start to feel arm burn.

Thanks :-) Sadly, these don't count for the actual blade test. Nothing you forge in the class can count.

did a gaggle of test pieces with different quenches yesterday and Quenched W1 and O1 in the same oil (O1 is obviously not similar), and everything came out on target. looking around, I've seen folks suggest working things into solution like you would do with 52100 and the same routine that brings 52100 to very high hardness still brings this to about 60 out of the quench. I'm beginning to wonder if the bars that I got aren't what they say they are, and as I don't have nital (I do have a metallurgical scope), the only easy way for me to make sure there is excess carbon in a plain steel is to hammer out a plane iron and then wear off some of the matrix to get an idea of the size and array of carbides, like this (52100). Bummer if the stock isn't what it says. I've had super luck making chisels out of 26c3 - 2 points harder than O1 for me and tougher according to larrin's notcher (not on his results, but my samples averaged around 12 ft lbs at 63.8). I was hoping this would fill the void of 26c3 not be available in round bars - it's so hand and eye heat treat friendly. Correct one thing above - larrin's charpy/toughness tester - I think he does not notch coupons.

It's dyed bone, based on the sawcut pattern that inspired the later delrin scales. It's somewhere between the two pattern wise, I'm not sure how it was made exactly. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be available for sale anymore, so I may experiment with making my own in the distant future.

Rub-er-room

Got greedy straightening out a tang on a kitchen knife last night while tempering and snapped the tang in half Good thing that came out of this though: the new heat treat furnace works!!! Pretty happy with that grain (ignore the nasty mix of oil and brass shavings my grimy fingers put on the bottom piece..) I plan to shorten the knife from an 8" chef to ~7-6.5" chef to gain back some of the tang.

Thank's for all your comment! Alan, I try to use google translate too... Joshua we have many furnaces (crucible steel, wootz, bloom, little, big...) I can make photo of process and furnaces when we use it if you want! I try to found information to do very little bloom (1kg) and to do crucible steel but in bar shapped (to work with only hand tools, and alone). Today I have finish a blade... Full hamered surface and just metal brush to polish. After this treatment, one hour in hot vinegar. The wood chisels is to make the japanese style handle, i try a new geometry so the handle is'nt finish. I think it's too large to work precisely (1cm). The newt will be around 0,5cm. The glue used is knife cement. (rosin of pine (collected in nature), brick and oil). It's removable with hot water and very very strong!

Hello i would like to show you my last project which is little bit different than my previous knives. This one has antler handle and forged spring steel blade. Handle metal parts are made of wrought iron. The length is 38 cm and it weights about 3/4 kg . I was going to make similar knife for a long time and finally the right time arrived!

That's a good looking knife. Nope. Not sure what you are looking at. This is what I'm doing: Finishing Handle Pins - Video and Multimedia - Bladesmith's Forum Board (bladesmithsforum.com)

Camp knife my pupil made out of that big billet we forged last weekend. O1 edge.

Tap tap tappity tap tap Yesterday and more today.