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I don't know if it will help, but I believe J. Loose listed the the steels he used in a thread here that he started about stainless damascus. Best of luck, Craig

Hi Leif, Please don't take it as any critcism, just wondering, how could someone protect the bainite, and austenitize (sp?) the edge to quench to martensite. I appreciate that Howard gave the Rc specs for his swords. Sounds like amazing control. Take care, Craig edit to add: thanks Robert K. for the link

To think I was going to ask how you colored your stamp gold, definitely just kidding. Thanks for taking the time to give us your insights. Take care, Craig

I'd agree with some of the folks here. Randal Graham mentioned it back on his old forum, and it seems to hold very true. It's worth the effort to firmly chain or cinch an anvil down to a dense and stable base. The ring of a decent anvil seems to go away, but the effects of each hammer blow seems to be more efficient. It's more than just dampening the vibration or sound. Take care, Craig

I'd say try to pick up the 'why's and how's' rather than trying to get a knife or blade out of the class. It's very possible to forget how you got to a nice blade, where if you pick up a few basic principles, then it'll bump your home practice years ahead. Also, ask about hammer ins. Have fun, Craig

It's a very well made piece that complements the KMG. I usually don't need a tool rest, so I don't use it very often, but if you can use its capability, it won't disappoint. The fellows' name is Michael Kanter and he may just be out if you can't reach him. Keep trying, he's a good guy. Take care, Craig

Can you run the forge with just one burner. The ballpark interior size is probably well within the capability of a 3/4" t rex. I'd get the other two out so something doesn't get heat damaged. Might be worth trying, Craig

Just wondering, if the inlay can survive heat treating the blade and finish grinding, does it need to be protected from the etch. Take care, Craig

I'll get in on the SR wars. Just kidding guys. I made my own stand, but that's just because I'm a sucker for punishment. Good thing Chuck made an anvil video and documented the heat treat of the block. It doesn't look like something to try try for fun. It's all good, Craig

Hi Geoff, Consider contacting Don here, and ordering a copy of the Batson Press Manual. The few bucks for the booklet may save you a truckload of cash. It's excellent for component matching and predicting performance. It may also answer a bunch of question you haven't thought of yet. You can probably hit your 11gpm goal with a 5hp, 3450 or 3600rpm motor. Just a thought, Craig

Hi Ray, The way I understand dust collection, and the way I had it set up for wood dust, was to try and run as much smooth large diameter ducting to the point of use and then neck down if that's what you need. My understanding is that if you choke off a blower, it just does less work. I don't know if it's what you need, but I'd look for ducting and adapters by the pvc stuff at big depot. I haven't set it back up for metal dust, because to this point I'm not comfortable with the various spark arrestor solutions that I'm aware of. Sounds like a great shop, Craig

Thanks for showing the project Tom, And thanks JD for sharing the story. Congrats on putting together a fine sounding program. Take care, Craig

I think you're right JJ. I seem to prefer draw filing on the pull stroke, and the file tang goes in my left hand. Take care, Craig

Congrats on getting the training class. I don't know if I'm remembering right, but it seems like you're coming up for opportunities pretty quick in your new career. Take advantage of it. Wagonmaster, Craig

Thanks also very much Howard. Take care, Craig

One area you might like belts that are a little coarser would be for final grinding after heat treating. It might be easier to keep your hardened edge cool, while you're bringing it to near final form. Then go to finer belts for scratch refining. After a while, you may see benefit starting with coarser belts on things like heavy tapers and bevels. Take care, Craig

If it runs ok then shuts down to a trickle, it might be the opd valve. I can tell when it kicks in on my grill. I have to shut it down, release the line pressure and restart. Luckily, it doesn't happen with the forge. I'd like to go with a hundred pound tank, but for now it's bbq tanks. Good luck with it, Craig

Thanks Owen, I think it's a great question. I'm curious about the W2 and 10xx steels that are above the .8 or so carbon range. Could anyone comment about quench thermal cycling, and if it's better to quench to pearlite rather than try to form martensite. Take care, Craig

Try what Ed said about making a pattern. Otherwise, you could probably just make a divot in a piece of fire brick and torch melt your scrap. It should form up into a ball that might be close enough to a block to work with. Don't forget to keep some flux if you want it to flow and float off impurities. Practice on the copper, and save the silver scrap for a special application. Good luck with the project, Craig

I was wondering how the experiment was going. Mike, if you're satisfied that the sample was high carbon, would it be reasonable to try an air cool, like a normalizing cycle to see if it air hardens. Just wondering out loud, Craig

There's a bladeforums thread that's maybe a week or two back. It seemed to have good 52100 comments. It was called something like 'no bs 52100 heat treat info'. Hope it works out well, Craig

Thanks for showing the knives Alan. You'll be the hero uncle, and their kids will probably borrow them all the time. Take care, Craig

Hi Bruce, I've never seen bevel dies in action. Do they draw heat out of the thin forging real quick? Do you try to do quick bumps with the dies or do you just have to figure on reheating as needed. Thanks for any comments you might have, Craig

If you ever get a chance to see Chuck's Sea Robin video, it'll amaze how much time and effort he puts into it. He must be making these purely for his pleasure and enthusiasm, as I don't suspect he's making much money at it. I also think you'll be more than satisfied, Craig

I think the castable refractory and the kaowool do similar jobs, just different applications. It seems insulating 'wool' is sealed with refractory cements that are usually applied thinner than the castable products. I think if you have 7" of inside diameter, you may run out of room real quick with two layers of koawool around most of the interior plus the castable. I have a 7" body with thinner wall. One inch of inswool and about a quarter inch of satanite/itc 100 leave only about a 4in. diameter chamber. My set up doesn't use a fire brick. My set up is cool to the touch on the outside of the forge body. Sorry if I read it wrong, happy Thanksgiving, Craig