Brian Dougherty

I can't really divulge in public. It turns out there is a significant difference in magnetic properties of 99.9% Fe when compared to 99.8%.

We needed a piece of high purity iron for a project at work. Had to pay $400 for this piece 1/2" in diameter and 3" long. It's 99.95% iron which is important for the work we are doing. I had to get it off my desk quickly because I kept looking at it thinking about how much fun it would be to try to forge it into something

I'd probably be up for one.

What Alan said. With VFDs so easily available now, the static 3-phase converters are obsolete. One of the problems with a static converter is that you can't run the motor at it's full load rating. Your 3hp motor would probably only develop 2hp with one. However, with a VFD that will cost about the same amount, you not only get full power, but you get adjustable speed.

I'm in the same boat Josh is. I've come back and stared at this 3 times now. It was only this morning that I even noticed the engraving on the blade. Nicely done Sir!

You're getting good at that Jeremy. That one looks perfectly symmetrical.

A little bit of scrubbing this morning with an old extra tooth brush that was in my dop kit, and the blade is mostly descaled. The burns are trivial. I knew I had grabbed something hot, but didn't think much about it. I was surprised when I got my hands clean at the end of the day so I took a pic just for bragging rights

Just chillin' in the hotel room after two great days with Gary. This was well worth the trip out here, and Gary had done a great job planning out the two days. I've done a fair amount of pattern welding, and even some mosaic work, but Gary managed to squeeze a lot more knowledge into the old noggin.

I have spent two great days with Gary Mulkey learning a lot about making mosaic damascus. (The class was fantastic, but I'll post more about that when I finish my knife) I decided to stay one more night in the hotel before I start the trek back to Indiana. Aside from binge watching Time Team, and the Witcher, what is a bladesmith supposed to do in a hotel room for the night? I realized there is a Home Depot 10 minutes away, so I went and got a pan and some cleaning vinegar Gary had us do all of the welding dry, so there is none of that crusty black flux slag on here. Hopefully by morning my blade will be scale free. That's a 14" drywall mud pan. I'll have to keep it for this use once I get home. Here is a fuzzy shot I took before plunking it in the vinegar. The other guy in the class did a much better job than I did forging his blade to shape. He was actually able to get his ground and ready for heat treating before the day was through. He is a young guy named Michael Phillips. Keep an eye out for him as he has talent. Got some cool battle scars to take home too. I was so engrossed in what I was doing, I forgot how hot the rebar handle on my billet was getting. Live and learn!

That is a fun bit of inletting you'll have to do where the wood meat the guard. Should look pretty sharp. You mention pins. Is that how you are joining the two 416 bits together? I'm leaving town in a couple of hours to head towards Branson. See you tomorrow!

Does anyone make and sell the radiused platens anymore? All the ones I have heard about came from Nathan the Machinist, but it doesn't look like he still makes them.

I have a little experience with it etching circuit boards, but never tried it with pattern weld. Honestly, I didn't know it was still a thing. As a PCB etchant, I believe it is less aggressive that ferric chloride. Perhaps that is a good thing? We all dilute our ferric by 4:1 or so.

Nice job on the restoration/preservation, and thank you for posting all the historical info. I had no idea they were shortening swords in the 1500's.

It sounds like she took a guess, signed him up without asking him, and missed the mark. It doesn't speak well of their relationship, but certainly not something that reflects poorly on you. It is a shame that the student probably doesn't even know what he is missing. Even is smithing isn't for them, a 2-day class would be full of memories. Refund the money, wish them the best, and be glad you aren't in their shoes.

Simply means that the longer it's been sitting there, the further down you need to dig to find it