Vern Wimmer

I would ask about your annealing process. There have been quite a few supposed annealing processes suggested over the years that really weren't. My next question would be about what temperature you quenched at and what was your criterion or yardstick for determining when it was proper quenching temp. Did you do any thermal cycles? You didn't mention if you had made the blade by strictly stock removal or forging. If you did any forging at the wrong temperature it could have caused cracks that led to the failure. It is also possible that whatever use 1084 was tempered to a spring temper, if it was used, might have fractured it.

Yes I do. Get the hair pulled out. I also have a big and faucet in my shop. I just don't keep a tank of water there because I have a habit of getting in a hurry with out steel and also don't always have the best light to determine temperature with. Matter of fact I hope to have a chance to post up some shop pictures in the next few days since the weather is cooperating and we are having a warm session. My shop i am sure you will find quite interesting.

I get what you are thinking about. There are probably a lot of high tech explanations but I'm a simple guy. The problems that may occur are in sharp corners that go completely through the profile. Surface corners are not a serious but I tend to leave them rather "casually" rounded before HT because they are going to get special attention in the "pre polishing QC check (to make double sure they are square) and in the polish. I do like to get them started while the steel is still soft. If you do a couple of normalizing cycles before heat treat I think, but have never tested, it should be fine.

I dislike multiple posts of the same thing but....this showed up in my feed and I put it in the "tools" subsection but I wanted to make sure it got seen by the people who might most need it or make use of it. I have the HF factory version but if you already have an angle grinder this is a great cheap hack.

Joshua is correct about the water quench having no hardening affect at below 800f of full dark color. I just stay away from water as a method of avoiding problems in general. I use it with a grinder to keep steel cool when grinding but do not keep a tank or large container around with water in it to avoid mistakes.

This popped up on my feed and I thought I'd share it. I have a Harbor Freight "factory made" one but thought this might help someone.

Absolutely cool.

Nicely done. Clean and simple design.

Time Bandits has one of my favorite lines in it, "You have mercifully been spared the ravages of intelligence" So many great lines from the series that Python fans still use, "Wink, winik, nudge, nudge". " Silly, silly. Much, much too silly" "He's pinin' for the fjords" " you do, in fact, have two sheds" "What if he comes at you with a poin ted stick?"

I'm a coward and lazy. I want to do any drilling for scales and at least enough grinding g to start things off right before HT. But I don't think it's absolutely necessary and on a small blade might encourage warping in the quench. So I'll cop out and say "maybe".

I agree with everyone but, by my nature, have my own perspective. You have learned from the advice already given that there is a lot more to this than just "heating and beating" . Now you can begin your real education on the, seemingly, little details that make the gigantic differences. Go to the section in this forum on metalurgy and heat treating. Read, read a lot. You have to have in your mind, ahead of time, a very good idea of how hot you want to get the steel and, importantly, WHY you want to get it to a certain temperature for each step. This also includes when you want to quench it and, again, WHY you want to, or don't want to at a certain point. Everything you do to steel regarding heat has an effect. You need to know what you are trying to specifically do to the steel and what changes are happening to it. Some changes can be relatively benign and others can drastically change its form. Become familiar with terms like "pearlite and pearlite anneal, lamellar anneal, austenizing, decalescence, recalescence, critical temperature" and other terms you encounter in your research. At some point you will come to an "AH-HA" moment. The whole picture will become clear, well mostly. There are a thousand little details related to alloys and quenchants that are so specific they need to be learned individually on a case-by-case basis, but the big picture remains the same. For instance you didnt specify your quenchant liquid but I suspect it might have been water. That is, as a general, very general, rule something that is not suggested for this type of work. You will find out why in your research. As another wild "rule of thumb" if you have hammered for an hour, as a beginner, and you don't have something resembling a blade-shaped-object yet then either it's the wrong steel for you, it is too thick or you are not getting it hot enough. Ag ain, a rule of thumb but in that general time frame. Keep trying, research and ask questions. Good luck.

Once you cross the Rockies you don't want to go back. Once you cross the Cascades you swear you won't go back. Once you cross the Coast Range you can't find your way back.

I have given up all planning ahead. I get uncomfortable with the way they use the word "premeditation" in courtrooms.

Never question the way the gods of the forge enlighten you. If the answer comes to you as mysteriously as the problem did then chalk it up to the gods whimsical nature. Remember that when you see someone forging with a pair of Fruit-of-the-Looms on his head and a peacock feather in his hip pocket--- he found something that worked for him!

If my wild chimney effect theory is correct I'm not sure how you would increase the down flow. One of the reasons I shudder a bit everytime I see a burner in the 12 o'clock position. It just seems to add a layer of complication. Of course I wouldn't jump to anything yet. I will bet someone else will come along who has beaten the same problem. That's one of the great things about this forum. There's always someone who's been there, done that.

I just have a wild hair theory that just maybe a venturi burner coming in at top dead center of the chamber may be subject to a choking effect as the heat in the chamber creeps up the burner tube and meets the air coming in the tube.. hot air trying to escape meeting cold air coming in basically. Natural airflow and pressure changes in the work area might accentuate the problem. That is just a "first blush SWAG" soo.....

Remember that forging in the distal taper and a tapered tang can be friendly techniques when you think you are short on material.

I live in the bottom of a valley and get the wind tunnel effect. Yeesh. From east or west it goes over the top, but from the north.........

I am going to suggest something that I am fond of and since you are getting your basic skills down you might consider. A "Sen". Use the Google search to check them out on the forum. It is basically a one-tooth file or drawknife for steel. It is great for finding out if your work is really "flat". You don't need to round up Dykem to mark your blade either. A marking pen or cold gun bluing will work. A cheap and simple tool the sen will improve your ability to see divots before you make them a permanent feature.

I feel for you. We are getting the south end of that weather front down here. It may get nasty

I would massively complicate your life by suggesting that you have some hole or holes available for a lanyard or thong. I do not like them on my general use knives but they may well have a place in a dedicated chopper and the option is nice to have.better to have and not need than need and not have.

That is a real good habit. Good for you. Might want to give the steel a quick brushing. It will help with the acne scars on it.

That is one of the reasons Japanese, and some American and other, Smith's wet mop their anvils while forging. Blast the scale off

Never heard of anyone dying from leaving a jar of pickles with a fork in it out on the counter all night.

The radius from picasso and tang generally depends on the fuller or other tool you use to make it. It serves the purpose of preventing a stress riser from forming (as it well might with a sharp ninety-degree corner), and cracking, during the quench and after tempering is usually removed by grinding/filing to create a squared shoulder.