Greg Agresta

I guess I should have asked, what happens to the choppers that weren't tempered soon enough. If you quench and then do nothing, what then??

I recently made a herb chopper using 1095 and quenched it after sharpening it. I forgot to temper it afterwards. My question is, is it too late? Can i do it now? Also, how soon after quenching is best. My problem is my forge in not at my home so at best, I can't temper a blade for 1 or 2 later. Thanks

Thanks for the input. I passed on the Vulcan

I have a Trenton 168 lb anvil that is in ok conditoin, a few chips off the edges and rounding. I have a chance to pick up a 200 lb Vulcan in almost perfect conditon for $600. Do you guys think its worth the $$$ or would I be better off staying with the Trenton. Your opinions will be very much appreciated.

Good to know, thank you

I'm thinking of making a flatter hammer and I'm looking for some basic indo. First, since you strike it with a hammer, does the head need to be softened to avoid chipping of either the flatter hammer head or the hammer you use to strike with? My thought is to use maybe a 4lb double head hammer and flatter one end. Do I need to do something to it other than flatten one end? Not sure exactly what I'm doing here and could use some advice. Thanks

I've read that when making a knife from a railroad spike, it needs to be quenched in "SuperQuench" or a similar solution. I'm wondering, what happens if you quench in oil rather than Superquench? Does it harden but not as hard? Does it do nothing? Just curious on why the different quenching liquids for different steels.

If I buy a bar of 1095 steel that has NOT been annealled, can I use it to form a blade and then harden it? I'm not sure exactly if buying annealled steel is necessary. Any help or expanations would be appreciated.

Thank you for the suggestions and advice, all very helpful.

So far I've been making knifes out of steel purchased online. Now that we've got our shop ready to go I'd like to try my hand at forging a knife from a simple piece of steel, not something I've bought. I do have some railroad spikes but I'm looking for other kinds of steel that's forgiving since I'm new at this. Any suggestions??

Ok, I managed to clean up the base of the anvil and have pics some numbers. Hopefully, they are enough to identify the anvil and other info. Anything someone can tell from the pics would be helpful

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question but I'm new and a beginner so..... I recently lucked onto an old anvil. I've cleaned the rust off the best I can and can see bits of the lettering. Closest to the face I can make out India. The letter are in an arc as if there are more letters and enough room for a second word curving back down to the right. Below that, there is half of what appears to be the left half of a long (horizonal) diamond with the letter Tren, then they disappear. I'm thinking maybe it says Trenton??.I don't know how much it weighs but it's easily over 100 lbs. The face measures 17 1/2x4 inches. The stepdown is about 3 inches and the horn is probably 6 inches. It has a hardy hole and a pritchard. Any thought on exactly what I stumbled onto? Any info on where to research or the manufacturer, place, year etc would be appreciated. Thanks

Thanks to everyone who responded to my question. I think Joshua may be right. His description of the bit cutting for a while then hitting a hard spot sounds exactly like what has happened to me. This problem began after my second purchase of annealed steel off the internet (EBay) no problems with my first pieces. I think I'll try buying from a known quality seller from now on. Any suggestions??

I guess I should have included more info. No, all my drilling problems are occuring before heat treating. I bought already annealed 1095 steel, 3/16x1 1/2x12 off the internet. The first knife went fine, drilled the holes, no problem. The second and third knifes not so much.. After experiencing my first burned bit, I changed the speed of my drill press to it's slowest RPM's but am still experiencing the same problems but to a lesser extent. Does anyone know what RPM's are best for drilling? Putting too much or not enough pressure?

This may sound like a dumb question. Recently, everytime I drill a hole in a knife handle. I've been burning up my drill bit. I have my drill press set to the lowest RPM and try to drill slowly but after one hole, the bit seems to over heat, chatter and stop drilling. Am I doing something wrong? Am I supposed to use a higher speed on the press? And yes, I use a cutting oil and I'm drilling 1095 stelel. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks