GEzell

Outstanding and a beautiful example of the form...

I've been very impressed with it, and can't imagine using anything else...

Wonderful work, the shape is ideal, the materials are beautiful.

I love this one, you nailed the blade shape...

The methods used for making some Japanese sword fittings are well worth looking into...

I did a little digging and came across this video.

https://youtu.be/rAz3maJOCjI

I like Tai's method, but I've always had an aversion to round handles.  This method described here is more to my liking...

http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/topic/22661/Making-Bolsters-from-Plumbing-Caps-Pic-Heavy

Another possibility: your files are case-hardened, and your first Rockwell test hit the outer skin, the subsequent tests hit the soft core.  This requires Nickolson to at some point to have made case-hardened files, which goes against everything I have heard about Nickolson files....

This one has me scratching my head.  Steel: old Nickolson, as quenched hardness: 68 HRC.  This right here let's us know your blades most certainly fully hardened, and decarb isn't an issue.

1095 that has been hardened to industrial standards, tempered to 450° should be 61-62 HRC.  I'm not sure how hot you would need to temper 1095 at to reduce the hardness to 43 HRC, my chart cuts off at 650° Fahrenheit which results in 53-54 HRC.... Did you temper them at 450° Celsius by any chance, because that would probably make sense.

A couple possibilities.  

Your kitchen oven is off by 250°+, or it's metric...

Your as-quenched Rockwell test was off....

I'm at a loss, really.

2 hours ago, Chris C-S said:

Nice. With that much time (6hrs) tempering to straighten, is there a risk of taking too much hardness out? 

Tempering is time and temperature dependant, but temperature is far more critical than time.  Even a 24 hour temper will not make as much difference in hardness as 15° will... I generally do 3 x 2 hour tempers anyway, probably overkill but I like to be sure...

That's a good looking knife, I'm looking forward to seeing it etched.  

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Collin, I've had the same problem with mine using a Zoeller style sidearm burner (I refer to it as my dinky little burner), the temperature tops out at about 1300°... The only real difference between yours and mine is mine is vertical, and you found two barrels of the same color instead of blue and faded yellow... I also have a 2 x 4" port for the burner, which allows for a lot of room for tuning the angle and direction of the flame.   

I see two options, either add another burner or take Sam's advise and get a bigger burner.  Since I already have a spare I'll be trying two burners first, perhaps with an extra burner I can get rid of the temperature gradient from top to bottom.  Honestly though I should probably just take Sam's advise and buy a trex...

Edited to add, I have an abundance of satanite I plan to use to stabilize the wool with, but I want to be sure everything works as it should first.

I third that!  May your beard burn brightly...

That is freakin awesome....

Those are such impressive devices, congratulations on getting one.  In the second video it looks like you got the steel up to sparking hot, how much control over the heat do you have?  If one of these could be fine tuned for a specific temperature, the possibilities are limitless.  Presets for tempering (yeah I know it wouldn't be practical but can it do it?), austenizing, forgewelding... Just remember, with great power comes great responsibility...;)

I love it!  The shape is wonderful, and the wrought iron has a lot of character.

Most tanged spears also have a ferrule that covers the end of the pole with the tang passes through, helping to reinforce the pole and prevent splitting.  One could simply slide a piece of pipe over the end, it wouldn't look very pretty but would serve the purpose.  Considering this, a socketed spear is just doing it all in one piece, and makes inletting the shaft to take a tang, and the tang itself, unnecessary.  Taper the end of the shaft, slide it on, and stick a nail in it, you're good to go.

I like it, though either a keeper or increasing the angle it sits at would make it more secure, at least psychologically...

I get things close on the belt sander, then perfect the shape with drums either on a router or dremel.  One of the keys to getting the most life out of the drums is to keep it moving and use the entire width... And buy them in bulk....

Excellent!  Wonderful shape, and the copper goes well with the bog oak.

It has occurred to me that it's about time to get started... 

5 hours ago, Brian Madigan said:

I burned my shop up! 

 

Ah, that sucks...

It doesn't have to be pretty as long as it works.  What type of insulation did you use?

Doug, I suspect the hinges are for easy access should it need relining...

2 hours ago, Alan Longmire said:

That, sir, is an honor!  

I overheard a conversation earlier about Charlemagne's sword Joyese, and how Google translated it to 'Happy', which one must admit is an odd but strangely appropriate name for a sword...

Spiffy is even better.

Wonderful, marvelous, and excellent... Well done man, well done indeed.

Not boring at all, in fact I'm on the edge of my seat... I need popcorn I think.

I can hardly wait to see this one finished.