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Ok, so most of us know what one looks like, right? But metallurgically speaking, what is it actually? What is the ghosted line made of? And what makes it visible? Is it fundamentally different to a quench line (edge-quench, etc)? Sorry for spewing a bunch of questions out, I'm not sure what the right all encompassing question is. Just looking for a better answer than Wikipedia can give. TIA AJ

Citric acid etch and post etch polished seems to be dialed in. Still optimizing pre-etch polish. All NJSB W-2. Hamon1800 clay and Paragon furnace.

Nearly finished with the rail clip tanto. Been a fun build utilising some new techniques and materials. The blade was a practice piece that turned out quite nice so I had to finish it lol. The fittings are made of salvaged copper pipe that I cut into sheets and hammered to shape. The fuchi and kashira are both one solid piece, no soldering. The materials used include a mokume tsuba, embossed leather inlay in lieu of ray skin, brazed copper habaki, copper fuchi and kashira, nylon cord, brass seppa, bamboo mekugi, handle body is a formed polymer product (experimental) and the blade is made from a rail clip.

Though its simple, I was exited about this since it is my first successful attempt at differential hardening and my first actual commission. Its a basic integral with some kind of purple-red tropical hardwood scales and nickle silver pins. The custom part was engraving the bolster with an anniversary date in roman numerals and tooling for the sheath. I also extracted the filings from the handle scales in alcohol and used it to dye the sheath which seemed to work well. Steel was an old cold chisel quenched in oil with some high temperature pipe insulation cement for the spine. I only took it up to 400 as I was figuring on it getting used and cleaned with a scotchbright pad. Etched in vinegar to bring the line out a little. Also chose to leave in some flaws from sloppy forging rather than grind thinner. Of course I failed to take some decent pictures before it left. Hammer engraving the bolster was the hardest part and came out barely tolerable. I did the layout electronically and glued the paper to the bolster which did not work very neatly, should have tried some king of solvent transfer. Even unhardened the steel took the edge off my home made engravers in single cut though they work ok on mild steel. Wound up hammering on a commercial push engraver. Would appreciate any critique. Thanks for looking!

Lightweight W2 custom harpoon clip point bowie with a beautiful hamon. Full tang construction. Removeable Carbon fiber, blue and black g10 scales. Titanium hardware with stainless steel pivots. Kydex/ leather sheath with American flag made by Grommets leathercraft. Slight wear marks from being inserted/ removed. Asking $400 shipped in the lower 48. Check out more work on instagram rmor_knives. And rmorknives.imgur.com.Thanks for looking. 7 inch cutting edge, approximately 2 inches wide. Unfortunately I currently have no scale to measure weight. Feels light in hand for size

I thought this question was better off here than in heat treating. We have seen that a hamon CAN be created in 80CrV2 but since it is a deep hardening steel it is sort of fighting what the steel wants. I have seen reports of alloy banding showing up in hamon attempts. Given that the Japanese hamon came about from differential quenching/hardening to give a hard edge without a brittle overall blade, has anyone found a downside, with regards to the integrity of the blade, from forcing hamon in 80CrV2 ? I can't see it as a problem with the cutting edge as long as temps are in the normal range, it's the rest of the blade I'm curious about.

First attempt at creating a hamon line.6" drop point 1075. Clay on spine heated to just past non magnetic cleaned scale polished up to 2000 wet sand. Etched using hot white vinegar soaked for 30 min.or so wiped clean re heated vinegar ..did this several times knife looks great from the spine to the temper line silky med grey tones & knife was very smooth to the touch ..but from temp.line to the edge it is much darker wich is good but looks like crackle paint finish and rough to the touch and very pitted ..why would this only be around temper line and not all over the entire blade

I've got two nice hand forged honyaki usuba for sale here, both are made for right-handers and are terrific slicers. First up is the zebra wood usuba. It has a nice octagonal handle of zebra wood with a wenge spacer, and a full hidden tang. Blade material is 1095, I gave it an angular gunome style hamon that is showing some great activity. The blade has a chisel geometry with one face convex to the edge and the other face flat. Comes with a full spalted maple saya that has a matching wenge spacer and wenge pin. OAL is 12.25" and the blade length is 6". The blade is approximately 1/8" thick. Sharpened up to 6000 grit on a waterstone, this knife makes for a fantastic slicer. Asking $SOLD ships free in the contig. U.S. PayPal preferred Next is the spalted maple wood usuba. It has an octagonal handle of spalted with two wenge spacers, and a full hidden tang. Blade material is 1095, with a gunome style hamon. Again, the blade has a chisel geometry with one face convex to the edge and the other face flat. Comes with a full spalted maple saya that has a matching wenge spacer and wenge pin. OAL is 11.5" and the blade length is 5.25". The blade is approximately 1/8" thick. Sharpened up to 6000 grit on a waterstone, this knife also makes for a fantastic slicer. Asking $SOLD ships free in the contig. U.S. PayPal preferred First to ask gets them, please make it clear which of them you'd like. Contact me at YozakuraForge@gmail.com, PM me, or post a comment if you have any questions or would like to claim a blade. Thanks for looking, -Grant

This is the blade I was meant to make for my kids mum for mothers day (separated but still really good friends). First blade had a crack when i was sanding it so i scrapped that piece and grabbed a new bit of leaf. somehow it has ended up as a 52cm blade with a very slight curve that very closely resembles a wakizashi. Maybe just maybe I used to much metal lol So that is what I have decided to make it. Now I have 0 experience with this type of blade. Iv never done anything on this size and never done a scabbard out of wood. Also never done a hamon. So my questions are as follows. What clay is best for a nice clear hamon? And can anyone give me a step by step on how to do a scabbard that matches up to the handle out of wood? Pictures if possible. And any problems I might run into when finishing this blade??

Heya everyone, I am happy to show you my newest creation: A kiridashi with handle wrap and a secondary bevel to bring out the hamon. I really love the look of it! Dont forget to check my Video about the creation of it

This is the first installment in my series of themed tanto, The Autumn Grove Kotanto. My inspiration for this blade came in the form of the natural beauty of the forest and the changing colors of the leaves during fall. Drawing on the form of the mighty oak, this blade features a walnut shirasaya with cocobolo spacers that brings to mind the strength and stature of a full grown tree. The copper habaki has a traditional patina created by simmering in a hot niage solution. The speckled, rusty plum patina that the habaki takes on is reminiscent of vivid orange and brown leaves floating down amid the brisk autumn air. The blade itself has a simple yet elegant hamon composed of many ko-gunome waves. The hamon and blade were polished with natural hazuya and jizuya stones giving the hamon a very subtle and natural appearance. OAL: 8.5" from the back of the tsuka to the tip of the blade Shirasaya dimensions: 9.5"x1.8"x.85" Blade width: 1.33" at its widest point Blade Thickness: 1/4" at the munemachi with a distal taper to the end of the kissaki Hamon: Ko-Gunome waves Blade polish: Hybrid polish with hazuya and jizuya stones Mountings: Habaki, Tsuka, Saya, Mekugi Mounting Materials: Walnut, Cocobolo, Wenge, Copper Blade Material: W2 with a differential quench in brine The blade has a single wenge mekugi and can be completely dismounted for easy maintenance and sharpening. I wish I could do the hamon justice with my pictures, but I guess I am just a really lousy photographer haha... It didn't fully show up in all the pictures, but take my word for it, it's there. I'm asking $950 USD OBO for it and it ships free in the US. First to ask gets it, shoot me an email at YozakuraForge@gmail.com or PM I'll be glad to answer any questions you have and would love to see your comments on the blade. Thanks for looking -Grant

This is my first time trying to sell something here, so here it goes. 1075 steel (with hamon) Blade: 4-3/4"x3/16" 10-1/8 oal Nara scales with mosaic pins and integral guard. Comes with kydex sheath with leather lashing(1-1/2 tek lok compatible) Price is $200 or best offer Sorry for the horrible pictures

All right, everyone, my name is Helio Alexandre neckel, I live in the south of Brazil in the city of Passo Fundo, I come to show my latest work. These are two field knives, made of SAE 1075 carbon steel. Length of blade 26 cm. Width 50 mm. Selective tempering with hamon, revealed with Iron Perchloride. Cable in wood Pau-Ferro of Bolivia. I hope you like it! Thank you!

Alright, so I bought one of these after my horrible clay-mixing and furnace cement experiences... I applied it in a very thin layer to the blade, and let it dry for like... hour and a half. (from my understanding, this can be used right away, and does not actually need to dry for the purpose of differential hardening. Besides, instructions on the tube read "dry for at least an hour".) But to my great surprise the thin layer expanded like a baloon as soon as I moved the knife into the forge... I mean - it was instantly. They blew up to large hollow bubbles on the blade. I saw no other option but to scrape the damn stuff off (which proved quite the challenge btw.) and apply my old refracory cement and steel wire. (I just quenched the blade... no problems. ) Anyhow, is this bubbling of the Rutland Black Furnace Cement normal? Sincerely, Alveprins.

I have decided to start a video series on a stag antler Bowie knife build. I have completed the first video of the blade forging. It is about 56 minutes long because I talk about what I'm doing and why rather than just showing the hammer hitting hot steel and letting the viewer try and figure out what is going on. I hope to make a series of these videos of the entire WIP on this knife. Maybe this weekend I can get to grinding, heat treat and finishing the blade.

Ok, so I've been busy all day and all night the past few days to complete this modest little thing in time for the 50th birthday of one of my colleagues. My boss approached me and asked if I could come up with a knife for a colleague since he is a hunter - and I could not resist the chance to make something I havent made before. So here it goes: Blade length: 103mm Blade thickness: 4mm at handle - tapering down to a narrow tip. Blade hardness at edge: 63 HRC. Handle length: 109mm Blade materials: UHB20C for the edge and UHB15LM for the jacket. Differentially hardened ofc. Handle materials: Madagascar Ebony and mosaic pins. The blade is full tang, naturally. And here are the pics... Fashionably amateurish as always: Any and all critique is as always very welcome. I must say though - I am extremely happy with the handle. You probably can't tell from the images, but this knife sits really well in the hand... Its like... I don't want to let it go once I grip it... Sincerely, Alveprins.

Have a quick question. Is it possible to get a hamon besides using clay? Ive never messed with hamons at all yet but seems like i have a faint one going on in my recent blade. its a damascus chefs knife comprised of 1095,15N20 and nickel sheet. any ideas? Heres a picture and ill try and take a better one to show you what I'm seeing. along the edge is a faint shadow. Thanks

MY FB PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/kovarstvikundera Knife inspired by the Vikings, price 100 dollars plus shipping. overall length 25 cm Blade length 14 cm Blade thickness 3 mm !! Handle 11 cm Blade: damask of top is from chain of chainsaws linear pattern. Middle damask from chain of chainsaws wild patern. Blades welded butt of 19,312 (high carbon steel) guard bronze, ash with engraving, bronze. Construction on the pin and riveted plus epoxy for sure. Handle surface : Bath from linseed oil and beeswax. cowhide leather of 3.5 mm Knife inspired by the Vikings, price is 100 dollars plus shipping. overall length 18 cm Blade length 8 cm Blade thickness 4 mm Handle 10 cm Blade: damask of top 11 ??? plus 19,191 wood pattern. Middle torsion damask from the same materials. blades welded butt of 19,312 (high carbon steel) guard bronze, ash with engraving, bronze. Construction on the pin and riveted plus epoxy for sure. Handle surface : Bath from linseed oil and beeswax. cowhide leather of 3.5 mm bowie "hornet" price is 140 dollars plus shipping. overall length 34cm Blade length 20 cm Blade thickness 5 mm Handle 13,5 cm STEEL is high carbon (1% C) 19 191 with hamon. toughness 58 hrc HANDLE: guard stainless steel, imitation mahogany,ash.... .construction on the pin and riveted plus epoxy for sure. Handle surface : Bath from linseed oil and beeswax. cowhide leather of 3.5 mm

hi guys, this is my first post here, I hope you like it and i glad to answer all inquiries. and sorry for my bad English. STEEL is high carbon (1% C) 19 191 with hamon. toughness 58 hrc HANDLE, leather rings and antler. fixed by epoxy adhesive and one copper Rivet. the left knife: overall length 37 cm, blade length 21 cm price 100 dollars plus shiping. the right knife: overall length 34 cm, blade length 20 cm price 100 dollars plus shiping. middle knife is not for sale the blades are without sheath. my fb site: https://www.facebook.com/kovarstvikundera now with sheath!!! this is the "small" one. price 120 dollarts plus shiping

Gents, I haven't been doing a lot of work lately, but recently finished this one up. I'm only about 6 months into the craft and this is my favorite knife so far. The bolo design was per request (I'm not a fan of it, so you can leave that out of the critiques). Can I ask that you guys critique this? Design, fit/finish, colors, hamon, etc. If you don't mind adding some tips for how to improve on your critiques, that would be great too . I've got natural canvas micarta, ivory paper micarta, and copper pins and guard. Steel is 1095. Thanks fellas

hey guys this is the first time i have tried a traditional japanese style blade. It is made from 1075 steel from Aldo. Please tell me what you think and critique and give me suggestions so I can continue to improve! Also if anyone knows what to call this hamon that would be appreciated as well! Thanks. -Jeff

So a buddy of mine brought me an old broken 70's or 80's ish era store bought sword and wanted me to salvage it for him to see what i could do, after a quick dip in the acid tank i realized i had something to work with. so i set to work and this is what came out. im considering maybe some celtic style carvings on the antler, thoughts?

so i did this railspike knife and left the stock square with the intentions of doing some cutouts or carving on it i really like the way it turned out i know its a bit thick but the Customer wanted it as so. way to thick in my opinion i know, but alot of you guys are way more talented than i so throw some knowledge at the newbie.

This is a 6" kitchen blade with a 2 3/8" heel. This was asked for by the customer and actually feels pretty good. The handle is ebony, snakewood and G10 The steel is 1075

Hi guys. Finished a new blade today. 1095 with hamon quenched in warm water then warm oil. First time using Satanite and it followed the clay pattern. Also first time using my new JF#1 burner. Works great. After the blade turns red, even on the lowest setting it keeps the blade bright red. Anyway, I need opinion on a few things: 1: What do you guys think about the Hamon? Good? Bad? Where does it need to improve? Constructive criticism welcome. 2: On all my knives the Hamon is more clear on one side. The side when the blade is lying flat and the tip is pointing to the right. Its clearer on that side on every knife I've made. Why could that be? 3: In the two pics of the close ups, there's thin cracks on each side of the blade. I'm sure they're cracks because I can feel them with my nails. They became more obvious when I got to the finer sand paper. Why would the blade be cracked in that area? 4: With the light on, the Hamon doesn't show well, unlike my previous knives. Why? 5: Not the best polishing job for 2000 grits. I used Gator sandpaper from Lowes instead of 3m. Is Gator inferior or is it me? Anything else I need to work on? Close up of the blade show cracks on one side Close up of another side showing the thin cracks