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The result of years of work.


Antoine

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It appear like he has made one or two of those in the past.

 

Absolutely wonderful hammer control and technique.

 

 

Any more videos like that out there Antoine?

Ric

Richard Furrer

Door County Forgeworks

Sturgeon Bay, WI

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Wonderful Nokogiri video there..........absolutely wonderful.

It shows many of the same techniques for other blade manufacture and great display of sen work.

 

Ric

Richard Furrer

Door County Forgeworks

Sturgeon Bay, WI

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Wonderful Nokogiri video there..........absolutely wonderful.

It shows many of the same techniques for other blade manufacture and great display of sen work.

 

Ric

 

 

I agree-I liked the shot of all the different sen.

 

I couldn't quite figure out what he was doing with I guess is a narrow curved sen. He then followed it up with what looks to be a two handed burnisher.

 

But the most amazing thing was hammering the set on the teeth-spectacular hammer control.

 

WOW!

 

Thanks for showing this.

 

Dan

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Dan,

I wondered about that as well.

I think he was removing a small amount of material just past the teeth..maybe in doing so he gained more relief for the teeth kerf or some odd issue with how it may allow for a smoother pull on the saw? I am sure a woodworker who uses the tool could point out the reason.

 

the burnisher was a surprise.....well starting with tamahagane was a surprise as well.

I would like to sit down with that guy for week or so....it appears that the well was rather deep there.....way past the wading end of the pool.

 

I like the punch press rigged to cut the long teeth on the other video....I am sure he began by hand cutting and then saw one of those presses and thought.."hey....I'll use that"....that is how I look at tools now.

 

 

Did you see in the photos, the last menu to click on, that they use VERY wide planes (5"-6 or so) or gang four planes in one block for the same effect....they were pulling off thinner than paper sheets with those at some form of woodworkers gathering.

 

Makes me want to make more than chisels.....Imagine taking the time to make a whole set of woodworking tools?

four chisel sets, planes, many saws, marking knives,angle finders,calipers and the hammers and sundry small hand tools...oh..I wish I had a client who wanted a FULL set of hand made tools.

 

Ric

Richard Furrer

Door County Forgeworks

Sturgeon Bay, WI

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Did you see in the photos, the last menu to click on, that they use VERY wide planes (5"-6 or so) or gang four planes in one block for the same effect....they were pulling off thinner than paper sheets with those at some form of woodworkers gathering.

 

Makes me want to make more than chisels.....Imagine taking the time to make a whole set of woodworking tools?

four chisel sets, planes, many saws, marking knives,angle finders,calipers and the hammers and sundry small hand tools...oh..I wish I had a client who wanted a FULL set of hand made tools.

 

Ric

 

Yea,

 

I saw that.

 

And yes the tamahagane was a surprise- the whole process was a surprise. So much for swordsmith "snobbery"

 

I was greatly influenced by James Krenov the wood worker and his "revolutionary" idea at the time of making his own hand planes. Then I was introduced to the Japanese tool ideals and I was hooked.

 

The chisels were beautiful and interesting as were the saws but the planes-Now that was magic.

 

As you said-taking a gossamer thin shaving 10 feet long and two inches wide in one stoke and leaving a glass like finish behind.

 

For want of a better word it was orgasmic.

 

I think the attraction for me was that in use, beautiful woodworking tools create more beauty. Despite my love affair with them-The same cannot be said for a sword-no matter how beautiful. The can be some argument that following a sword discipline can build a beautiful soul, but there is no ambiguity with a wood working tool-its intent is to create, not destroy.

 

I agree-That guy is is at the very deep end of the pool. I would like to pick his brain for a century or two.

 

Dan

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I feel like I have watched a century or two.... WOW.... to think I cut the teeth on my saws with only a file.rolleyes.gif.. all the time thinking punching would be so much easier... these videos are so educational...and inspirational... the thing that struck me was how simple and at the same time how sophisticated... smile.gif

 

I really learned a huge amount from these that I will do different next time... It was also nice to confirm that some of what I had stumbled through was the right idea...

 

 

 

I liked the forging a few blades together at the same time...

 

 

As for other vids, Sam posted one of a japanese scissor maker in a post that I can't remember where at the moment...

 

Really good thread Antoine..biggrin.gif Thanks

 

Dick

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Thank's, glad you enjoy the vids!

 

It is nice to see that the geometry on japanese tools is more complex and subtle than it firts appear...

Do you guys know what is the secret ingredient in their flux to make the steel "stick" together while haeting? You can see it weel with the hammer maker. Iron powder?

 

We often (at least I) don't realize the all tools were made from bloomery at a time, so focused we are on knives and swords. It is good to see generations of crafmens continuing this work.

 

I see in these videos litterally hundread of years of experience, failures and succes accumulated in a single human being. That's one of the things that got me into knifemaking, the beauty of the gesture reapeated thousand of times, passed down over centuries. The precision of a single movement.

I've had the pleasure to meet a few craftmen like this. A french knifemaker filing by hand with a few of strokes the notch for the spring of five folders at a time within a fraction of a hair of the right angle. Venicio, an Italian blacksmith that I work with telling me that my railing was off 3/8 of and inch to the left when I had a 20 foot long railing liyig on my work table. Clay bowls growing out of theirs hand while they tell you a joke...I love that!

Maybe I'm too romantic!

 

I invite you to check Robin Wood's blog, he has a very nice selection of videos on traditionnal crafts, he's himself a wonderful woodturner.

 

Enjoy!

 

Antoine

Edited by Antoine
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Do you guys know what is the secret ingredient in their flux to make the steel "stick" together while haeting? You can see it weel with the hammer maker. Iron powder?

 

Antoine

 

 

Me too! I wanna know

 

On the kanna video he wet the steel insert in water then dipped it in the flux making a paste.

 

But you are right Antoine. In the hammer video he used the flux to stick the pieces together and then just shoved it in the fire horizontally :blink:

 

What is this stuff?

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yeah I was wondering about the flux also and forgot to mention it.. I'm thinking it has iron filings also.... I have used stuff called EZ Weld many years ago that had filings in it and it acted

 

similar..but I don't remember it sticking that goodwink.gif

 

Yeah Antoine.... like watching dance ...

 

 

Dick

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Thanks very much for those links Antoine. Fascinating. I love in the Noko video how he turns the tang over mid-stroke as the hammer is tapping away at 4 strokes per second or so.

Here is a link I found to a video showing a wide plane in use.

 

Jim

Edited by Jim Kelso
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I thought I once read that it was cast iron filings...I'm not certain though. Would this melt at welding heat holding the pieces together?

 

 

I saw a believable comment from an ABS MS who supposedly spent time in Japan that the 'secret' flux ingredient was boric acid at 1 part to 4 or 5 parts borax. At least for the shop that he visited. Just came to mind when I read the comments.

 

Craig

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I remember Don saying a little Boric acid added to satinite worked good to help the satinite stick better.... So maybe boric acid is our friend?smile.gif

 

It looked kind of flaky ( not real smooth looking) so I think it did have some iron filings in it...

 

Dick

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I asked Bill Fiorini about this..he has used the boric acid for many many years as an addition to the flux...but..never mentioned you can weld upside-down and sideways.

 

Ric

Richard Furrer

Door County Forgeworks

Sturgeon Bay, WI

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I think part of it is also having one piece hot and holding it in contact with the other piece, so you're kinda melting the borax between the two. I know there's times I've gone back to do another weld pass but didn't do much drawing out after wards, and went to grind the surface and the damned borax is a pain to grind off.

Beau Erwin

www.ErwinKnives.com

Custom knives

Bcarta Composites

Stabilized Woods

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I think I posted this a long time ago:

 

part 1

 

part 2

 

part 3

 

 

monsieur Maillefert does a much smoother forging job IMO though, or so it seems from the videos.

Let not the swords of good and free men be reforged into plowshares, but may they rest in a place of honor; ready, well oiled and God willing unused. For if the price of peace becomes licking the boots of tyrants, then "To Arms!" I say, and may the fortunes of war smile upon patriots

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I think I posted this a long time ago:

 

part 1

 

part 2

 

part 3

 

 

monsieur Maillefert does a much smoother forging job IMO though, or so it seems from the videos.

 

There's more of that !&~$* magical flux-glue! I'd like to know what that stuff is!

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Willman, looks they are using charcoal...

 

Antoine,

 

that last vid was interesting how he was going across on an angle instead of straight across... it looked like it was easier to keep the burs lined up that way...

 

 

Nice ear plugs toocool.gif but I did like the phrasing to his rhythm... Um pa pa UmPa Pa 1 2 3 1 2 3 ....

 

Dick

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