JJ Simon Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 There are 2 short videos of an attempt at making shibuichi. It was just me so I couldn't take video while poring the ingot http://www.facebook.com/#!/jj.simon1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt venier Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Hey JJ You're killing me, now I'm going to have to breakdown and join facebook :P I hope the attempt went well. Talk to you soon Matt There's no kissaki like an O-kissaki!http://www.venierdesign.com/Venier_Design_Inc./Welcome.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ Simon Posted April 3, 2011 Author Share Posted April 3, 2011 Hey Matt the attempt went very well. The ingot is 42 grams and I started with around 45 grams of material. I'm assuming the last 3 grams just didn't pour. I'm going to attempt a larger run, probably 4-5 times larger. As soon as I have this down to something I can reproduce I will do the Shakudo run. Which should be 220 grams. If people are having a hard time viewing this video because its on Facebook please let me know and I will put it on Youtube. More to come. JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ Simon Posted April 3, 2011 Author Share Posted April 3, 2011 This is a link to my youtube page. The videos should be viewable for everyone there. http://www.youtube.com/user/MrJJSimon?feature=mhum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt venier Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 That looks great!!! Have you worked it at all to see how it forms? You have to get someone to film the next one, that would be sooo cool to see you pouring it. Matt There's no kissaki like an O-kissaki!http://www.venierdesign.com/Venier_Design_Inc./Welcome.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Mack Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 JJ that is way cool did you pour into water? Quemadmoeum gladuis neminem occidit, occidentis telum est. (a sword is never a killer, it is a tool in the killer's hands.) Lucius Annaeus Seneca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ Simon Posted April 4, 2011 Author Share Posted April 4, 2011 Hey guys here is a second pour. Scott its in water. I got a sort of mountain looking ingot this time. I will have to work at a disc like ingot from here on out. I did hammer on this a little and and it worked ok but I think I'm going to work it in the press. Heat it to red or just black and then anneal often the color is any where from pink to gold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ Simon Posted April 4, 2011 Author Share Posted April 4, 2011 Oh and it weighs 285 grams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hÿllyn Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 JJ can you post a picture of that last ingot? Grey hair and alopecia are signs of age, not of wisdom... Rósta að, maðr! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ Simon Posted April 4, 2011 Author Share Posted April 4, 2011 I hammered on it a bit to see how workable it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hÿllyn Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I would remelt that. It seems to have piled onto itself a lot. Have you found any porosity left by air bubbles? It has that shape. The first one you cast looks a lot better if you don't mind me saying so. Grey hair and alopecia are signs of age, not of wisdom... Rósta að, maðr! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hÿllyn Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I would remelt that. It seems to have piled onto itself a lot. Have you found any porosity left by air bubbles? It has that shape. The first one you cast looks a lot better if you don't mind me saying so. Grey hair and alopecia are signs of age, not of wisdom... Rósta að, maðr! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ Simon Posted April 4, 2011 Author Share Posted April 4, 2011 the first one was a lot smaller. I was thinking about recasting this one. I don't know if I should straight pour it or make a slow circle to try to even it out. There is 1 porosity hole that i can see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant Dorangrichia Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 How hot was your water? It looks like the metal is cooling a bit quickly. Grant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ Simon Posted April 4, 2011 Author Share Posted April 4, 2011 not quite boiling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Price Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Having just started playing with shibuichi myself, why the pour into water? What does that accomplish that a simple melt in a retort won't do? The Tidewater Forge Christopher Price, Bladesmith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ Simon Posted April 4, 2011 Author Share Posted April 4, 2011 I don't know Chris. I have the Mokume book and that is the way they do it. I'm thinking about remelting this ingot and pouring it in a regular mold. Or I might be stubborn and try it in the water again with a different fabric and deeper water. The book says 5" but I think that's too shallow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant Dorangrichia Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 My only other suggestion would be to pour quicker. Deepening the water would only make the problem worse as the metal will be even cooler before it hits the mold. Check out Fords video, he pours quickly and the ingot is actually red hot for quite a while underwater. http://www.youtube.com/user/ironbrush#p/u/10/WUVUYH_vvZE Grant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ Simon Posted April 4, 2011 Author Share Posted April 4, 2011 That's a great video. It looks like his water is pretty shallow. back to the drawing board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Hastings Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 That's a great video. It looks like his water is pretty shallow. back to the drawing board. The way this is done is to heat your water to rolling boil. take it off the heat only just before you pour your ingot. You want that water as hot as it can be to get the steam jacket to hold on. Depth of the water not really that critical. The metal separates during the pour and regroups into a solid mass in the fabric mold. Making the water this hot allows the steam jacket to hold long enough for the metal to regroup completely. It helps to have your ingot mold a little deeper so that stray bits of metal don't jump out during the turbulent pour. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ Simon Posted April 4, 2011 Author Share Posted April 4, 2011 Fantastic, thanks Patrick. Gonna try again Wednesday or Thursday. I will post more video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Hastings Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Having just started playing with shibuichi myself, why the pour into water? What does that accomplish that a simple melt in a retort won't do? Hi Chris, This technique is actually fairly important to making Shibuichi in particular. There are two varieties of Shibuichi. In type one you simply melt silver and copper together any old way and the results will be a nearly homogeneous color in patina. This can be accomplished in just about any way you can make an ingot. Type two has very distinct and highly variable grain structure with unequal distribution of elements. It is made by melting the copper first and adding the silver in seconds before pouring the melt. Its generally a salt and pepper kind of look where there is Copper silver alloy surrounded by a lattice of silver. In Japanese artifacts this grain structure is an aesthetic feature and it requires some control to create it and to make it appear even across a surface. This is where water casting shines. The process creates a really a uniform Nashigi (pear skin like) and Grain structure. So that you get virtually the same pattern through out the ingot. It also cools at the correct rate to foster the segregation of elements. Often you can't really see these individual segregations in photos, but fine examples generally have a sand stone look to them (though perfectly smooth) and are of a many varied olive//green/brown tones. The type one Shibuichi was often used in lays to create pictures because lacked the sandstone look. Both types have there place as a uniform Grey color is often preferred when doing Inlay work such as faces on people, but Type two is the one that was the most prized and was used as the foundation metal for things like sword fittings. Some other benefits of water casting are how extremely clean the metal will be when done right. The water protects the ingot from oxygen and blows away any charcoal or flux that may have been used. When done just right you can get a perfect button of metal with very nice grain. It is 100% useable it does not have to be scalped or pickled. For a primitive technique it really shines. Its fun too I attached a Picture of Type 2 shibuichi Tsuba I made. Its has three distinct colors in the pattern and is uniform all the way across the plate. This is not be confused with Kesho where there is simply a course grain structure showing through the patina like that of a slow cooled alloy. These color variations are from compositional differences rather than gross grain size and orientation. It can be quite tricky to make and I am far from having it mastered. I hope that sheds on light on it...I can scan picuture from my books of much more visible version of type two if anyone is interested... Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt venier Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 Rock on which your bad self JJ!!!!! In Ford Hallams Utushi pt1 video he does a water pour of shibuichi for your reference and the vids are in HD and show some amazing work. Patrick: I would love to see more pictures of the type two shibuichi. Matt There's no kissaki like an O-kissaki!http://www.venierdesign.com/Venier_Design_Inc./Welcome.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ Simon Posted April 5, 2011 Author Share Posted April 5, 2011 Thanks Matt, next run soon. Patrick thanks again for the help and the lesson on the types of shibuichi The grain structure info is a real help because I noticed what looked like bits of the silver peaking through. Now I know its supposed to be there that is good news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Hastings Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 Rock on which your bad self JJ!!!!! In Ford Hallams Utushi pt1 video he does a water pour of shibuichi for your reference and the vids are in HD and show some amazing work. Patrick: I would love to see more pictures of the type two shibuichi. Matt I am in hurry getting ready for my Japanese metal working class, but I snapped a photo for you of a piece with very clear "Nashiji" showing. patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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