Raymond Jewell Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Okay, at the risk of looking like an ID-10-T, I'm going to ask this question (and the rest of you who answer will probably say "duh"); What is a sen. I figure that it is a type of file, since I found it wile looking at the recent post about files, but I personaly have never heard of it. Well, maybe I have and it was called something else, but I don't recognize it. Please explain and don't worry about making me feel dumb, I do it to myself all the time . Thanks, guys “Fire and air, earth and water, were once considered the four elemental substances of our world. Among the ancients only the blacksmith worked with all four.” - From The Art of Blacksmithing by Alex W. Bealer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennis mcadams Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Not knowing something doesn't make you stupid, not asking may. A sen is a Japanese scraper.Think of it as a two-edged draw knife that uses a push pull cutting motion for profiling blades. There is information on Don Fogg's website just search for sen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raymond Jewell Posted April 9, 2013 Author Share Posted April 9, 2013 Thanks so much. I have seen on of those, in a book on Japanese sword making. I think I even tried to make something similar out of an old file (didn't have the knowledge then on tempering and proper cutting bevels, and still not quite sure yet, but will figure it out). Again, thanks for the info and will definitely check out the site link. “Fire and air, earth and water, were once considered the four elemental substances of our world. Among the ancients only the blacksmith worked with all four.” - From The Art of Blacksmithing by Alex W. Bealer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoy's Forge Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Well thanks for asking that Ray ,he hee! I will secretly absorb that knowledge that I didn't know , look smugly down my nose at you cause you didn't and meanwhile sit back quietly and leave you looking like the idiot ... oops is my mike on? www.hoyfamily.net Isa 54:16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.Lu 22:36 Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. Mr 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry_r Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 http://www.fredhack.net/2013/02/sen-sword-making-tool.html Need to try one of these. I use a mill file in draw file motion, and by raising the angle tell myself it has a sen like action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Alexander Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Easy to make one from an old file too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Furrer Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Sen means "knife" so it is not a name specific to scraping blades. A note on use.... 1)unless you like sharpening things you should remove the forge scale from the item to be scraped. An over night dip in vinegar or shorter in another acid is good. Touching it to hard stone grinder, belt sander or angle/side grinder is good as well. I would suggest not ti file or scrape forge scale covered blades...scale is hard and will dull both prematurely. 2)anneal of soften the blade prior to scraping...no need to scrape a hardened surface. 3)find you angle..the scraper will work best at a given angle and with short strokes...what that angle is depends upon your edge geometry. Ric Richard Furrer Door County Forgeworks Sturgeon Bay, WI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steffen Dahlberg Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I came here from this thread: http://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?showtopic=31147&hl=And to my disappointment I find Don Fogg's site is gone, and the "fredhack" link above here isn't as detailed as I would've liked. My thoughts is I want to make it laminated, that is backed with mild like a woodworking chisel (and like some draw knives).Also I would like it to be slightly concave over it's width, in other words the working plane, that means only sharpening it on the bevel. However I would like it slightly convex along it's length?Of course the back could be reverted to a flat grind at any point. But with a flat back, should one shim the back edge a bit to make a small relief angle, or does one just free-hand it?What would be a reasonable grind? 80-85o ? http://lumberjocks.com/Stefflus/projects Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Longmire Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 You need to learn to use the Internet Archive Wayback machine. Everything ever posted is on there somewhere. Here's the link to Don's Sen page: http://web.archive.org/web/20060512150749/http://www.dfoggknives.com/photogallery/MakingSen/makingsen.htm and how to make and use it: http://web.archive.org/web/20041013122353/http://www.dfoggknives.com/handwork.htm The one from the Fred Hack page is okay, but they work better when wider. 5 to 7 cm wide, slightly concave on the back (the side touching the work). This just helps in sharpening it, since you won't be removing steel from the entire surface. Edge angle can be whatever works for you, and for the steel you make the sen out of. 75 degrees is a good starting point to see what you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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