Karl B. Andersen 17 Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I apologize, humbly, for posting after such a long absence. I just scheduled myself in one of Ric Furrer's Wootz classes and realized I had not been here in quite some time. It's not often I get some really nice photography done and hoped you wouldn't mind if I shared one here. This is a recent Bowie I made for the Blade Show and had Caleb Royer do some of his magic for me. The blade is a 324 layer single twist of 1095 and 15N20. The Bowie is a take-down with stainless fittings and Desert Ironwood. I will also show the steel bar as-twisted. It's pretty tight and i didn't even work up a sweat. (I used my pipe threader twister. Made it so easy I felt like I was cheating. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Wes Detrick 487 Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Good lord, that is a tight twist! The knife turned out beautifully. I love the pattern and the Desert Ironwood has some awesome figure. I hope you take to posting more often Karl; I would love to see more. Link to post Share on other sites
Rex Pepper 1 Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Beautiful knife Karl, any chance of seeing your pipe threader twister in action? Cheers Rex Link to post Share on other sites
jdsmith02115 36 Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Great looking knife!! Next time, try welding extensions onto the ends of your billet and twist the entire bar, sacrificing none of your pattern welded material to the vise, and/or whatever secures the ends while twisting.Just from what I see in your vise, this method would've added 30% more twisted material to your net yield. Link to post Share on other sites
Alan Longmire 2,729 Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Welcme back, Karl! That's a beauty. Link to post Share on other sites
justin carnecchia 67 Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Beautiful, but then all your knives are. I love the pics of the twisted billet. Link to post Share on other sites
Brian Dougherty 1,167 Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Wow, that is stunning! Are the fittings 416 stainless? This is a very timely post for me because I am working up my first twist billet now. Looking at your twisted bar, and the final pattern makes me realize how little I really understand about how this pattern develops. It's given me much food for thought, and I'm thankful you posted the pic of the twisted bar. Link to post Share on other sites
BCROB 13 Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Karl apology accepted !!!....................cause I love to see your awesome work , wonderful pics !! Link to post Share on other sites
Dion 2 Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 WOW, i'm finally getting to see this on a bigger screen than my phone. it is just stunning Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Colwell 143 Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 that twist looks great (so is the photography). Hard to believe how young Caleb is. I like the fittings, especially the butt cap/final thingy. nice all around. kc Link to post Share on other sites
Karl B. Andersen 17 Posted June 25, 2015 Author Share Posted June 25, 2015 JD - you are correct. That said - I just don't trust my welds. By the time the twisting arrives, we've got so much invested in the billet, I just don't want to risk unwanted problems. So, I only consider one end wasted. The other end is used for the tang. I should then take the cut off and squish it down end-ways for fittings. Or, make a bigger billet!! Great looking knife!! Next time, try welding extensions onto the ends of your billet and twist the entire bar, sacrificing none of your pattern welded material to the vise, and/or whatever secures the ends while twisting.Just from what I see in your vise, this method would've added 30% more twisted material to your net yield. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Karl B. Andersen 17 Posted June 25, 2015 Author Share Posted June 25, 2015 Yes. Wow, that is stunning! Are the fittings 416 stainless? Link to post Share on other sites
Karl B. Andersen 17 Posted June 25, 2015 Author Share Posted June 25, 2015 Yes, there is a chance. Not any time really soon, however. My old wooden computer - XP - just can't handle my movie editing programs any more. After I get upgraded I'll be able to use my new Go Pro and I promise I will get some action shots. Beautiful knife Karl, any chance of seeing your pipe threader twister in action? Cheers Rex Link to post Share on other sites
Karl B. Andersen 17 Posted June 25, 2015 Author Share Posted June 25, 2015 Thanks, guys. I really appreciate the kind words. Link to post Share on other sites
Miles Hebbard 2 Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 nice to see you back on here Karl! great knife! Link to post Share on other sites
tisler 14 Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 Beautiful knife bravo. Link to post Share on other sites
Kris Lipinski 136 Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 How do you manage to twist so tight avoiding snapping the bar? That seems impossible to me. Link to post Share on other sites
Karl B. Andersen 17 Posted July 1, 2015 Author Share Posted July 1, 2015 (edited) Kris, it is done at a welding heat. Great attention is paid during the layering process to do everything possible to ensure all welds are consistent and secure. Done properly, when it comes time to twist, we are not twisting a bunch of independent layers, but we are twisting ONE! piece of steel with alternating properties. How do you manage to twist so tight avoiding snapping the bar? That seems impossible to me. Edited July 1, 2015 by Karl B. Andersen Link to post Share on other sites
Kris Lipinski 136 Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Thanks for answer. Do you use a torch? As I can only heat the bar in a forge, catch with a vise and twist a little bit. By the time the material cools down, then I heat again, and again... :-) Link to post Share on other sites
Karl B. Andersen 17 Posted July 3, 2015 Author Share Posted July 3, 2015 (edited) No sir - no torch used on this one. I just heated in the forge. Keep in mind that from the time I pull it from the forge until it is completely twisted in less than one minute. And it's over an inch in diameter, so it holds its heat for that long with no problem. Thanks for answer. Do you use a torch? As I can only heat the bar in a forge, catch with a vise and twist a little bit. By the time the material cools down, then I heat again, and again... :-) Edited July 18, 2015 by Karl B. Andersen Link to post Share on other sites
Kris Lipinski 136 Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 Wow. That was very thick bar! And the result is stunnig! Respect Link to post Share on other sites
andrew zimba 1 Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 (edited) Hope you get your video editing/production hooked up. I'd love to see a bar like that twist up in under 60 seconds!! Edited July 6, 2015 by andrew zimba Link to post Share on other sites
Karl B. Andersen 17 Posted July 18, 2015 Author Share Posted July 18, 2015 Hope you get your video editing/production hooked up. I'd love to see a bar like that twist up in under 60 seconds!! I just did another one nearly like it, but just a little LARGER diameter. I gave it 14 twists. My twister runs 28 RPM. So, 30 seconds. Link to post Share on other sites
M. Cochran 4 Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 That's incredibly impressive. Would you mind showing your twisting tool? I know what first popped in my mind probably isn't what you're using so I won't even ask if that's it or not. Link to post Share on other sites
Karl B. Andersen 17 Posted July 18, 2015 Author Share Posted July 18, 2015 That's incredibly impressive. Would you mind showing your twisting tool? I know what first popped in my mind probably isn't what you're using so I won't even ask if that's it or not. It's a Rigid Pipe threader. Link to post Share on other sites
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