Bearded axe

[PederVisti 3]

Hi there!

 

I am currently working on a slightly different axe, i have always wanted to make some larger axes, and so i thought i would give it a go!

The starting material was 50x10x180mm mild steel, the cunstruction method was symmetric wrap with an 80crv2 edge insert!

i started by forging the center down to 10x30mm:

 

 

Then some marking of the poll and cheeks.

 

After this i forged out the cheeks and folded over to get ready to weld the body to itself:

 

 

then fast forward through a few mistakes (including forgetting to take pictures ) and here i am now:

 

 

Edge length is right at 125mm (5") and thats about the most that will fit in my kiln.

 

 

Unfortunately i ended up with a weld flaw right at the eye, i tried to repair it but didn't succeed since at that time the cheeks were so thin i couldn't get a welding heat on the area without burning the eye

I will still finish it, and hang it on the wall or something, to remind me of the mistake

 

Any feedback would be appreciated

 

Peder Visti

[Alan Longmire 2,648]

It looks good! I wouldn't worry too much about the flaw unless it is huge. Axes have such a large surface of weld it is hard to break them. Possible, yes, but not easy.

[PederVisti 3]

It looks good! I wouldn't worry too much about the flaw unless it is huge. Axes have such a large surface of weld it is hard to break them. Possible, yes, but not easy.

Thanks Alan! here's the flaw i was talking about:

 

 

 

 

Then, right after the quench - Catastrophic failure, this is definately a first for me!

The axe split right down through the core steel, i can not even blame it on the welds since they are still holding up!

This was also the first time i have used 80crv2 as the core steel on an axe, but it certainly is not the first time i am heat treating it!

I haven't had any issues when making knives out of this stuff, so i am guessing that it moves much different than the mild on the sides!

 

 

 

 

I think for now i am sticking with ck60 for the cores, if anyone has any suggestions as to why this might have happened i am all ears!

 

Peder Visti

[Alan Longmire 2,648]

Wow! I have seen that happen a few times, and it's always impressive. What does that is when the core steel hardens faster ans deeper than the jacket steel, which then pulls the core apart as the jacket shrinks. Carbon migration from the 80crV2 made your mold steel hardenable. What did you quench in?

[PederVisti 3]

Wow! I have seen that happen a few times, and it's always impressive. What does that is when the core steel hardens faster ans deeper than the jacket steel, which then pulls the core apart as the jacket shrinks. Carbon migration from the 80crV2 made your mold steel hardenable. What did you quench in?

I quenched in durixol w25 oil preheated to ca. 50c which is supposedly a medium-fast quench oil, whatever that means!

[Alan Longmire 2,648]

No idea what that oil is, but it looks too fast to me!

[Philip West 6]

Ive had the same thing happen in a couple hawks were the core steel was L6(L6 with moly)..About halfway though hardening it split just like that..Quench was too fast on mine..

[PederVisti 3]

Ive had the same thing happen in a couple hawks were the core steel was L6(L6 with moly)..About halfway though hardening it split just like that..Quench was too fast on mine..

Ahh okay, too fast a quench it is then!

[jdsmith02115 36]

Not axes, but I've seen it happen to me twice when working with 'san mai' type blade forgings.