What did you do in your shop today?

[Brian Myers]

1 hour ago, Alan Longmire said:

I discovered I nailed the the HT on a folder blade I'm working on.  It's a large and substantial knife, fully assembled at this point (pics after it's fully complete), and while I was doing some filing on the rear bolsters about half an hour ago it popped out of the vise and bounced off the concrete floor point-first, as knives always seem to do when you drop them. 

 

Chipped the concrete.  Did not bend, chip, or even scratch the blade.  

Sorry Alan, couldn't resist!!!!

[Alan Longmire]

Ha!  I like it. 

 

Here's the HT setup:

 

That's as close to 1575 as I could tune that little two-brick.  Got a proper soak on the O-1 blade and spring.

[billyO]

Apparently I ticked off the Knife Gods.   Here's a transcript of my morning:

11:13am - blades go back into Evenheat set at 1490F after 3rd grain refinement cycle to soak before quench.

11:15 am - go inside and comment to my roommate:  "This part always makes me nervous.  I don't want to have to deal with a bend.  I've always been able to correct these by straightening in the temper, I just don't want to have to do this".

11:23am - Quench blades in warmed up Parks 50

11:24am - notice 3 degree bend in the tang of the petty.

11:25am - clamp blade in my straightening jig, reverse the bend and put all blades in kitchen oven set at 400F with cast iron pans for a heat sink for the first of 2 one hour tempers.

11:29am - hear a heart-sinking 'tink' from the oven, open the door to find:

 

Oh look!  A small paring knife or EDC just waiting to be set free!

Edited April 25, 2020 by billyO

[Brian Myers]

Can you show the surfaces of the broken part??

[billyO]

Hi Brian.  You asking me?  

The grain looks good, but it looks like I had a small inclusion or cold-shut in the tang from forging.  I'm not yet used to forging with a hydraulic press and this happens more often than I want to admit still.

[Brian Myers]

Yep that's what I was asking for. It sucks big-time to think you have a perfect blade and then this happens. You look at the end of the crack at there is that little dark or rusty spot that shows a stress fracture. If it had happened further back you might have been able to weld on the rest of the tang, but with it right there....yeah I see a paring knife too lol. Heck, any self-respecting smith has a box of these things under his workbench! I look at it this way, better to happen now, that to have finished the knife, it be in someone's hands and THEN pop loose!

[Alex Middleton]

I usually run one temper cycle before trying to straighten out a bend, for exactly that reason.  I did the same thing on a small hunter a year or so ago.  After that, the thought of counter bending a freshly hardened blade sends shivers up my spine.

[Brian Myers]

And never forget, the second it comes out of the quench, check for straightness. You have between 5 and 10 seconds, closer to five, of hyper-plasticity where you can straighten most warps. With an inclusion it'll break or crack right away, but if its just a warp, you can get 90 percent of the bend out right away.

[Joshua States]

Way to go Alan!

 

You speak the truth @Alex Middleton

 

For those of you having trouble with warping in the quench, there's a video about avoiding that......

 

Edited April 26, 2020 by Joshua States

[billyO]

Thanks for the link Joshua.

 

3 hours ago, Alex Middleton said:

I usually run one temper cycle before trying to straighten out a bend, for exactly that reason.

I've thought about this each time I've had to do it.  Should I????   

This is the first time this has happened out of about 10-12 times having to do this.

 I guess now I have my answer as to if I should do it.....

Edited April 26, 2020 by billyO

[billyO]

My other break at this place on the tang was when I tried a method I saw of a Brazilian MS using a small (1/8" IIRC) ball peen hammer to hammer a hardened blade straight.  I'll never do that again....

Edited April 26, 2020 by billyO

[billyO]

2 hours ago, Joshua States said:

 

 

That's another thing I've been contemplating for the past couple of years....quench plates.  I was planning on getting some 2-3" square aluminum stock to clamp together.

[Joshua States]

Billy, I have been doing this method for years and it works every time. 

I get the spine and ricasso nice and flat in the rough grind.

Get your edge under .1" and it will follow the spine in the quench plates.

[Randy Griffin]

What if your blade tapers from ricasso to tip? How do you go about clamping it between plates?

[billyO]

3 hours ago, Randy Griffin said:

What if your blade tapers from ricasso to tip?

 

Hi Randy.  If you check out the video Joshua posted, he uses shim stock in his vice behind the copper plates to account for any tapers.  Just remember to jigger this up before putting the blade in the heat.

This is why I'm thinking about going with 2 individual pieces of milled aluminum bar stock and c-clamps (or some other form of quick release and likewise, quick grabbing) clamps instead of jaws for a bench vice.

Edited April 26, 2020 by billyO

[Randy Griffin]

Thanks Billy. Figured the answer was in there. I couldn't get any volume on my phone. I'll watch later on the laptop.

[Brian Myers]

I would also check out Simple Little Life on YouTube. Jeremy does a lot of stainless with his blades and he set up a dedicated plate quench system that is pretty awesome. Just a couple of thick aluminum plates and a bench vice set vertically on his bench. He is a really friendly guy and you can chat him up on Instagram if you have questions.

[Brian Dougherty]

On 4/25/2020 at 2:27 PM, Alan Longmire said:

Ha!  I like it. 

 

Here's the HT setup:

 

That's as close to 1575 as I could tune that little two-brick.  Got a proper soak on the O-1 blade and spring.

Wait!  You have an oven now!

 

[Alan Longmire]

2 hours ago, Brian Dougherty said:

Wait!  You have an oven now!

 

 

Yes, but it's still not hooked up (ducks and runs), and it seems a little wasteful to fire up a whole kiln for just a folder blade and spring.  Plus I get to use my nifty long probe and thermocouple thermometer!    I'll get the kiln hooked up one of these days.  Things move very slowly around here...

[Garry Keown]

Picked up the first components for a Helm Hammer today. Was going to the tip so it was mine for the taking away. The big cast pulley is a grand piece of kit and will allow me to run a compact system with the drive from the motor and the actuating arm from the same pulley.

I am going to run dual uprights and have the two pillow blocks for the drive pulley and actuating shaft off set to one side but within the foot print of the tool.
The steel yard is not open for at least another 2 weeks so be a while till I can progress this tool. Have to blamea friend for this as it was his sugestion that I get a power hammer but I dont just "get something" I like to make it if I can so another project is on the way.

 

 

[Gerhard Gerber]

Sanded these handles to 400, looking at the spacer of the larger knife I'm very sorry the whole handle isn't Camelthron, but it's a pain to work with

Edited April 28, 2020 by Gerhard Gerber

[Joël Mercier]

Cool stuff Gerhard!

 

On my side, I sharpened a petty I made for our household. 26c3 steel at 63-64hrc and micarta scales. Sort of a kitchen scalpel... 

I couldn't sweep the blade straight, it kept gripping in hairs.

 

Edited April 28, 2020 by Joël Mercier

[Mike Ward]

Did the handle shaping on this 7.5” kitchen knife. The wood is Padauk, I’ve used it for making cutting boards and looks great on a knife.

 

[Joël Mercier]

Great looking handle shape Mike!

[Brian Dougherty]

Best patina yet @Joël Mercier