Kreg Whitehead Posted October 5, 2022 Share Posted October 5, 2022 (edited) I came home to a 24" piece of w2 from the barron last tuesday. The first one survived the brine.....the second one was a no go. Got a nice clay less hamon on number one. Number 2 hamoned in half. lol Does this look odd to anyone? Not sure I an getting the dark ish shadow down the one side. Gonna try number 3 tonight. Edited October 5, 2022 by Kreg Whitehead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Morgan Posted October 5, 2022 Share Posted October 5, 2022 Thanks Brian! I’d cleaned up the profile a bit here, but I was pretty pleased with the forging overall. I’m still learning better ways to go about things, so I really appreciate the compliment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaron Martindale Posted October 5, 2022 Share Posted October 5, 2022 (edited) I admit this is an "over the weekend", but I finally got another knife done! The customer liked that last one I posted so much he wanted his own. I also got the chance to wander outdoors for the first time in a long time! this is my second year hunting and I still really love the early morning light in the PNW trees. Edited October 5, 2022 by Jaron Martindale 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua States Posted October 6, 2022 Author Share Posted October 6, 2022 (edited) 11 hours ago, Kreg Whitehead said: Does this look odd to anyone? W2 is a shallow hardening steel. It only fuly hardens about 3mm deep. The dark areas are the hardened parts, the grey areas are the not-so-hard spots.If you do a lot of post-tempering grinding, you can grind right through the hardened steel into the softer steel. The trouble is, this is difficult to see once you start grinding. W2 can be really finicky when it comes to hardening and any uneven grinds will cause some areas to harden on one side and not on the other. This is why most smiths take W2 to a much finer grind before hardening. Another thing that can cause weirdness in W2 auto-hamon production comes from forging the blade and not doing an adequate normalizing prior to HT. What stage are these photos taken at? Is this just after temper with minimal cleanup, or is there some grinding in the mix? It's difficult to see on the first 2 pics, but the little one looks like it has belt scratches around 80 grit, maybe 120 grit max. Edited October 6, 2022 by Joshua States “So I'm lightin' out for the territory, ahead of the scared and the weak and the mean spirited, because Aunt Sally is fixin’ to adopt me and civilize me, and I can't stand it. I've been there before.” The only bad experience is the one from which you learn nothing. Josh http://www.dosgatosdesignsllc.com/#! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdJMFMqnbLYqv965xd64vYg J.States Bladesmith | Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dos.gatos.71 https://www.etsy.com/shop/JStatesBladesmith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kreg Whitehead Posted October 6, 2022 Share Posted October 6, 2022 15 hours ago, Joshua States said: W2 is a shallow hardening steel. It only fuly hardens about 3mm deep. The dark areas are the hardened parts, the grey areas are the not-so-hard spots.If you do a lot of post-tempering grinding, you can grind right through the hardened steel into the softer steel. The trouble is, this is difficult to see once you start grinding. W2 can be really finicky when it comes to hardening and any uneven grinds will cause some areas to harden on one side and not on the other. This is why most smiths take W2 to a much finer grind before hardening. Another thing that can cause weirdness in W2 auto-hamon production comes from forging the blade and not doing an adequate normalizing prior to HT. What stage are these photos taken at? Is this just after temper with minimal cleanup, or is there some grinding in the mix? It's difficult to see on the first 2 pics, but the little one looks like it has belt scratches around 80 grit, maybe 120 grit max. This blade was ground before the quench...a little. Edge was probably a little thicker than a dime. The top etched pics are the first etch after the final grind. The broken blade is another blade. The bottom pics show the blade after I finished getting the edge I wanted with a pretty smoked 24 grit. From there before the etch it went through a 100 grit ceramic,then an a300 trizac,a100, a45,then a fine scotchbrite belt. I have wondered about grinding through the hamon. This is a piece of .187 stock.....not sure how many mm that is. I heat treated another one last night that survived and appears to have a nice hamon. This one I did not grind at all and did very minimal profiling on the handle. I try not to tie too much time up because breaking about 1 outta 3 is pretty standard for me. As far as the normalization I think the grain in the broken one speaks for itself. I dont have any better/closer pics on me but will gladly put some up tomorrow if anyone wants to see them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garry Keown Posted October 6, 2022 Share Posted October 6, 2022 I was sent a pair of bog oak scales and a pair of small mamoth tusk piece4s. The guy hadn't checked sizes before ordering but wanted to know what I could do with them for one of the knives he has on order. The mamoth tusk was marginally thicker on the one side so the get the most out it I decided to mill the front of the scales and use them as thier own liner under the tusk but angled the scale wher milling the recess. The knife is my heavy hunter design and he wanted the blade stone washed so am busy prefitting the scales . There is not much waste to cut off as the handle just barely fit within the confines of the available size. 5 Von Gruff http://www.vongruffknives.com/ The ability to do comes with doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeb Camper Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 I heat treated a bunch of wedding gifts. 2 more are on the way but didn't have them ground so they didn't make it to heat treatment. Only have 13 days left to work on them! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Dougherty Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 Clever Garry! Nice use of materials:) 1 -Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garry Keown Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 (edited) Handles shaped, finish sanded and buffed, although I will be able to re touch where the pins are without harming anything else. Have lightly radiused the underside edge and the right round the steel as well and have etched it so for the next 12 hours it will sit in the coffee after which it get a carefull sit in hot water to clean residue off, be blow dried with the heat gun and get a spray down with wd40 then left for 48 hrs to "set" before the stone washing. Edited October 7, 2022 by Garry Keown 5 Von Gruff http://www.vongruffknives.com/ The ability to do comes with doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Schmalhofer Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 (edited) For various reasons I haven't been getting much time on the forge in, but the last two weekends have been too perfect not to do some work. Started on a project for my SIL as a present for my brother. Then I decided to try making another billet of canister damascus. 1095 rods, two thin plates of 15N20, and 1080+2% nickel powder. Tried something different for lining the canister. Used the Kiltz paint and then lined the sides with paper (remember seeing this on FiF). Worked great. Next time will draw this out and twist the snot out of it. Edited October 7, 2022 by Bill Schmalhofer 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert McCann Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 Stuff I'm working on. Apex ultra with stainless cladding and wrought iron. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeb Camper Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 Got the first of 8 handles on. I was in a love hate relationship with how it looked for a while but I think it's ok 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert McCann Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 (edited) Forged out some wrought and propeller for bolsters. Picking handle materials. Edited October 10, 2022 by Gilbert McCann 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Morgan Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 Forged this guy from a section of Aldo’s W2 and got a start on rough grinding it… gonna shoot for a sexy hamon on this one. now to make a couple test coupons for figuring out how to nail the HT on the W2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeb Camper Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 Got these 3 done. Unfortunately that's all the time I have ro work on them. The maple handled one has a nice auto hamon I would've loved to have polished out. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aiden CC Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 I got to play silversmith for a bit, I cast, hammer, rolled, and textured a small ingot of fine silver. This stuff works so much easier than copper alloys! It’s also quite shiny. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conner Michaux Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 Got this funky nessmuk style finished up this week 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Morgan Posted October 26, 2022 Share Posted October 26, 2022 Got this 4” wide belly skinner profile forged and cleaned up… now to layout for bevels, grind, and then HT 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Posted October 27, 2022 Share Posted October 27, 2022 (edited) WOOT! Time in the Shop! The Target.... The Aftermath.... The Grain... The LoL... Edited October 27, 2022 by Bruno 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaron Martindale Posted October 27, 2022 Share Posted October 27, 2022 I finally got around to forging a few weeks ago! Got them heat-treated and did some clean-up last night I struggled big time with the Puukko blade tip, and I ended up having to reshape it so many times I said heck with it and put a tanto-ish grind on it,lol! now I'm considering leaning full-bore into this Puukko/tanto thing and maybe throwing a fuller on there, making a saya and give the handle a wrap or something.. The other is my first try at a Nakiri, but I think I have more of an American cleaver "tip" on it right now Been a wild ride this year trying to maintain any amount of forging/grinding skill! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerhard Gerber Posted October 28, 2022 Share Posted October 28, 2022 Been busy, and actually getting stuff done. I have equal number of results to share and questions to ask.......as well as two puppies and a horrendous day job. Hopefully maybe this weekend I plug in the phone and work through a few months' photos 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garry Keown Posted October 28, 2022 Share Posted October 28, 2022 I got the handles of lovely chittim wood on a set of kitchen knives yesterday with a new fixing method. I have always disliked the standard corby bolts with the large face seeming to dominate the visual but I got onto smaller bolts that will leave a 4mm face on the handle and is (or will be) far less intrusive visually. I use brass (but also got in SS bolts) this time to go with the beautiful gold of the chittim wood. Von Gruff http://www.vongruffknives.com/ The ability to do comes with doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert McCann Posted October 29, 2022 Share Posted October 29, 2022 (edited) I'm really liking the sanding jig (not original) I made. Earlier this week I worked on bolsters. Edited October 29, 2022 by Gilbert McCann 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles dP Posted October 29, 2022 Share Posted October 29, 2022 I’m liking that jig Gilbert. Is that a flexible layer that is adjusted by the set-screws? Also, mind showing me the back of those bolsters? Thanks "The way we win matters" (Ender Wiggins) Orson Scott Card Nos, qui libertate donati sumus, nes cimus quid constet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert McCann Posted October 29, 2022 Share Posted October 29, 2022 @Charles dP Yes a flexible layer with adjustable 1/4 inch screws. I leave a .0937 inch lip at the front of the bolster. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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