What did you do in your shop today?

[Alan Longmire]

5 hours ago, Joshua States said:

Tap tap tappity tap tap

 

That's one of my least favorite ways to use a tiny hammer...  

[Gazz]

Do I see a prong setting for some kind of gemstone in the tap tap tappity tap post?  Or do my eyes deceive me?

[Jaro Petrina]

Camp knife my pupil made out of that big billet we forged last weekend. O1 edge.

[Joshua States]

On 8/27/2023 at 4:36 AM, Jaro Petrina said:

Camp knife my pupil made out of that big billet we forged last weekend. O1 edge.

That's a good looking knife.

 

On 8/26/2023 at 4:13 PM, Gazz said:

Do I see a prong setting for some kind of gemstone in the tap tap tappity tap post?  Or do my eyes deceive me?

Nope. Not sure what you are looking at. This is what I'm doing:

Finishing Handle Pins - Video and Multimedia - Bladesmith's Forum Board (bladesmithsforum.com)

 

Edited August 29 by Joshua States

[Gary LT]

@Jaro Petrina, I really like the pattern weld balance on both sides of the blade. Nicely colored too!

it’s a keeper

Gary LT

[Aiden CC]

I have two knives to finish before a big move and this is one of them. A bit if a throwback for me, I haven’t made anything like this for six years or so. I’ll put together a thread for it soon, but here is a poorly lit preview:

 

Edited August 30 by Aiden CC

[Gerhard Gerber]

Friday is Spring day, new season and I'm done.  No more workshop organizing and need-a-tool-make-a-tool.

Saturday I'm welding two additional angle iron supports on to the (new) stand of the grinder I got in February and still haven't used, then I'm making knives.
No idea what, but I have a few blades that need handles, 4 Vanadis10 meat processor cleaver things that are just blanks at this stage.

Need to start a knife that can test the abilities of my new grinder, get some of that swooping plunge action going.

[John N]

On 8/18/2023 at 7:45 PM, Alan Longmire said:

 

Just noticed your vid of the completed tabletop press prototype, https://www.instagram.com/p/CsMxpxbRkAV/!

 

Thoughts on going into production?  That's just too nice not to sell a few...

Made about 30 of them Alan! There are 20 'in the field' and 10 nearly ready to go. I'm keeping the updates low key so as not to sell them, as I am sinking under industrial forging work again.

 

In other interesting things I am doing in the shop today (well, the last few weeks.....) - Yesterday got my 'blagged' 5 axis Mikron CNC milling machine working 100%. Its a bit of a beast at 8 tons. If my motivation holds it will be used for making parts for the '12' forging press, but really its just to machine ferrules for my chefs knives  

 

Just need to work out how to use it, as a CNC newby. Fortunately my industrial estate neighbour is really good on Heidenhein control, so will hold my hand in exchange for 'table time'!

 

Had a couple of weeks away from work, holidaying and travelling around. Excellent 'BABA' blacksmiths conference for a weekend, including a smelt by a couple of very nice chaps of this manor.

 

My knifemaking itch has now returned, and needs to be scratched after a difficult 3 years. I have sorted out my finishing shop, which had become a shit dumping zone, and have ordered a 'Chisel Morticer' and a few other bits tonight to ease handle making.

 

There is a knife show in the UK next month, and I should be able to have 4 finished knifes squatting on the corner of another makers table if the wind stays in my tails. Blades forged and heat treated in the past, they look nice, so an attainable goal to get them finished! 

 

Ill update with pics if I remember to take any

[Jaron Martindale]

Got greedy straightening out a tang on a kitchen knife last night while tempering and snapped the tang in half

Good thing that came out of this though: the new heat treat furnace works!!! Pretty happy with that grain (ignore the nasty mix of oil and brass shavings my grimy fingers put on the bottom piece..)

I plan to shorten the knife from an 8" chef to ~7-6.5" chef to gain back some of the tang.

 

[Lorne W.]

I cleaned lol. Slowly but surely getting my shop ready to start forging, still a ton to do.

 

It does not help when the wife constantly is shipping me stuff from the house! My forge has been sitting in the same place unused since I got it.

 

 

[Eric Estlund]

On 8/29/2023 at 6:45 PM, Aiden CC said:

I have two knives to finish before a big move and this is one of them. A bit if a throwback for me, I haven’t made anything like this for six years or so. I’ll put together a thread for it soon, but here is a poorly lit preview:

 

 

Delrin? Bone?

 

Looks fun.

 

[Eric Estlund]

 

Rub-er-room

[Aiden CC]

20 hours ago, Eric Estlund said:

 

Delrin? Bone?

 

Looks fun.

 

It's dyed bone, based on the sawcut pattern that inspired the later delrin scales. It's somewhere between the two pattern wise, I'm not sure how it was made exactly. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be available for sale anymore, so I may experiment with making my own in the distant future.

[Conan Dunlap]

Forged and rough ground a cleaver for my first commission. 

[Bill Schmalhofer]

Haven't had much time to work on things but just finished these two. Chef knife for a repeat customer - he wanted it as a wedding present for his niece. And another Bowie.

 

[Eric Estlund]

Rubadubdubb

[Gilbert McCann]

Worked on an odd request today a Wakizashi meat slicer. San mai to match another knife A203, nickel, 52100. 14.5 inches long. It isn't going to be traditional, but I do want some traditional aspects. The core came out pretty good, but I'm going to do a little straightening. 

[Gerhard Gerber]

Lost the best part of Saturday due to a market, but I sold two knives and there was lots of interest so that helped.
 

Had to do some shimming to get the new platten orientated correctly with the belt, need to do a bit more adjusting but I can use it as is.

Forge kept me busy till after dark, no joy, so Sunday afternoon I started with a kiln brick forge, I have a big venturi burner that works so that will have to do for now.

Ribbon burner forge seems destined to be a white (at least oxide red & high-heat black) elephant.

[Eric Estlund]

Freehand nerve testers.

 

[Jaron Martindale]

Last Ditch Effort for a possible KITH entry......

clayed 1065, Trying to decide if I want to drill a hole to attach a handle, or just leave it as is

 

[Matt Walker]

Made an "Iron in the Hat" piece for our up coming hammer in.

 

Build plan for the canister.

Edited September 20 by Matt Walker

[Gilbert McCann]

Made some progress yesterday on the Wakizashi meat slicer ground in the top bevel and hand sanded the day before. A203, nickel 52100 core about 14.5 inches. 

[Eric Estlund]

Steps 4,567 and 4,568 of a million.

 

[Gilbert McCann]

Some Habaki progress yesterday. I still need to tighten it up, braze and final shaping. My first Habaki. Work harden anneal repeat. Hopefully my Tsuba ideas will work. 

 

[Alan Longmire]

Put together one of the more difficult cutting competition event props:  The Tai Goo cigarette paper slice.

 

 

Roll a gummed paper around a rod.  Slide the tube off rod.  Stand tube on end, and cut. Tai liked to do it with no support, but I added a 3/8" long dowel for the tube to sit on so it can be done if there's a slight breeze.  The object is to slice the tube cleanly in two horizontally.  

 

Success requires a perfect edge.  Given that this same edge must also slice and stab a ping pong ball, cut a 1" rope, slice as many plastic water bottles as you can, and probably cleave an aluminum can top to bottom, it's also a test of your heat treatment.  

 

I've been tuning the edge of my cutter, but it still has a ways to go.  I can get halfway through the paper on a good swing, but that's it.  And it's already the sharpest edge I've put on a big knife...