What did you do in your shop today?

[JJ Simon]

That set of tongs is based on a set of farriers tongs called open lip tongs.
Ive seen them. Never used a pair.
They apparently grab super tight.
I used my blank to make a pair by scrolling vs. punching into flat bit with a ball pein hammer.

[Kreg Whitehead]

I made some handle progress. The one on the left still needs profiled....just epoxied it yesterday.

Got what appears to be a decent hamon yesterday as long as I dont kill it trying to etch and polish it

The crazy glue trick worked pretty good on the cocobolo handle that i cracked.

Its not 100 percent perfect but its way better than it was.

[Zeb Camper]

5 hours ago, Kreg said:

I made some handle progress. The one on the left still needs profiled....just epoxied it yesterday.

Got what appears to be a decent hamon yesterday as long as I dont kill it trying to etch and polish it

The crazy glue trick worked pretty good on the cocobolo handle that i cracked.

Its not 100 percent perfect but its way better than it was.

 

Kreg, I want to start off by saying you are getting better with your grinding and profiles, and I want to help you out with the heat treat side of things.

 I still think you are overheating. I can see signs of blistering, I think I can even make out some grains, and a sharp, hard line between hard and soft steel. 

A good hamon will look a lot like homogeneous steel up until you start to sand it down. It take a lot of time and patience with sanding and polishing for it to show clearly. 

Before I go any further, may I ask what steel might you be using? 

[Kreg Whitehead]

16 hours ago, Zeb Camper said:

Kreg, I want to start off by saying you are getting better with your grinding and profiles, and I want to help you out with the heat treat side of things.

 I still think you are overheating. I can see signs of blistering, I think I can even make out some grains, and a sharp, hard line between hard and soft steel. 

A good hamon will look a lot like homogeneous steel up until you start to sand it down. It take a lot of time and patience with sanding and polishing for it to show clearly. 

Before I go any further, may I ask what steel might you be using? 

Any chance you can point out the blistering? I dont know what I am looking for. I have heat treated and clayed this blade so many times I lost track....an was to lazy to go through the whole normalizing /thermal cycling dealio. Or should I say re-doing it....I did it originally.

I tried at least twice before I got my probe. Since I took it to 1475 (according to the probe)...did my best to hold it there  pus or minus 10* for a few minutes and ended up with a non or semi hardened blade......the final on here was 1500*.

Here is is with a quick bath in some white vinegar.  steel is 1075 from the barron

Edit...as far as the knife in the back....I normally finish profiling before I start to grind. Unfortunately my router bit the dust this weekend.

I flip it upsided down in my vice and use a carbide bit.....it works killer on inside radius's  

Edited December 28, 2017 by Kreg

[Kreg Whitehead]

16 hours ago, Zeb Camper said:

Kreg, I want to start off by saying you are getting better with your grinding and profiles, and I want to help you out with the heat treat side of things.

 I still think you are overheating. I can see signs of blistering, I think I can even make out some grains, and a sharp, hard line between hard and soft steel. 

A good hamon will look a lot like homogeneous steel up until you start to sand it down. It take a lot of time and patience with sanding and polishing for it to show clearly. 

Before I go any further, may I ask what steel might you be using? 

I can for sure see the line between the hard and soft steel.....is that not good.

A month or so ago I was told you should be able to see the hamon before you polish....even at like 60 grit....so I am a little confused at this point.

[Zeb Camper]

You can see it at that grit, but it's never such a hard line. It's several different structures that you should be seeing when you look at a hamon. Each one catches the light differently. You have the hard edge, the mix of hard/soft steel above that. The actual "line" that you see is called "habuchi" it's sort of silvery compared to the rest of the blade. 

The blistering I could see all the way up the blade on the hardened portion. Some spots worse than others. They look like little blisters on the steel. I used to get them as well before I figured out how to heat treat good. You will find that even once you've etched and polished they will still show through. 

I'll try to write more later I gotta go 

 

[Zeb Camper]

I'm back, but just for a second... If you would like I'll post a detailed tutorial on how to heat treat 1075 for a hamon. I got a few projects in need of heat treating anyways. I might be able to do it this weekend. 

You shouldn't be soaking at heat at all for 1075 Btw. Just normalize by going above critical once, then just below, then a dull red. I actually quench after black heat.

[Kreg Whitehead]

10 minutes ago, Zeb Camper said:

I'm back, but just for a second... If you would like I'll post a detailed tutorial on how to heat treat 1075 for a hamon. I got a few projects in need of heat treating anyways. I might be able to do it this weekend. 

You shouldn't be soaking at heat at all for 1075 Btw. Just normalize by going above critical once, then just below, then a dull red. I actually quench after black heat.

Sure....I can use all the help I can get. lol  As far as the soak....just wanted to be positive I was there....especially after failing to get a hard blade twice.

I was shooting for like 1600 1500 and 1400....I will try it your way next time. Time to order more steel. Is 1075 the easiest. Tried 1095 with not much luck...was thinking of maybe trying w1 or 2.

[Vern Wimmer]

1075 is a good steel to work with for what you are trying to do. The results you are getting are from your process not a result of the steel. Stick to one steel until you understand what you are trying to do and what you are actually doing.

You should learn a lot more about grain structure and how it creates the effect you are searching for. Then you can understand why you have to go through "the whole normalizing/thermal cycling dealio" when you try again. You will also learn why soaking 1075 at critical is a waste of time. For the time you spent fiddling with soaking it you could have gotten quite a ways wit renormalizing.

I would suggest at least three normalizing cycles, without overheating, and then following Zeb's suggestions for that blade.

You have to return that blade to a proper grain structure and start again. Any other steel will do the same thing if you ignore its processes 

[Kreg Whitehead]

20 minutes ago, Vern Wimmer said:

1075 is a good steel to work with for what you are trying to do. The results you are getting are from your process not a result of the steel. Stick to one steel until you understand what you are trying to do and what you are actually doing.

You should learn a lot more about grain structure and how it creates the effect you are searching for. Then you can understand why you have to go through "the whole normalizing/thermal cycling dealio" when you try again. You will also learn why soaking 1075 at critical is a waste of time. For the time you spent fiddling with soaking it you could have gotten quite a ways wit renormalizing.

I would suggest at least three normalizing cycles, without overheating, and then following Zeb's suggestions for that blade.

You have to return that blade to a proper grain structure and start again. Any other steel will do the same thing if you ignore its processes 

I am looking forward to starting with  a fresh piece of steel. Based on the way Zeb said to normalize.....I waaaaaaay overheated it there.

Not sure of anything at this point as far as my heat treat temp.

[jheinen]

I recently took delivery of a several 2' long bars of mild steel. Taped together they all weighed about 40-50 lbs (basically all together they were about a 4" X 3" X 2' bar of steel. I leaned them against my leg vise and then forgot about them. Last night I was doing some hand sanding of a blade, and wanted to move the vise to a better position. I grabbed the vice and started shoving, and the big bar of steel that I forgot about fell over square on to my left big toe. Long story short - crushed toe with fractures in two places.

Lesson learned - steel-toed shoes are probably a good idea!

[Alan Longmire]

Yee-ouch!!!    

When you get a pair get some with metatarsal guards as well.  They make you look like Frankenstein's monster, but then that bar can't roll back off the steel toe and break the rest of your foot!  I don't wear mine as often as I should, especially since I have several five foot bars of 2" round leaning up behind the power hammer...

[Vern Wimmer]

Owie-damn-damn!

Just remember boys and girls, it doesn't have to plug into the wall, spew flame, smell funny, or even be sharp to hurt you.

Hope you take it easy while you heal up. Injuries are nature's way of telling us to slow down

[Jeroen Zuiderwijk]

Yesterday was my last casting day for this year. And next year I'll probably have my hands full with other duties to do any casting (well, you never know, but not counting on it at the moment). 

Anyway, two big supersized bronze dirks, reproductions of the giant Ommerschans dirks (third one cast a week ago):

These are about 2800 gram each when finished, for which I had to melt 4kg of bronze at the time. That's two hours of bellowing each to melt 4kg of bronze in 4 charges filling up the crucible. Plus 1,5 hours making a new mould in between (including compacting the sand with a 6 lbs hammer), crushing up 10kg of charcoal, and other jobs. I haven't done this much physical work in a while, but it felt good  My furnace is working very predictable and efficient, which I'm very pleased with. It consumes about 4kg of charcoal to melt the 4kg of bronze, which is pretty good efficiency. And I feel with a bit more fine tuning of the bellowing I could lower that further. And that's for 4 charges to fill the crucible, including preheat.

With the last casting, it started raining just as soon as I was getting ready to cast. As I cast out in the open, that's no good. I had covered the mould so that remained dry, and was anxiously watching rain radar, where a dry moment kept shifting forwards in time, to be followed by a heavy rain getting closer and closer. So I called my girlfriend out, to keep a cover up so I could cast shielded from the rain. I didn't like that, moisture and liquid bronze is a dangerous mix! But I had a full crucible with liquid bronze sitting in the furnace that had to go somewhere, and a mould that was still dry at least. Next time I will wait for a dry day, no matter how rare those are here or build a temporary roof, good enough to ensure everything stays dry within the casting area. 

[Joshua States]

Yowsa! Those are some serious pieces of bronze.

[Anthony Peterson]

Damascus billets today.

2 * 256 layer random billets 5/16" thick (notched and folded to multiply) and 1 * 256 layer twisted  5/8" billet.

First time I've done a twist. Cool when the scale pops. A night-time twisting photo would look great with the colours, textures and contrasts.

Also the first time I've used a Sodium Bisulphate solution for scale removal - Thanks forumites for the advice on alternatives to grinding!

The twist wasn't as even as I would have liked - I couldn't get a hot spot next to the handle, so the last jobs for the day were moving the burner position on the welding forge (cutting, welding, burner-cone-forming), replacing the "fluxy -floor", and recoating the forge lining.  

A 12 hour day but very satisfying.

[Kreg Whitehead]

6 hours ago, Anthony Peterson said:

Damascus billets today.

2 * 256 layer random billets 5/16" thick (notched and folded to multiply) and 1 * 256 layer twisted  5/8" billet.

First time I've done a twist. Cool when the scale pops. A night-time twisting photo would look great with the colours, textures and contrasts.

Also the first time I've used a Sodium Bisulphate solution for scale removal - Thanks forumites for the advice on alternatives to grinding!

The twist wasn't as even as I would have liked - I couldn't get a hot spot next to the handle, so the last jobs for the day were moving the burner position on the welding forge (cutting, welding, burner-cone-forming), replacing the "fluxy -floor", and recoating the forge lining.  

A 12 hour day but very satisfying.

What is this sodium bisulpate you speak of and how does that work? Baking soda??  I may try and edit in a pic of the knife Zeb said I over heated.

Now that I etched and sanded it there is a bunch of what I would call checking...looks like grinding lines parallel to the blade. And at the tip it almost looks like a paisley pattern for lack of a better work for it.

Can I grind that back...re normalize and try again? Or is it done for? I must need glasses....how he saw that from the pic I put up I will never know.

I couldnt even see it in person until I etched and sanded the crud out of it.

[owen bush]

Today I cleaned up plunge lines on a persian dagger.......I hate plunge lines . on all sorts of levels for many reasons:- practical, aesthetic and because they are a real bugger!

Managed to find a pack of little sanding disks for the dremmel though so nearly there. curved plunge lines on a double edged wavy dagger blade...

well I made another blade  diamond section through the tang not a ricasso in sight!  that is how it should be made Much happier now.

All of you that make plunge lines all the time I salute you (rather you than me!)

[owen bush]

6 hours ago, Anthony Peterson said:

Damascus billets today.

2 * 256 layer random billets 5/16" thick (notched and folded to multiply) and 1 * 256 layer twisted  5/8" billet.

First time I've done a twist. Cool when the scale pops. A night-time twisting photo would look great with the colours, textures and contrasts.

Also the first time I've used a Sodium Bisulphate solution for scale removal - Thanks forumites for the advice on alternatives to grinding!

The twist wasn't as even as I would have liked - I couldn't get a hot spot next to the handle, so the last jobs for the day were moving the burner position on the welding forge (cutting, welding, burner-cone-forming), replacing the "fluxy -floor", and recoating the forge lining.  

A 12 hour day but very satisfying.

what is sodium bisulphate? is it the same as sodium Sulphite?

 

[Joshua States]

1 hour ago, owen bush said:

What is sodium bisulphate?

Commonly known as PH Down or pool acid. It reduces the PH levels in swimming pool water and is available at most pool supply stores or big-box home improvement stores. It comes in dry form and you mix it with water to make a liquid acid solution to soak your forged items in to remove excess scale.

Edited December 29, 2017 by Joshua States

[Gerald Boggs]

Pros over vinegar?

[Anthony Peterson]

Gerald,

Sodium Bisulphate pros over vinegar -

Quicker than vinegar as it's stronger (I used an hour soak );

Easier to store and cheaper long-term (a 3 kilo tub of powder cost me less than 20 bucks and I used half a cupful in my 4" PVC descaling tube, topped up with water) ;

No smell - so you don't suffer cravings for Pommy-style fish and chips after a long day in the forge.

As with vinegar, I scrub off with a nylon/scotchbrite kitchen scouring pad and neutralize with a quick soak in sodium bicarbonate solution  followed by a windex spray.

[Joshua States]

I continued hand sanding this kitchen knife (ever have a Hamon just not show up at all?) and started doing a little leather carving on a sheath for another knife.

[Joshua States]

I made a few shibuichi castings for that sheath.

[Joshua States]

I had a very successful event while trying to fill in a divot in a shibuichi casting. There was this nasty divot in the bar. (3 of them actually)

So, I pickled the piece and cleaned the divot out and broke out that Oxy-Mapp gas torch most folks hate.

I like it because I can get a really small and very hot flame for detail work.

I took the sprue cut offs, pickled them to clean and using a little pickle as flux, melted them into the divots. I did the first one over the deep hole, just to see if it would work and it fused!

I filed and sanded it down to make sure it stuck, and proceeded to fill in the other two with the same method.

Then I did my little victory dance........