What did you do in your shop today?

[Zeb Camper 500]

@Conner Michaux 

Ferric is gonna be best. It needs to be diluted with water. 4 parts water to one part ferric. Lots of folks keep it in a big piece of PVC capped on the bottom. Use pipe dope (or whatever that PVC sealant/adhesive stuff is). You can get a cap for the top too. 

But lemon juice or white vinegar should give you a sneak peek. Doesnt have to be fresh. Just make sure your scale from the quench is cleaned off good.

Good luck!

[Conner Michaux 91]

Okay thanks!  Ive got one more question, Can I use the vinegar before heat treat, just to see what pattern it is? Or will it etch to deep to be sanded off? Sorry for the never ending stream of questions! 

Edited April 13 by Conner Michaux

[Zeb Camper 500]

3 hours ago, Conner Michaux said:

Okay thanks!  Ive got one more question, Can I use the vinegar before heat treat, just to see what pattern it is? Or will it etch to deep to be sanded off? Sorry for the never ending stream of questions! 

You can, but it won't turn out as bold as hardened steel. And don't worry about asking too many questions. It's cheaper to ask questions. 

Etching actually causes a change in topography on the surface of a blade. The acid or salt will corrode the steel with the most carbon, or the lowest resistant alloys more aggressively than the other. So when you knock the oxides off, one is left lower than the other. The deeper the etch; the more contrast you'll get. 

[Conner Michaux 91]

Okay! Test etch is done I’m going to sand off the etch, and get ready for heat treat, I didn’t get around to it yesterday. Do you guys have any idea what pattern that is?

Edited April 13 by Conner Michaux

[Bruno 43]

3 hours ago, Conner Michaux said:

Do you guys have any idea what pattern that is?

Looking Good Conner.    That pattern looks like it started as a small scale crushed W's maybe ?   Maybe with a slight twist in it as well.

Best I can tell anyway's, could be wrong...

[Conner Michaux 91]

600 grit on the bevels 400 on flats, that’s probably over kill for a blade that hasn’t been heat treated yet. But hey! It’s practice. 

[Cody Killgore 33]

Finally found the time to build a bench for the coote. Runs great! I opted for the step pulleys on this one. Going to be perfect for what I intend to use it for. 

[nprovos 108]

We made some hearth steel a couple of weekends ago. Ran into some issues at first but Emiliano came to the rescue with sage advice. Here is a knife from the material after heat treatment. 

[Conner Michaux 91]

Once I sanded it to 600 I re etched for 10 minutes or so, and it got a much darker etch.

[Alan Longmire 1,486]

13 hours ago, nprovos said:

We made some hearth steel a couple of weekends ago. Ran into some issues at first but Emiliano came to the rescue with sage advice. Here is a knife from the material after heat treatment. 

Looks great!  

[Michael Chaddock 5]

Just have to put the final edge on it.....(yesterday)

[Joshua States 780]

I made an axe drift.

[Clifford Brewer 239]

That looks to be a repurposed jack hammer bit, good score !!...............

Bet hammerin it out was a chore though.............

Edited April 14 by Clifford Brewer

[jake cleland 205]

I ground half my thumbnail off right through the nail bed. I mean, I did some other stuff before that too, but that's the one that sticks in my mind...

[Alan Longmire 1,486]

OUCH!  

[Joshua States 780]

22 hours ago, nprovos said:

We made some hearth steel a couple of weekends ago. Ran into some issues at first but Emiliano came to the rescue with sage advice. Here is a knife from the material after heat treatment. 

Man that looks cool.

[Joshua States 780]

2 hours ago, Clifford Brewer said:

That looks to be a repurposed jack hammer bit, good score !!...............

Bet hammerin it out was a chore though.............

You are correct, on both counts, but the 25# LG does wonders.

I have several used JH bits. They actually sell them at the tool rental in Home Depot, but these were donated by a contractor friend.

[jake cleland 205]

this is what I was working on when I got bit...

 

[Joshua States 780]

5 hours ago, jake cleland said:

this is what I was working on when I got bit...

I always say that the price goes up if it drew blood during the making. That means it has a spirit and knows what its purpose in life really is.

BTW-That's a smoking Dirk blade

Edited April 15 by Joshua States

[Joshua States 780]

That little axe drift was lonely. So, I made him some friends. Other than a little wire wheel cleanup, these are all as-forged.

 

[Alan Longmire 1,486]

What, no spear socket mandrel? 

[Mike Ward 46]

Little bit of “treat yo self” going on. Top one is for my dad and other two are for me. Should be finished tomorrow.

[Joshua States 780]

15 hours ago, Alan Longmire said:

What, no spear socket mandrel? 

The axeman cometh.

Besides, I ran out of jackhammer bits......

Edited April 19 by Joshua States

[Gerhard Gerber 140]

I have a new least favourite activity: pop riveting 

At least I've started with the aluminium cladding on my DIY canopy, DIY rubberizing of the load bed this weekend and maybe....hopefully mounting the canopy.

More importantly, maximum 10 days before I can resume knife making.....even looking forward to hand sanding! 

[Troels Saabye 22]

I demolished 2 walls in a barn(build in the 1940--50's), and removed some iron railing to make room for a new shop at the farm ,hopefully I can sell some forged nails, charcoal and firewood there - during the removal I found what I believe to be Wrought iron in the concrete, but spark testing will hopefully reveal what it is. But that's a project for tomorrow, now I need some rest - smashing concrete with a sledge hammer is hard work..