Bob Ouellette Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 JJ Simon told me about these a few weeks ago and suggest I make some. They're all 1/4" carbide rods domed and soldered into a tack hammer. They all have a baked-on oil finish. I had my first opportunity to use I've last night. I had a knife warp in the quench more than I could grind out. After the 2 tempering cycles at 350° F, I decided to give it a go. It blew my mind how easy it was to end up with a straight blade. The hammer marks disappeared pretty quick when I was cleaning up the scale from heat treating. I'm disappointed I didn't take a better picture of the warp before I fixed it. You can see all the faint like marks it made as I hammered the inside of the curve. I was even able to fix a bit of a twist. Bob O "When I raise my flashing sword, and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance upon mine enemies, and I will repay those who haze me. Oh, Lord, raise me to Thy right hand and count me among Thy saints." My Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Chalifoux Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 Now that's handy! 1 Facebook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Longmire Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 Cool! Is there a reason they have to be carbide? Seems like something a little softer would work just as well and be less likely to leave the little dings. Or is that the point, that the carbide stays domed and you never need to dress it? JJ knows his stuff, just curious... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Ouellette Posted March 12 Author Share Posted March 12 5 hours ago, Alan Longmire said: Cool! Is there a reason they have to be carbide? Seems like something a little softer would work just as well and be less likely to leave the little dings. Or is that the point, that the carbide stays domed and you never need to dress it? JJ knows his stuff, just curious... I actually don't know. Thinking about it, it seems like you want to be able to be pretty precise with your strikes. Anything softer doesn't seem like they'd hold up to hitting a hardened blade. Bob O "When I raise my flashing sword, and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance upon mine enemies, and I will repay those who haze me. Oh, Lord, raise me to Thy right hand and count me among Thy saints." My Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Longmire Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 Fair enough. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joël Mercier Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 Won't the hammer blows cause plastic deformation on hardened steel, resulting in a weak spot on the blade? I'm just trying to understand, as this goes against my understanding of hardened steel behaviour. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Ouellette Posted March 12 Author Share Posted March 12 It does cause plastic deformation, but I don't know that it is significant enough to cause a weak spot. It would be interesting to experiment with it. I'm still having a hard time getting through forging a 9" chef's knife in one go, so maybe once I can I'll forge a pair of test-to-failure knives and purposely put a slight bend in one to straighten after heat treat. Bob O "When I raise my flashing sword, and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance upon mine enemies, and I will repay those who haze me. Oh, Lord, raise me to Thy right hand and count me among Thy saints." My Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles dP Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 When you do get around to testing, and if you don’t mind; I’d think another post-straightening temper will help with stresses but could possibly lead to rewarping. Would you mind checking that too Bob? "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...
Bob Ouellette Posted March 15 Author Share Posted March 15 Sure thing. I can actually test that one out right away since it's not handled yet. 1 Bob O "When I raise my flashing sword, and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance upon mine enemies, and I will repay those who haze me. Oh, Lord, raise me to Thy right hand and count me among Thy saints." My Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Ouellette Posted March 16 Author Share Posted March 16 On 3/15/2023 at 3:36 AM, Charles dP said: When you do get around to testing, and if you don’t mind; I’d think another post-straightening temper will help with stresses but could possibly lead to rewarping. Would you mind checking that too Bob? Post straightening temper did not affect the straightness. 2 Bob O "When I raise my flashing sword, and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance upon mine enemies, and I will repay those who haze me. Oh, Lord, raise me to Thy right hand and count me among Thy saints." My Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Ouellette Posted March 19 Author Share Posted March 19 @Charles dP I did just find that if your temper isn't even, it will undo the straightening. I straightened a blade tonight and afterwards realized I didn't stamp any of the 3 blades I hardened, so I had to make a spot near the spine dead soft. The warp came back, but it was limited to the edge of the area that was reheated. Here's the warp side by side before and after I fixed it the second time. 1 Bob O "When I raise my flashing sword, and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance upon mine enemies, and I will repay those who haze me. Oh, Lord, raise me to Thy right hand and count me among Thy saints." My Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles dP Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 Thanks Bob. Good to know. So (a) don’t forget to stamp, (b) if you forgot to stamp, etch (or straighten again) 1 "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...
Bob Ouellette Posted March 19 Author Share Posted March 19 I think that's a good summary. This was the only one it the 3 that warped again. I tempered a bit softer in my oven and they're all straight still. 1 Bob O "When I raise my flashing sword, and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance upon mine enemies, and I will repay those who haze me. Oh, Lord, raise me to Thy right hand and count me among Thy saints." My Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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