1095 & Wrought Iron San Mai WIP (Picture Heavy)

[Mike Turner]

Hi all I was asked by a customer if I could do a WIP on doing a San Mai so here we go. This San Mai will be a 1095 core with wrought iron sides. This is just how I do it, thanks for looking.


So first thing first we need some wrought iron, ohhhh look a small pile of wrought right here,

So just to speed things up I used a cutting torch to cut a link in half,

Now just to make it easier on me I use the press to straighten the half link out,

Did someone say Hammer Time ,

Now we have the iron forged out to 1/4" X 1 1/2" I cut the bar up. I need 2 pieces 6" long for this project so here we are cutting our second piece,

Here are the pieces can you guess which one is the 1095?

Here I am knocking off the scale from the 1095 and wrought iron. Nothing worse than getting some scale trapped in a weld and not finding it till you spent weeks building a knife just to have it show up while doing finish sanding,

Here they are all clean and if you look close at the wrought you can see the slag lines in it,

 

[Mike Turner]

Next we weld one end,

I like to taper the my handle stock for welding to insure it does not get pushed off or just fall off,

Tacking the end in preparation for the handle,

Here is something I have started doing the last year and I am liking the results. I take the welded up billet and stick it in some Kerosine (Make sure it has cooled first) then I sprinkle my anhydrous borax on it and into a preheated forge,

Doing the first weld with the press just because I had it plugged in since my Little Giant and press share the same outlet,

OK enough of the press it is way to slow back to Hammer Time ,

Well she grows pretty quick under the hammer. If you look real close you can see the core steel,

And there she is all finished ready to be forged into some blades,

Thanks for looking this was fun if you have any questions feel free to ask.

 

[Dixieblade57]

OK you started the WIP now you got to finish it as you finish the blade! Great so far but would love to see you work through to a finished product. :thumbup:

 

[Matthew Stagmer]

Thanks for sharing this process with us. This is my sort of thing. I look forward to more.

I have never tried the Kerosine. What advantages do you find using it.

 

[cbr900son]

I NEED MORE!!!! lol great work

 

[The_cutting_edge]

Hi mike. great WIP nice to see how the piece you sent me started it's life. I was hoping to see my knife's big brother in here somewhere

 

[Mike Turner]

Dixieblade, this one is actually for a customer but I am working on a blade of the same material and construction and would be happy to pic up where I am with it.

Matthew, I think with the kerosine being liquid it gets through out the billet and allows me to apply my anhydrous borax before heating the billet. I look at it as insurance to keep the oxygen out of the weld. I have friends that have been welding this way and love it and I see lots of other smiths using this method so I tried it and I am real happy with it. So far I have not had a bad weld using this method.

Thanks cbr900son

The cutting edge, nice to see you here and I have not forgot just been hectic with the show almost here and need to get knives finished, I hate finishing LOL. Have you ground your bar yet? If and when put your pictures in this thread, I would love to see it.

 

[Railrider1920]

Thanks for putting this together Mike. I love to "watch" the process as it unfolds. Can't wait to get a piece of that bar. I just hope I can turn it into at least a decent looking knife. With the amount of work you put into it, I'm almost tempted to tell you to get it to someone more experienced than me.

Dixieblade, this one is actually for a customer but I am working on a blade of the same material and construction and would be happy to pic up where I am with it. Yes Mike, please do

The cutting edge, nice to see you here and I have not forgot just been hectic with the show almost here and need to get knives finished, I hate finishing LOL. Have you ground your bar yet? If and when put your pictures in this thread, I would love to see it. The cutting edge, please add some pics. I'd also love to see it.

 

[The_cutting_edge]

I will most deff. post up pix as soon as I make any progress on it. I haven't had a chance to get into this knife build yet. I have a couple that need to get finished before I can start another. hopefully I can get a chance to start on it this weekend.

 

[JasonSCarter]

Awesome Thanks for sharing!

Jason

 

[Mike Turner]

Hi Rob glad you chimed in buddy and you will do fine if you mess it up I know where you can get more .

The Cutting Edge, I can not wait to see it, this stuff is like opening Christmas presents .

Jason Carter, just trying to give back some knowledge to this great community. I know I learn a lot here myself.

Well I promised some pics of the little butter knife I am working on now. This is not etched yet as I am still finishing the blade so it is hard to see the San Mai as the blade is very reflective. Tomorrow I will see if I can get better pictures outside if it is not pouring rain.

Blade is 11 3/8" to the plunge cut and nearly 1 1/2" wide and 1/4" thick at the widest point.

This side I have finished to 320 grit, look close can you see it ,

This side is finished to 2500 grit. Look close can you see the texture in the iron?

Hope yo all like it . This will be getting a Wrought Iron guard and spacer and not sure on the handle yet still beating around wood (Killer Koa or some of my Killer Waterfall Bubinga) or some killer Popcorn stag, well have a few more days to really worry about that.

Thanks for looking.

 

[The_cutting_edge]

Wow that looks awesome mike. Now I'm properly inspired to get at my own.

 

[amcardon]

I swear, those pics were like those funky 3D images you have to go cross-eyed for, you don't see anything at first but once you do it's as obvious as it gets! Nice work, can't wait to see it etched!

 

[Mike Turner]

The Cutting Edge, I am glad now get to work .


Aaron, I know what you mean, funny thing is I have showed a few guys locally and they all thought it was a hamon , maybe I will go pass it off as a hamon in the custom and handmade section and see if they are all paying attention . Before etch of course, etching should give it away.

 

[RyanW]

Great thread Mike, Glad I found it! Thank you...

 

[Mike Turner]

Thanks Ryan glad you found it too.

 

[NickWheeler]

Yea, I sure missed this thread somehow! :foot:

Beautiful blade Mike! :thumbup: Love the lines of it--- have you had a chance to get it any further along? Sure hope you post it when you finish it!

 

[Mike Turner]

LOL Nick I slipped this one in when you were not looking .

Thanks Nick, I have progressed on it but it has been on the back burner for awhile, I still have more shaping of the guard to do and yep I will post it when she is finished.

 

[Dixieblade57]

Wow that really turned out sweeeeeet, I can't wait to see the finished product!

 

[Mike Quesenberry]

Love that blade profile! Can't wait to see the finished knife.