1st knife build adventure! 1095 skiner w/whitetail antler & hamon. Critique welcome.

B

BFrancios

Joined
Jul 9, 2012
Messages
65
Almost complete with my first knife build. The blade still needs sharpening and I am still working on the sheath and etching the makers mark but wanted to post photo's and ask about this hamon line. ANY FEEDBACK WELCOME... For any of you trolling these forums and thinking about getting started, this knife was built with cheap harbor freight tools and a modified one-brick forge. I figure about a $350 investment in tools and materials to get started.

Got hooked on this hobby/obsession after listening to a radio segment on NPR this spring. The idea festered for a few months and after lurking in these forums for a while I decided to give it a try. This knife was about 3 months in the making from shop setup to completion. I have 2 similar blades from the batch awaiting handles (both w/o the tacky gut hook). Anyway, here are the specs.

Blade: 1095 with oil quenched hamon, hand polished to near mirror finish.
Grind: Flat
Handle: Whitetail antler with leather and green spacer
Bolsters and pins: Nickel Silver

Knife is for a co-worker who wanted a knife made from his hunting trophy. He demanded the gut hook.... :grumpy:

Here are the pics.




left%2520view.JPG


DSCF0049.JPG


DSCF0043.JPG


DSCF0065.JPG


I am not entirely pleased with the Hamon. It is a very distinct line with some interesting coloring when viewed in different light angles. However it is more distinct and defined than many of those you see in other photos. Those may have been water quenched Hamons. This blade was oil quenched to the folliwng process.

1. Annealed the blade, soaked at ~1550 for about 10 minutes. Shut the forge off, closed the openings and let the blades sit overnight.
2. Ran the blades through 6 thermal cycles to reduce the grain size. Started at 1475 and soaked the blades for about 5 minutes at temp, removed and put them on a scarp of steal to air cool. Repeated 5 more time reducing the forge temp by 25 to 30 degrees each time.
3. Clay-ed the blades with Rutland furnace cement about 3/16 inch thick.
4. Heated blades at 1475 with a 10 minute soak to let things go into solution.
5. Quick quench in oil (canola) with a back and forth motion.
6. Tested hardness with a file.
7. Tempured at 375, 3 times. Clay was still attached during first cycle, did not want to risk a cracked blade by banging off the clay from the stressed steal.

FYI this was a 2nd batch of blades. The first batch was brine then oil quenched but the hamon extended into the cutting edge. These blades cracked when I tried to re-heat treat for a new hamon. At that point they had been fully ground. I've since learned to pre-etch after a 320 grit sanding to check the hamon. After that expereince I decided to go with a full oil quench to get my first successfull blades.

QUESTION: Is this a "NORMAL LOOK" for an oil quenched Hamon? I suspect that clay thickness, forge temp and quench medium all play a part but would welcome any discussion on how that played in this hamon. Also welcome any comments on my first completed knife.


Barry
 
Last edited:
yeah, first image post. I am working at getting larger ones. hold on...


OK - they are larger now....
 
Last edited:
Barry----

Very nice work!!! :)

That's a really ambitious design for a first knife, but I think you did a great job! Personally, I hate the aesthetics and arguable usefulness of a gut-hook, but since it was your friend's choice, I can't pick on you too much for it. ;)

So you aren't happy with the hamon on your very FIRST knife eh??? :eek: :p Okay, I do realize this was your second batch of blades, but still..... :) It's taken me over 10 years to halfway feel like I know what I'm doing when it comes to hamon. If I had gotten what you have on my first try in a finished blade, I would have been elated! :thumbup:

IMHO (based on experience) your heat-treat regimen is sound. I personally don't think you need that many thermal cycles, nor the semi crude anneal. I USED to do at least that many thermal cycles on 1095, but you can get the grain reduced and reduce the hardenability to the point of causing you issues. You achieved hardness up to a fairly thick part of the cross section, so obviously you didn't have any issues with it hardening. Based on both theoretical and applied shop time, I would recommend a very high temp cycle to start, 1700. Then something like 1550, 1475, and 1425.

Second thing that stands out to me from your description--- TOO much clay. I only use Satanite, so it's completely possible that the furnace cement works differently, but with satanite I apply the main body of clay about 1/16" thick. The ashi lines are much less than that.

Your austenitizing temp is good, but I think you would have gotten more of what you wanted had you kept it around 1450.

And one of the biggest factors.... is your quench oil. I guess some other forum guys did some testing and found that canola will harden 1095 just fine in thin cross sections. BUT, I don't think it can give you the fine, whispy hamon (which seems to be what you are after). For that IMHO, you will need a very fast quench oil like Park 50, or brine. I MUCH MUCH MUCH prefer Park 50. :)
 
Thanks Nick,

the knife does have lots of "first time" flaws, some from the design. The bolster pins are not well preened. This was because I angled the bolsters prior to essebly. They bent during installation and preening was a bear. There is also a large gap, filled with epoxy, between the bolster and tang b/c of the bent pins. They fit more closely during dry assembly. I also screwed up the pins on the handle. My cheap drill press let the bit skip on a bulge in the antler and the pins aren't in a straight line....

Anyway, overall, I AM very pleased with the knife. Just curious about the hamon. Have not seen pics of one like this. I also suspect the clay was too thick. I think it retained heat that kept the hardened edge from more closely following the clay.

Barry
 
Nicely done. Congratulations!
 
Thanks gentlemen :)

My other hobbies are beer brewing and woodworking (furniture). Both of which teach patience and attention to detail. Transferred a lot from beer brewing when I built the temperature controlled fire brick forge. Already had expereince with PID temp controllers from buidling a controlled coolling cabinet for fermenting lager. Not sure I would have had the pateince when I was younger to get the polish I did on this knife if I had not already mastered getting a glass finish on wood surfaces.
 
Barry- It dawned on me that this knife was probably stock removal and not forged, so that first high temp cycle of 1700 that I recommended wouldn't be needed.

I'm very interested to see your second knife! :)
 
Nick,

Not sure I can call it forged. I brought is to about 1750 and banged on it. Shaped some of the knife and started the some of the bevel with the hammer. I intended to forge the knife but the stock I bought was very close to my final knife thickeness. Even with this caution, the spine of the knife is thinner than I intended. Newbie error! Likewise, my forging skills are still VERY rudimentary. I would call this a stock removal knife if I had to classify it.
 
Nice job! I am going to get started trying to make some knives and I hope my first effort turns out as well as yours.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top