2 Hr Blade

sharpeknives

sharpeknives

Joined
Jan 13, 2006
Messages
1,655
I am thinking of having a demo at the next guild meeting on making a knife in 2 hours.
If you were doing forging a blade is there a way to do a quench and temper in a short time while forging. If I do multiple quenches while forging will this help decrease grain growth and save the time of doing normalizing cycles?
This is not an attempt to pass the JS test. Just an exercise in making a functional blade in a limited time.
 
Andy - I think your best bet is to show up with one heat treated and tempered. Forge one out and say "Now heat treat and temper" and viola you whip out the other to finish. Just like our 30 minute cooking shows that give you a two hour recipe and magically have one cooked already.

I personally don't count the time waiting as time spent on a knife, since it can be used for other things.
 
If the goal usable I would say yes. I do forging demos at a harvest festival, and have done what you are talking about.

Now let me make this disclaimer: I have never sold one, or put my mark on one, but have used them and given them to close friends who understand it's not the best.

When I did it I stuck to small blades, 2" to 3" of length (to minimalist warpage) and a simple and forgiving steel. I favor coil springs for this, 3/8" to 1/2". after forge to shape it gets normalized twice (not all the way down to room temp, about 150 degs). then harden and do a temper on a piece of junk steel I heated up, and yes the temper is quick. The few times I did this they were very usable.
 
using 5160 and 52100 Ed Fowler has and currently uses multiple quenches to refine the grain. as far as 1084 xx etc goes, I've used it on 1084 with good results. but of course YMMV

Jason
 
Depends on what your goal is to demonstrate. If you are just wanting to forge fully to shape then I have done what scout 77 does. Forge a blade, do a snap normalizing before the final forging. During the final forging make sure you do it at a lower temp, in the red ranges. This will help keep the grain manageable. Do a couple normalizing cycles, then HT. Quench in warm oil of your choosing. Grind off a bit of material from the edge so bare steel is visible, then do a color temper to dark straw. This will give you a serviceable blade that will actually perform well. I do a blacksmith style were the handle is forged out as well with a little fishtail guard and loop for the handle. I have sold these at the harvest fair for a novelty. Takes me about 20-30 minutes to do a rough blade and sell them for 20 bucks. They can watch the whole process and can appreciate it better. I have even gotten reports back that the blades are being used in the field. Even had a hog dressed out with one. You can take it further if you want and fully grind it and even burn in a handle. It would be doable in the 2 hour time-frame if it was understood it was not optimal practice. Just have fun with it.
 
I think it would be interesting to do what you propose, then test it alongside a knife with the complete heat-treat you normally do.
 
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