Arkansas Toothpick

J

Jimmy C.

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Please scroll down a few posts for the images.

This one, was hammer/anvil forged like all my other wares, and is made out of low carbon steel, the forging process increasing carbon content. Blade dimensions are as follows
2" base, X 9" long X 1/4" thick at the spine

Neat thing about the Arkansas, is, it is one of the last examples of a knife model I have seen, that resembles a Medieval dagger in design, also saw use in the American civil war from my understanding...
Handle is walnut from a tree on my land.
Crossguard, and pommel are low carbon steel left in "as forged" blue oxide condition.

$150

The shipping should be around $5-$10 to the 48 continental states, international, and otherwise, I'll have to look up an individual quote

http://usera.ImageCave.com/kimsey0/Picture 2082576866.jpg

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http://usera.ImageCave.com/kimsey0/Picture 2082576870.jpg

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Just out of curiosity, how do you increase the carbon content by forging? I thought forging would reduce the carbon content (at least a thin layer of decarb). Just wondering.
 
Sam Salvati said:
is that gap between the guard and handle still there?
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That 1MM gap isn't worth mentioning really. I'm surprised someone brought it up... Though it is definitely a good question since you have. I have a walnut disk I split and glued on either side with TITEBOND III today. Honestly, I can't decide if I should stain it or not. Usually when I put a knife, or sword on here, there's usually one or two insignificant things that need to be done to it before it's shipped. My apologies if that isn't the norm on a knife forum. Honestly, this is the first knife forum I've used over a single post, so I guess under the circumstances, it would be best to completely finish every detail before I post it. My langsax being unsharpened might have been a turnoff as well... again something that needed to be done before it was shipped.
I guess I'll let the buyer tell me what he'd like it stained with...? Or if he even wants it that way.

Thank you - Jimmy
 
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Bailey Knives said:
Just out of curiosity, how do you increase the carbon content by forging? I thought forging would reduce the carbon content (at least a thin layer of decarb). Just wondering.
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Working the metal increases carbon, and quenching it in water increases the carbon *BIGTIME*

It's been a while, but I think the carbon content in "normal" non alloy steel can be increased to what was it.... 0.3% I think... it's been a while.

At least, that's what I've heard, and read, anyway, a good while ago.
 
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Jimmy, I dont want to come across as a know it all or a jerk, but I think you might want to double check your information. I dont think you can increase the carbon through forging, and while quenching hardens steel (at least steel that has a decent amount of carbon to begin with) it does not, to my knowledge, increase carbon. I think the best you can hope for with low carbon steel is case hardening or work hardening, but introducing carbon is not as easy as just forging.
 
Bailey Knives said:
Jimmy, I dont want to come across as a know it all or a jerk, but I think you might want to double check your information.
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http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/1729-how-to-add-carbon-to-steel/

"change your low carbon steel ,for wrought iron and you will easily steel it up in a coal forge by working it at full welding heat folding and refining it driving out the slag and caburising it ,if you throw some casenit in the fire you will land up with a type of blister steel, if you fold that in ,or get some silver steel and have a easy life"

Anyway, the information is kind of cryptic on this subject, but I was remembering from years ago, but anyway, I thought I read about water quenching adding carbon

Also I've heard multiple accounts of people saying things about "hammering carbon" into the steel/iron by forging, due in part, to the presence of coal/charcoal while forging, (which, as you know, is pure carbon, nearly) when I've looked up blacksmithing information.

Anyway, I'm afraid I'm not very much interested in getting into a debate about this here, please PM me with such things. IMO, it's really not proper to get into a debate like this on a sales thread; I had a guy argue with me on SFI about something similar when I was trying to sell there, and the negative connotations really brought down the whole thread, and made my item look unattractive to potential buyers etc. etc.

Anyway, while I'm typing I would just like to add about that "gap" I finished earlier, it was there as a byproduct of adding shims to the crossguard... so it wasn't really a singular gap per se; what you see in the middle isn't the tang; it's shims that extend out to the handle, to make the crossguard as set in place as a jigsawpuzzle piece.
 
Jimmy,
You are correct, I should not have mentioned this on a for sale item. I apologize for that.
 
roswald said:
Can't pull up the pics. Can you post them?
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Yikes! I wonder who all else has had this problem...

I was able to post 2 out of three, before running out of bandwidth...
The third one is just a more or less unnecessary closeup of the handle anyway, so...
 
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Jimmy C. said:
http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/1729-how-to-add-carbon-to-steel/

"change your low carbon steel ,for wrought iron and you will easily steel it up in a coal forge by working it at full welding heat folding and refining it driving out the slag and caburising it ,if you throw some casenit in the fire you will land up with a type of blister steel, if you fold that in ,or get some silver steel and have a easy life"

Anyway, the information is kind of cryptic on this subject, but I was remembering from years ago, but anyway, I thought I read about water quenching adding carbon

Also I've heard multiple accounts of people saying things about "hammering carbon" into the steel/iron by forging, due in part, to the presence of coal/charcoal while forging, (which, as you know, is pure carbon, nearly) when I've looked up blacksmithing information.

Anyway, I'm afraid I'm not very much interested in getting into a debate about this here, please PM me with such things. IMO, it's really not proper to get into a debate like this on a sales thread; I had a guy argue with me on SFI about something similar when I was trying to sell there, and the negative connotations really brought down the whole thread, and made my item look unattractive to potential buyers etc. etc.

Anyway, while I'm typing I would just like to add about that "gap" I finished earlier, it was there as a byproduct of adding shims to the crossguard... so it wasn't really a singular gap per se; what you see in the middle isn't the tang; it's shims that extend out to the handle, to make the crossguard as set in place as a jigsawpuzzle piece.
Click to expand...

you're right, this probably isnt a place to debate the subject, but telling potential customers you made made high carbon steel from low carbon steel by forging it is a bit misleading.
 
SShepherd said:
you're right, this probably isnt a place to debate the subject.
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Then why in God's name did you bring the dead horse/can of worms up again?

Thanks for helping a new member make his thread look attractive SShepherd.

I changed the subject. And others have followed suit. Anyone with any social skills would not have brought this up again... as mentioned earlier, if you even bothered taking a second to look, please PM me about such things - I have no interest in splitting hairs, or polluting my thread about some inane metallurgical debate here.

After Bailey disengaged like a gentleman should have, that should have been it...

Please Scroll up and re-read my posts, SShepherd
No one can disprove I added carbon to my knife... nor can I actually prove that I DID, apparently SShepherd, you didn't even bother reading the "iforgeiron" link.
Also, my initial post says I "increased the carbon content" it doesn't say I "turned low carbon steel into high carbon" I think I might have said that on my Viking swords once, I honestly can't remember my exact wording. But if I did, all I meant was I increased the carbon content, and since you can put very, very little carbon in steel in the first place, I might have presumed that it was "high carbon". I mean geez, steel can only hold what is it? a little over 1 percent before it's considered cast iron...LOL.

Rather than get my hopes up every time I see a new post, then look to see it's some lame reply about a subject that *IS* open for debate, yet, also happens to be a subject that is closed on this thread, it would be nice to see something along the lines of: "I'll take it."

Quite frankly it's crossing my mind to ask a moderator to remove all the posts except for the two I posted before this one, no offense to anyone, but I'm trying to sell my wares here, and the unprovoked swordsforuminternational-like antagonism is starting to irritate me...

No other higher post count, better known makers have to put up with this sort of thing on their threads, from what I've seen, so given that, why should I?
 
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actually, I did read the thread link, and at best you can hope for is a case hardened knife. That being the case, and "increase " in carbon content is very shallow and is removed in grinding/sanding/finishing to shape.
Sorry you seem so irritated, but it is what it is.
 
OK, lets all just let this be. This is not the place for it.

On the one hand......If you don't want to buy it walk away from the table.
On the other hand.......If you make claims that do not hold water, then you are bound to stir up some comments.

Advise to all commenters.... Don't comment on things you don't like with another persons thread on the For Sale Forum. If you have doubts or concerns about the truthfulness, post them on "The Good, Bad, and Ugly" forum, or start a thread in "Shop Talk" and discuss the merits of the claims or product. Any discussion should be kept civil and without name calling.

Advise to the OP ....Before posting an item for sale, it would be best to finish it and have all the related info fact checked prior to the posting.
 
bladsmth said:
If you make claims that do not hold water, then you are bound to stir up some comments.
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Thanks for saying my comments don't hold water, and thusly joining the bandwagon bladsmth... honestly I was hoping you would be better than that, but moderators are pretty predictable (and pretty much incapable of being impartial) in general, no matter what forum you go on.
*sigh* God's best gift to forums, would be, to make post count, and join date invisible, for it's the root of all evil....*chuckle*

I wasn't making any kind of claims... I wasn't stating facts. I simply heard time and time again from various sources, the forging process *can* increase carbon content.
do a search for adding carbon to steel, and you'll see a trillion different results. Obviously, with so many discussions about it, it is debatable.

It is my word against yours

Instead of belittling me, and making me look bad, how 'bout you guys cite some references, saying the forging process is incapable of adding any carbon to steel.

*sigh* it's sad to think all this roots back from this:

"The forging process increasing the carbon content"

That one little pissy thing I said. Quite frankly, it's nothing, and I've got better things to do than try and back myself up again, and again, and again, and again.

I shouldn't have to have citations for every little GD casual thing I say, that's absurd...
Christ... If wouldn't have had this many people get onto me if I was sitting at a table with a bunch of scientists, and stated:
The earth is flat, I know this in fact!

But I'm on a forum.

If I were to guess, I would say the majority of blacksmiths, and knife grinders on here are not as experienced with the Internet as I am (again, not a fact or a claim!) and let me tell you guys something, forums, no matter what type, have a rep on the internet akin to used car salesmen. There's even humorous anecdotes about them, for example:

"Arguing on the internet, is like running for the special Olympics, even if you win you're still retarded"

/\/\
That sums up forums in a nutshell.

It goes like this. A new guy joins, he walks on eggshells, but he knows how lame forums are, and knows antagonism is inevitable. Someone with a higher post count/earlier join date jumps on him.

Sometimes, if the guy who joined is lucky, someone with a higher post count, then jumps on the guy with a lesser post count, that jumped on the guy who just joined. I've seen this sort of thing a million times, (and no I wasn't a member the majority of the times it happened, so it's not just me - I witnessed it)
I just went through this "elitist hierarchy mentality" on sword forums international, then found there was a support group, where others went through the same thing when trying to sell something.

If you guys were trying to run me off, because my wares are so unique, you are doing a good job of it... lol. I never wanted to go on forums in the fist place, quite frankly, because I know how they are.... it's just that selling mediums for knives are not too numerous.
 
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