Been thinking of asking this a while now.

H

hammon172

Joined
Aug 18, 2012
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when i file a blade to shape i tend to set a magnet on the bench to help collect the metal filings and when im done filing for that session i put the shaving into a container. I am wondering what you guys think about trying to recoup the metal and putting it in say a piece of square tubing and trying to melt the metal and form another bar from it. Could it be done in a charcoal forge? the metal is all the same type by the way.5160
 
You could pack CLEAN filings into a steel box and forge weld them into a solid billet... But IMHO that would be WAAAAAAAYYYYYY more work than it would be worth.

The effort in collecting clean filings, the amount of them you would need, the time/expense of building a box to pack them in, the time and fuel costs to get the box up to forge welding temp, then having to cut/grind the box off of the billet.... And you end up with a piece of 5160.

Now if you just want to do it so you can say that you did, that's one thing. But for me, it would be a huge waste of time.

You could throw some pure nickel powder in there with it for contrast and end up with a damascus-ish result. But I wouldn't. ;)

Not trying to be debbie-downer... just giving you my thoughts on it. :)
 
I have used metal powders as an additive to epoxy for high hardness applications, like molding or rebuilding a broken nonstructural piece of something. It will increase the machinability of the epoxy. I used aluminum powder up to 50% by weight ratio though, no steel. I think with some epoxy die and a high metal content, you could cast some cool looking bolster material, or maybe small scale slabs. It would require a high quality epoxy, like West Systems 105/205 or 105/207. Let it cure at least a week at 75*F or higher temps, if lower temps, then let I cure longer before cutting and shaping.


-Xander
 
I would rethink the epoxy idea....rusty epoxy isn't really a good looking knife adornment. (Aluminum is a very different critter.)

I can't say that I would find any epoxy part very good for a knife fitting or scale.
 
Yeah, I didn't think it through much at all, was simply relating a use of powdered metal.

I would not recommend epoxy scales on anything very big, but it would be interesting material none the less.


-X
 
I did see a YouTube video where someone had put glow dust into epoxy to make some neck knives.
 
If you are a pack rat and are just keeping it hoping for a use, just sprinkle a few tablespoons into a couple cups of vinegar. Wait for the vinegar to turn black, then drain and reserve the liquid. The ferric acetate will be a good stain for curly maple.
 
You could try melting it in a high temperature crucible with a little charcoal and flux thrown in. If you can get the center of your forge hot enough you might be able to get a melt out of it. In that case you might be able to hammer a billet out of it. I have considered whether something similar was possible using black sand separated with a magnet.
 
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