"Bladesmiths" Is it more common to Heat Treat

AVigil

AVigil

Adam Vigil working the grind
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Is it more common for Bladesmiths (Those who swing a hammer and use a forge) to heat treat in their forge or to use a Temp Controlled Oven or send it out to be heat treated?

This question is not for stock removal only makers

What say you?
 
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This needs to be a poll.


I mostly use a controlled kiln for my final heat treat or the odd annealing procedure. I do like kickin' it old school from time to time, though and always try to involve my senses to keep them sharp. Kilns break down, hydro gets interupted... I like to know that I can still make a blade without modern conveniences.

I think the term "Bladesmith" is synonymous with forging and heat treat. I would go as far to say that if you are making your own damascus or better yet, smelting your own bloomery steel, you are a Bladesmith in its purest form. The lines are wide and blurry but it is my opinion that stock removers who farm out heat treat are more accurately labelled as "Knifemakers". When you are manipulating steel at the molecular level with a certain amount of control, you move into the Bladesmithing group. That is not to downplay Knifemakers in the least. They are on even ground in this day and age.

Rick
 
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I think it varies from person to person and more importantly on the availability of a controlled oven. If you only have a forge, then you might use it rather than sending it out. A kiln will give you a much more percise temp than an oven, and if you have one aviailable, there's no reason not to use it. It takes out all the guess work.
Jason
 
Depends on their circumstances. I've done all 3 depending on what I can borrow and who I can visit. Most of my stuff is done at hammer-ins or I've been able to use other people's facilities. When I'm on a deadline (for a commission) and there's no chance of getting access myself, I ship it off for someone else to do it. The hammerins I go to both have temperature controlled gas "forges" designed specifically for HT rather than electric temp controlled ovens. One of my friends has an electric oven. I prefer gas.
 
I use acetylene or the forge if I'm going to non-magnetic, but I wouldn't be HTing at all without an oven... or liquid nitrogen.
 
Most times with the torch for the quench, for larger blades I use the gas forge. I do normalize and do thermal cycles with the oven, and temper with the oven.
 
Tait said:
And I thought I was prejudiced against stock removal...
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Oh No, Just keeping to one topic at a time. I was watching Bill Moran working on knife at his forge in a video and wondered who stepped away from the forge to heat treat otherwise.
 
My forge can be adjusted to hold the temp very accurately. I also have a salt pot and a controller on it. I can put the controller on the forge also but it is very stable with little adjustment needed. So the forge has become my primary HT source. I do not use stainless but I have had to HT D2 and the forge worked like a champ.
 
A C Richards said:
My forge can be adjusted to hold the temp very accurately. I also have a salt pot and a controller on it. I can put the controller on the forge also but it is very stable with little adjustment needed. So the forge has become my primary HT source. I do not use stainless but I have had to HT D2 and the forge worked like a champ.
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What makes it so accurate ?
 
The way I have constructed it allows for a wide adjustment range. I can run it from 1250f to well over 2500f without the controller. I adjust the air gas mixture and it holds the temp within 10-20 degrees. If I sit there and monitor it I can keep it within 5.
 
That's cool. I just got my forge last night so I have yet to experiment with it, I hope it will be fairly consistent. By the way your "Feather Pattern Hunter Utility" is gorgeous.. if I wasn't broke I'd be jumping on that :P How do you blacken your guards?
 
Thank you. I assume it is the ravens wing, I really like the way the contrast works on that knife. The really black with the silver veins look cool. I blacked the guard on the 6- bar by first parkerizing it then heat waxing. It should be an almost impervious finish.
 
You know that got me thinking...To be honest theres very little forging in many forged knife blades..Taking a piece of flatstock and then forging a blade blank from it takes maybe 20 minutes..Compared to a blacksmith who may forge on a piece for hours before it goes to the vise......
When I think of the term ***BLADESMITH*** the late great smith Paul Champagne leaps to my mind..He created beautiful work from literally the ground up...Bloom and all..
Rick Marchand said:
I think the term "Bladesmith" is synonymous with forging and heat treat. better yet, smelting your own bloomery steel, you are a Bladesmith in its purest form.
Rick
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Kentucky said:
You know that got me thinking...To be honest theres very little forging in many forged knife blades..Taking a piece of flatstock and then forging a blade blank from it takes maybe 20 minutes..Compared to a blacksmith who may forge on a piece for hours before it goes to the vise......
When I think of the term ***BLADESMITH*** the late great smith Paul Champagne leaps to my mind..He created beautiful work from literally the ground up...Bloom and all..
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Yes, that's how I see it, too. I try to forge as close to shape as I can... adding scrolling and texturing..... but still think that calling myself a "bladesmith" is streaching it a bit... lol. Guys like Paul, Delbert, Kevin C and many others have my respect as true "Bladesmiths".

Rick
 
Please dont take that as a dig Rick. I didnt mean it that way.Your pieces(and the fact that you call them tools) makes one think of the smithing process right away.I just mean that in the word "Bladesmith" the "Smith" part isnt as pronounced as one would think it is(In many cases)..Heat treating and finish work are a much bigger part as a whole...That is unless of course someone cooks a bloom and spends countless hours welding and refining that bloom. A couple other processes come to mind. Multi-bar construction and complicated damascus billets..Then the smith part takes on a bigger role..
Im afraid that I didnt word my last post very well..:o
 
I thought you worded it very well and agree with everything you said. I believe I read it right and couldn't possibly take offence to it. I still consider myself as a "bladesmith" but strive to get to the purest form of the craft as I define it. It's all good, brother!
 
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