Bulat blades from Ivan Kirpichev

nozh2002

nozh2002

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I have 3 bulat blades from Ivan Kirpichev (Tver, Russia)

Kirpich-01.jpg


Kirpich-02.jpg


Kirpich-03.jpg


Thanks, Vassili
 
Kirpich-05.jpg


Kirpich-06.jpg


Kirpich-07.jpg


Kirpich-08.jpg


Finally this legendary damascus steel nobody really making here come to me!
This is the best Cristmas gift for me.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
Now I finished handle and started sharpen it with Spyderco Sharpmaker diamond rods. I choose Lignum Vitae - it is kind of bulat among woods.

Kirpich-25.jpg


Thanks, Vassili
 
looks cool, to you have any blades of similar design but regular blade steel to compare it to, performance-wise?
 
Vassili,
I like that alot. Where could I get one of those blanks?Thanks.
Danny
 
No! I almost dreamed about this for 2 years. I tryed to get one of those from Russia but it was impossible. Now Ivan who read about how to make bulat on my site - it helped him with his own experiments he did for a while before, send me this blades as a present and as examples to test. And even after he made them I wait like 3 monthes till somebody brings them here. I am treasuaring this blades!

However, You may contact him directly by e-mail and ask - should not be a problem:
kirpich20@rambler.ru
(I may help you to translate it to Russian, if you need it)

He is very nice person and now he is interested in 3rd party opinions, he gave his blades to some people to try and give him feedbacks. He is now kind of end his own experiments and looking what others will say about his work.

Now I am still sharpening first knife little by little - holidays. It was not sharpened at all so I need to spend some time.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
Vassili,
I will be sending you an email after I recover from the holidays, for some help with the translation, Ok alot of help with the translation. Have a good new years. Thanks.
Danny
 
Those are some nice blades.

By the way, there's an American that is also making wootz. His name is Al Pendray, and he lives in Florida. If interested, you should be able to find is contact info on the internet.
 
Although Pendray is credited for reviving wootz, several other American smiths are doing it now. The largest producer of wootz knives and swords is Daniel Watson, of Angel Sword. Everything in his "Avatar" line is a one of a kind from his own wootz.

www.angelsword.com
 
Verhoeven and Pendrey did rediscover wootz secret as I understand - they have patented it 1993. Ann Feuerbach most knowlegible expert in antic wootz - her scientific works is very popular among Russian bladesmithes. Ahim Wirtz making wootz now in Germany he is leading expert in this area - I posted his and also Vasili Fursa article on my website and this helped Ivan with his researches.

However nobody making wootz nor bulat in US (as far as I know, I'll love to be wrong in this matter). I saw only one Larry Harley knife made out of wootz. When I ask this question to different knifemakers - they sad no demand on the market for this. Probably because nobody really know what it is.

As I understand bulat is steel which has sophisticated cementit structures inside. Like concrete with steel constructions inside bulat is steel with iron carbides structures inside - this structures much harder then steel. As I imagine this - during slow cooling of melted steel some crystallization happen same way as water frose on the window at winter but this happen inside steel and in 3D - this make steel brittle. But using some technic - invented by Verhoeven it is possible transform them... This is beyond my understanding you may read more here:

http://playground.sun.com/~nozh2002/Bulat-Achim.html#English

Thanks, Vassili

Verhoeven web page:
http://www.mse.iastate.edu/people/people.cfm?id=139
Ann Feuerbach
http://home.att.net/~moltenmuse/index.htm
 
Vasili, if i got him right and remember correctly what he told, his techno-wootz is made like wootz but contains 5 % or so of chromium and some other alloying elements.

Achim
 
Wootz has to have alloying elements, such as vanadium, to facillitate carbide banding. Honestly I don't know how Watson's "techno-wootz" differs from wootz (or bulat, which is just another name for wootz), and he won't tell anyone until the patenting process is complete. Pendray did not patent wootz in 93, or ever. I know there are other American makers doing wootz, and I'm sure you can find them if you search around. Watson makes more wootz than any other maker in the world, but there are some low volume makers out there too, sush as this one: http://dragonsbreathforge.com/
 
bithabus said:
Wootz has to have alloying elements, such as vanadium, to facillitate carbide banding. Honestly I don't know how Watson's "techno-wootz" differs from wootz (or bulat, which is just another name for wootz), and he won't tell anyone until the patenting process is complete. Pendray did not patent wootz in 93, or ever. I know there are other American makers doing wootz, and I'm sure you can find them if you search around. Watson makes more wootz than any other maker in the world, but there are some low volume makers out there too, sush as this one: http://dragonsbreathforge.com/
Click to expand...

Few corrections:

It is not alloying element - it is from 0.01% to 0.1% Vanadium needed, it is like trace element.
Virkhoeven has patent #5185044
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...0&s1=5185044.WKU.&OS=PN/5185044&RS=PN/5185044
There is alittle difference - Wootz is from India and bulat is from Central Asia:
http://home.att.net/~moltenmuse/Pulad.htm

Thanks, Vassili.
 
There is alittle difference - Wootz is from India and bulat is from Central Asia:
Click to expand...

Yes, that's why they have different names. It would seem that the methods of production differ, but the end products are the same.

Thanks for the link to that article, and to the patent information. I had no idea that Voerhoven and Pendray filed for a patent. I wonder if they have filed lawsuits against the other US smiths who make wootz, such as the one I mentioned?
 
I think patent has some expiration date after which everybody may use it - like Walker liner lock etc.

Thansk, Vassili.
 
Made another one from Ivan's blade, second blade (snakewood handle):

knife-74-03.jpg


knife-74-04.jpg


knife-74-05.jpg


Thanks, Vassili
 
nozh 2002, i have a question 4 u,how do i sharpen a bulat knife,i have a good friend that makes knives and also sharpens them,well he showed me how to sharpen knives fast and effective without any spyderco sharpening kits,and theyve cut as rasor as well,but i have a problem with a bulat sharpening,i still cant understand how to sharpen it to razor sharpness,the method that im used to sharpen knives dont work for bulat...p.s.i have sharpened CRKT,Ka-Bar,Cold Steel blades and they shave,but it doesnt work on bulat knife...
 
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