Completed my first blade.

Alarion

Alarion

Joined
Nov 26, 2001
Messages
1,375
It's a C70 blade, equivalent to 1070.
I cut roughly it out of 3mm sheet steel, forged it to proper shape, ground it to refine the surface lines.
I was thinking of a flat grind but passed to a cannel grind because
a) I'm not expert at grinding (it's just my 3rd attempt) and the blade was curved and I was getting an awful wobbly line
b) It's a kife that will be used to eat and I feel a cannel grind will give a beefier edge wich will better withstand contact with ceramic.

It's a medieval style knife for my wife, it will be used in reenactment dinner s:)

I annealed it and then heat treated it in a one brick forge, quenched in 15W40 grade motor oil pre-heated by dipping in it 4-5 times a cherry red piece of rebar folded on itself to have more mass.
The blade hardened nicely, the file skates without biting much.
Tempered it in oven at 160 °C for 1 hour as per spec.
Now I have to choose material for the scales, and add nickel silver bolsters.
Unfortunately I see that I need one more hole in the tang :(
Hope it didn't harden (it wasn't supposed to harden, but you never know)
First blade I forge and heat treat :) and everything seems to be going fine up to now.
Let's hope the finished knife will be nice and serviceable :)
 
Er... how do you post pictures on the forum?
I believe is something reserved to golden members...
 
atakpatakwildthing.jpg


url] (and close with)


:D
 
I know Hank, but this would mean I have some plce where to post pictures :)
I had Imagestation but recelty they made them not linkable... :(
Hmmm.
I can try posting it on another forum and then see if it can be linked :)
Dunno... I'll have to do some tests.
Or I can also send the image by mail :)
 
e-mail the pic, to hank and he could post it here so we can see your first baby.
 
I will make same offer if you email it to me. Just email it to someone already so we can stop this suspense. :) From your info definitely sounds like something I would like to see.
 
I must apologize :)
I was away for the weekend and saturday I put on the bolsters, so I didn't shoot any picture yet, but I promise, cross my heart, swear really really really that this evening I'll take a picture of the blade w attached bolsters and send it to you and put it online on imagestation so that I can at least put the URL on the forum :)
Attaching the bolters I noticed that I had made an error during grinding so that a small gap (about 1/64", yes, it's more on the lines of a blunder than just an error :( ) was left between one side of the blade and the flat of the bolster...
Had to solder to fill the gap (really hate when such things happen! It's my first knife but have been making models for over 15 years and hate, hate, hate when parts don't fit perfectly! :mad: ) and now have to clean the solder off the blade, which only adds to my disappointment.
Well, I'll have to be more careful with the next one.
Ill' then add the scales and complete the knife.
This should have been a gift for my wife, but , on second thought, if I just have enough time I'll keep it for myself and make a second one for her, now that I have another burner for my one-brick forge (better heat treat) and have learned a couple of things the hard way (i.e.: you screw it up and you learn :D), such as that it's better to grind distal taper in the tang rather than trying to forge it and that you have to be really careful with those 80 grit belts when working near the ricasso :)
 
Here's a pic of Marco's blade. Very challenging pattern for his first! Looks great Marco!
 
Wow, definitely not an easy one to start with, and grind still looks better than most of mine, and I'm several knives down road. Well, exscept for one I made for practice and never handled. Sad thing is it's made from some chinese file so I doubt it'll hold a real heat treat anwyays. Oh well, just encouragement t get back to grinding once I get back from christmas(stupid exams keeping me busy).

But looks great man. And your forgiven for teasing us all that time. ;)
 
The bolsters looked great in my mind, but now that I'll have to finish them they just look like a great p.i.t.a.... :(
I think I'll keep on a much simpler shape on the next one.
Now I see that's just great presumption thinking to start with something like those bolsters when much more experienced makers keep to a much simpler shape...
Well... You botch, you learn... :D
 
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