Couple questions before starting my first tanto

E

ehn.be

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Jan 18, 2020
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Hey, had a couple quick questions before i get working on a tanto design i drew up.

1) does the blade bevel continue down the tang so as to allow the habaki hole to fit up correctly? or do i just need to do the final hammering on the blade (pre hardening i'd assume) and have it form to it that way?

2) i'm doing stock removal on w2 and will be claying the blade for a hamon (have done a number of knives this way before, so not unfamiliar with the process), and quenching in parks50. i intend to cover the flat of the bevel and have ashi lines extending down towards the blade, i use 1/8" of satanite. the blade length from end of the habaki to tip will be 8.5". do i need to account for the blade bending towards the tip on heat treat, or can i do my normal method of grinding the sweep in? my impression was that you can expect the bend to form if water quenching, but parks should keep it relatively close to the ground shape, is this correct?

thanks!
 
I can answer#1.
After profiling, you grind the bevels going right on past where the habaki sits.
Lacking a plunge, I find this about the easiest grind going.
I have a tendency not to grind the tang as fully as the rest, but when fitting up the habaki, it helps to actually have the tang very slightly tapered towards the end. This way the habaki can be removed more easily, but is very snug where it sits against the step in the blade profile.
 
perfect, thanks for the clarification Richard. it made more sense once a kept thinking on it, just think i was confused because i havent clearly seen a bevel ground in to most of the tangs i've seen, might have been because they were blended in to the flat or something (plus internet photos are not the best of all references lol). yeah, looking forward to doing a knife without a plunge hahah, have only done a few kitchen knives without them.
 
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1) Yes, carry the bevels back to the end of the nakago.

2) On a tanto negative sori is not normally an issue with a parks #50 quench. I usually grind/forge in a little sori and leave some extra meat on the ha and mune to grind it to the desired curvature after HT.

Tips:
Don't grind in the machi until done with the bevels after HT.
Make the blade a tad wider ( 1/8" to 1/4") than the final desired size. This allows for cleaning uop the ha and mune as well as adjusting the sori.
Go light on the clay. 1/16" is plenty. 1/8" is the max.
Use the lower range temp in HT than for a clayed blade. 1450F for W-2 is good.
Don't fit the habaki or tsuba until the blade is completely done.
Avoid a ruler straight tanto. They look like a sharpened bar of steel (to me). A tiny curvature makes a huge difference in the look. 1/8" to 1/4" of sori does a lot. In the same way, avoid too much sori.
 
awesome, thanks for the tips Stacy, that helps a lot. will definitely try a lighter coat of clay (i've been reducing it since my first attempt, which was waaay too much clay lol, good to know i can go as low as 1/16"). the sori i have in the drawn plan has 1/4", so hopefully in a good range there. will post some pics when i finish it and see what y'all think : )
 
I make a wash coat of very thin satanite ... like a melted milkshake ... and put it over the whole blade. Once that is dry I apply a thin coat of thicker satanite ... about as thick as runny pancake batter ... and let that dry. Ashi can then be applied if desired. Let it dry fully and then do HT. Using a forge is tricky on a fully clayed blade, so a HT oven is best, and much more accurate.

On the quench I go In -1 -2-3-and out -1-2-3, and back in for 10 more seconds. I immediately pull it out and check for warp/twist. You can quickly straighten those for the next 15 seconds or so.
 
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