Daniel Fairly's Q&A thread

Farchyld said:
I just noticed i was credited for this thread. Sick.

Daniel can I keep the black forge finish on my 52100 chef knives? Or is it toxic/bad?

*edit*

Whatup with hardened 52100? I am literally bending my drill press trying to make holes with my cobalt bits. Nothing. I cant get through!
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You can keep the forge finish but don't forget about the decarb on those two as they are not packed in foil (oil hardening) before heat treat. I'd go over the main bevel and add a microbevel on the reverse at the least. Clean the heck out of the finish as that is oil burnt on... it will clean nicely though and look cool.

Hardened steel won't drill, you may be able to temper those two back but not the air hardening ones. I thought you were going to wrap them so I didn't really ask...

Nice work on the knives by the way! You guys look out for Farchyld!
 
Farchyld said:
Not even if I get some carbide bits? Dang.
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Do you have a dremel or anything like that? get a carbide burr and go to town... the roughed up surface will glue up nicely. If not just hit it with the lowest grit you have before glue-up and you will be good to go! It will look clean and if prepped well will hold as solid as can be.

carbide bits... if you want to run by a machine shop they might like the knives and do it for cheap, you need a mill or really rigid setup
 
Hmm. I'm super stubborn and i have zero connections here. If I got a 3/16" carbide end mill bit could i chuck it in superhuman tight and apply some muscle to make holes?

Also lol! Man my work is pretty crappy compared to the stuff you put out
 
Farchyld, I have fought this battle before. Forget drilling you will just burn up bits. The only way I ever had any luck was to grind the holes with a dremel and a lot of those cone shaped stone bits. center punch it and start grinding. You could put those same bits in your drill press just don't push too hard or you will explode the bit.Good luck. You knives look awesome.

Daniel, thanks for the info on the hamon. I think I just learned the difference between a hamon and a temper line. Oh well there is always the next knife!
 
I'm stupid and going to see how badly I can crush a 3/16" Carbide bit. I got the muscle; lets see if my press can handle it! lol!

Daniel's full of info man, its' crazy.
 
^ Check the press for any play or runout... if you have any remove the chuck with a wedge, clean the fool out of it with mineral spirits and re-insert. Sometimes a piece of dust will cause runout, sometimes it is the press itself. Keep the table cranked tight for rigidity. Rigidity is key with carbide as it is hard like glass and will snap if bent. Wear eye/face/body protection!

I have never tried a carbide bit on hardened steel... I have tried to draw tangs back and drill lanyard holes per request... didn't go well!

Good luck with all! I'd try the 52100 first, it might be easier than the D2 or 3V.
 
Yo Daniel , I come seeking knowledge. Can you tell me a good place to get good quality Japanese cord wrap at a reasonable price?
How much does quench oil temp effect the end result ? Is there any place to find recommended quench oil temps?
 
Kevin, most of what I have read regarding quench oil temps is somewhere around 130*F is about right. It helps it absorb heat better than cold or room temp. I don't think its as exact as everything else is during the process.

Funny, when I looked around for "japanese silk cord" I found most of it was sold by sex shops! When the wife walked by and saw what I was looking at, boy did she give me the dirtiest of all looks! Lol, I still don't hink she believed me when I tried to explain what I was looking for! :p


-X
 
flatblackcapo said:
Yo Daniel , I come seeking knowledge. Can you tell me a good place to get good quality Japanese cord wrap at a reasonable price?
How much does quench oil temp effect the end result ? Is there any place to find recommended quench oil temps?
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Hey!

Cord wrap - I use a special cord made by one shop in Japan, the craftsman has been making it for over 75 years and even raises his own silk worms.... only sells to me. :D

...and shoelaces are great too! 72" boot or fat laces in a polyester blend rocks, just cut off a piece and soak in fabric epoxy to test the properties first. For epoxy I like the West System 207 hardener/105 Resin.



Quench Oil - it depends on the oil but 120-130 F is great... for Parks 50 you can go a fair bit cooler. The oil will heat quickly after a few knives, don't let it get too hot or it will degrade/not work as well.


:thumbup: :thumbup:
 
Daniel Fairly Knives said:
Hey!

Cord wrap - I use a special cord made by one shop in Japan, the craftsman has been making it for over 75 years and even raises his own silk worms.... only sells to me. :D

...and shoelaces are great too! 72" boot or fat laces in a polyester blend rocks, just cut off a piece and soak in fabric epoxy to test the properties first. For epoxy I like the West System 207 hardener/105 Resin.



Quench Oil - it depends on the oil but 120-130 F is great... for Parks 50 you can go a fair bit cooler. The oil will heat quickly after a few knives, don't let it get too hot or it will degrade/not work as well.


:thumbup: :thumbup:
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Daniel Fairly Knives said:
For Silk wrap and fittings check out Fred Lohman Co, they have a great selection. http://www.japanese-swords.com/pages/prices.htm
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Thanks Daniel. I hear ya on not letting it get too hot. I once tried to quench 5 or 6 knives at one tine in canola and the first 3 were good but by time I got to the last one ,not so good. I was able to bend it 90* ,not flex but bend LOL . Plus it will just ruin the quenchant I would think.
That is funny about the shoe laces because I instantly thought about the old school B boy fat laces.
th
 
Daniel, just wanted to say thanks for making the videos you do. The one on grinding the plunge was enlightening.

Also, while I just bought a few feet of 1084 (and made a forge), I'd still like to use some of this 1095 that I have laying around. So... A common questions. Do you have *any* idea where I can find some Park 50 in small quantities? Houghton or Texaco, Chevron... Whatever is fast. I'll be doing very little so probably only need a gallon or so.
 
Strig, Canola is actually quite serviceable for quenching 1084, its just about the right speed, I doubt you will get any issues using it compared to p50 if using a forge as your heat source. I still use only canola and have never had a complaint from any customers or myself. Head over to Smart&Final and pick up two gallons for $20 and call it good! The heat source and temp control is the far bigger variable than using canola v. P50.


-X
 
Thanks Xander. I've been testing the 1095 with water and haven't had a ping yet, the file skips after removing scale and the grain 'looks' good (not sure how it's supposed to look, but I don't see anything big in there).

I worked for many hours once, on a tanto, and had the blade crack. Just don't want that to happen again. :eek:

I'll use canola for the eutectoid steel, but how's canola with 1095?

Edit- here's a pic of a snapped tip after quench (it didn't bend, the bend was from a different test).

IMAG1936_zpscf7fa5cb.jpg


Can you tell anything from the grain?

Here's a little carving knife blade after temper. Still have some cleaning up to do.

IMAG1937_zps7ec51894.jpg


Took a great edge but I haven't handled it yet to see about edge retention.

Can't imagine that a short soak just above non-magnetic worked, but who knows?
 
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Canola is too slow for hypereutectoid steels. 1095 can make an ok edc knife or bench knife when quenched in canola, but I would never sell one done that way. Brine quench or fast oil is best.

What steel is that blade made from? Try using kosher salt as a temp indicator when doing your HT, it melts at 1475*F, you want it about 1500*F. The curie temperature (Tc) for most all steel is right around 1414*F, much too low for HT purposes. That's why you go to non magnetic (Tc) and then one shade of red hotter.

Experiment and have fun! Don't forget to check out Kevin Cashens page for some of the best HT info on the net.


-Xander
 
Thanks again Xander. I'm aware of those figures for HT. I was able to get the carver a shade hotter, but without a thermocouple I'm dead in the water in terms of accuracy.

The carver is made from 1095 quenched in water. I'm positive that it hardened, but using the oven obviously isn't ideal for tempering. I did two 1 hour tempering cycles at 400° but who knows what's really going on in the steel.

I didn't know that about the salt. I don't like pulling the blade to check against the magnet so that might be a help.

One last thing. Is it better to drill annealed steel fast, or slow? I have my press set slow for drilling titanium but I've busted a few bits trying to drill steel. My 1095 is thinner than the 1084 stock but drills much harder. Bits are hss. I know there's better, but these are what I've got.
 
Sorry... I'm a bit late to the party!

I hear maxim Oil has the best prices on P50 but I'm not sure if they or anyone sells it by the gallon.

I use 11 second oil for steels in the faster range, it is from McMaster Carr and available by the gallon. It isn't fast enough for 1095 or W2 so I brine quench the blades.

For my brine quench I like to go with 1/8" or thinner stock and quench it pre-grind. I have had 100% success this way... with everything else (thickness, etc) it can vary. I round everything to reduce the chance of stress cracks.

I hope this helps! I wish I knew a good source of Parks 50 by the gallon.



Drill slow - my favorite press runs at 150 rpm. Press hard as feed pressure is key. I run the drill faster with smaller bits too. Norseman bits are good, check USA knifemaker... Ti is just tricky and it takes time to get used to the right feed pressure.

400 might be kind of hard for 1095 tempering but only testing will show.
 
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