Feeling the GROOVE!

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Jerry , Don't be shy about them there choils if your gonna put one on the knife make it noticable!
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By the way great looking knife !
If the size of your organic tool rest is any indication of how well you grind poor old Rob Simmonich doesn't stand a chance who knows maybe stuffs a pillow or three in there when he grinds
 
Ken, this style blade is a Filipino Espada, and that choil is actually called a forte. It is where you're supposed to catch your opponent's blade so it doen't nick your edge.

As for the pillows, I sure could use something for doing these things. The arms and back are sore as hell after I've ground one. The problem with swords though is that they are addictive. They are such wickedly powerful blades, it is fascinating to make and handle them. There are very few saplings left on my property now.

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Jerry Hossom
www.hossom.com
 
I use the very slow and peek alot method when I did my 3rd blad, 1st 2 were hand filed. I find that looking at the blade repeatedly helps alot. Allen Folts can tell ya it took me almost all day to cut it out shape it and put in the grinds. So go slow, it is worth it.
 
One last tip: Your grinds don't need to be complete or match perfectly before heat treat! It's a LOT easier to stay in the groove on a hardened blade, and, I've found it's a lot easier to get the Feedback on where you're removing metal when grinding a hardened blade. So, my advice is get the rough shape in, do your best to make your grind lines the same on both sides and then, STOP!!
Heat treat the blade, then, go back and make them perfect.
And, as everyone has said, practice makes perfect. When you get to the point where you can work a certain area of the grind, controlling the grind lines just the way you want, without seeing what you're doing, it's a great feeling. That's what knifemaking is all about.

RJ Martin
 
Thanks RJ
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I have taken the grind to 120grit. I will be heat treating them as the next step. Is this a good grit size to stop at before heat treat? I am using a kiln and 1650 steel, I plan to practice using a differential heat treat right from the get go! Should I go any finer grit size if I plan to mirror finish a blade or two?
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One word of caution. After heat treating you need to be careful not to overheat the blade, so while you may find it easier grinding it's a good idea to go slow and dip it in the bucket often. The temperiong temperatures on that steel are pretty low, so don't let it get hot.

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Jerry Hossom
www.hossom.com
 
Man theres nothing better than a good grind on a blade.
Heres a tip . If your clips or other areas are a little off and you done feel you to using the grinder to true up the area try edm stones and coolant as a lube. These stones and others come in several grits , You can start with the coarse and move up to a semi finish with a little time and elbow grease.
The machine type coolant (I use cool tool) will lube the stone to release the cut material. I always use these after heat treat . The steel cuts better and there is less gauling.
These are great for cleaning up blood grooves and other wild stuff also..

Great job...


Jerry nice knife.




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New Web at www.darrelralph.com

 
BobH: Yes, sounds fine. The final finish on the blade really doesn't alter what grit to grind to before heat treat. The better your control in the rough grinding, the finer you can go before heat treat. If your control is not so good, leave more material to remove later, when you can feel the groove better. I don't like leaving really heavy scratches in during HT-they cause stress raisers and other nasty things. 120 grit is OK, perhaps 180 or 220 would be better. Your steel isn't too notch sensitive, so, you're fine.

RJ Martin
 
BobH,
It don't get no better than this, does it?

I always go to 220 before heat treat cause of the stress risers that RJ mentioned. Good habit.
 
WOW This great stuff. Thanks
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I will take the knives to 220 grit.
What is a stress riser?
I will keep you in the loop as these knives progress. A friend of mine Todd Kopp who has been grinding for over ten years is now going to buy a computer because I keep telling him about Bladeforums! He is suprised at what I have learned in such a short time.
 
I think I might avail myself of some of this heavyweight advice on here as well. I take my A2 and ATS-34 to 220 grit before heat treat. On CPM-3V I take it to 400 grit to get it as smooth as possible so I don't later have to eat a lot of belts in finishing. I'm curious what other folks do on CPM's.

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Jerry Hossom
www.hossom.com
 
Sure, the finer you can grind before HT, the less finishing you have to do later. If you can hold your grind lines, and you don't get any warpage, go for it!!
If you have trouble holding grind lines and edge thickness during rough grind, you've got to stop sooner and do more work later.
And, yes, 220 is a better pre-HT finish.
Stress risers are caused by sharp notches and grooves-they cause a higher level of stress to develop, which can lead to warpage or cracking(extreme case) during HT. they also weaken your blade. What you want is a fine scratch pattern, without "V" shaped scratches. The stress build up is proportional to the square of the radius in the "V", I believe, so, the effect of even a small grit change is significant.

This is advanced stuff-if you're just starting, don't get "stressed" over stress risers!!!!

RJ
 
On Cpm I grind before heat treat as a matter of fact on all blades. Use a quench press to keep um straight.
Feathering the choil with the belt or radius
on the corner of the wheel or platen will stop stress risers. Let the belt ride over a bit to clean up the choil.

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Web Site At www.infinet.com/~browzer/bldesmth.html
New Web at www.darrelralph.com



[This message has been edited by Darrel Ralph (edited 05-03-2000).]
 
Likewise Darrel, I dress up the plunges with a 400 grit belt rolled over the edge of my wheel. I do that before heat treating, then again more carefully after heat treating. I use 400 grit since it makes it easier for me to match trim the sideburns before I get to where I want the guard.
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Jerry Hossom
www.hossom.com
 
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