Finally got my steel!!

T

Tony Park

Joined
Jan 23, 2021
Messages
59
So I got 1075 and some w2. I just watched a video from Walter Sorrell about bohi cutters.

Do people carve bohi prior to quench or after tempering? I can imagine that maybe bohi can really jack up a quench.

Does anyone have a better way to cut bohi than what Walter mentions in his videos?

I dont have the will to make that tool. If I can buy a ready made tool thats much better.

I'd rather do the bohi b4 the quench, but I'm guessing it has to be done after temper, when the spine of the blade is soft again
 
Do it before quench. Use a mill, or an angle grinder to establish the rough position. If you have a small wheel arm for your grinder, you can use that also.
Finish shaping and smoothing the starter groove with a round file that has had the tip and tang heated and bent up, and handles attached on both ends. Polish with sandpaper wrapped around a dowel.

Did you order the Nuclayer clay kit?
 
Hi Stacy, no I didnt order yet. I'd like to see more videos on it where the hamon looks nice. Have you used it? What are your thoughts? Any pitfalls to avoid?
 
I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but I have the jars in the shop waiting for some hamon work. What I have seen and read is that it works very good. His videos are quite clear on how to use it.

One caveat I will give anyone new to doing a hamon is that you do not want a thick layer of clay on the upper area. It just needs to be a thin layer that makes the spine cool a tad slower. The right thickness is a skill to learn, but starting thinner than you think is sufficient is more likely to succeeded than starting with a thick layer. IMHO, 1/8" is way too much (despite the fact you will see You-tube guys putting 1/4" on).
The Nuclayers clays seem just the right consistency, and the two colors make it easy to see the small details of doing ashi or a complex pattern. It also will make it easier to look from side to side and see if the patterns are more or les matching.
 
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