First larger fighter: The Inquisitor!

First, let me say that I should have known better than to try and work in the shop with this heat. :(

So, I have a filet knife to make for the father of a friend as a memento of his boat (lobsterboat that got “retired” this winter). The gentleman is not young so I want to finish this this summer. But it is a fairly simple knife so it's going well, so far. Thing is, while I was in there I thought “Why not do a little work on the Inquisitor?”

Did some work on a mock up of the stand and that went well. By the way, thanks to Frank Niro for pointing out that the other stand was not working at all. I decided to go with something minimalist to showcase the knife's lines. With a few modification, that is basically what it will look like.

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So thinking I was on a roll I decided to take a stab at the silver inlay.
It's all downhill from here. :(

Since this is meant to help others and that we learn from our mistakes as much from our successes, I will share. Even if it means revealing how dumb I really am. Ok I know, nothing new there. :o

I first cut out a piece and tried to hammer it to shape, annealing it from time to time. That obviously did not work. Silver is much harder than I thought. :(
So I figured I'd take the remaining piece of silver and melt it top shape. I used a soft firebrick to cut out the rough (oversized) shaped that I needed.

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And into the kiln it went. They say sterling silver has a 1650F melting point but I had to take it all the way to 1800F. No idea why.

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I know that I needed flux to keep the oxidation down (I think). I did not have that but what the heck, worst I'll get is some oxidation of the surface but I need to file to shape anyway. Right? WRONG! :(
Ended up with a globy oxidized mess.

inquisitor25.jpg


Not a happy camper! :mad::grumpy:
 
Sometimes the learning thing looses it's interest and even gets down right expensive. I've sure had that happen many times. We can't anticipate everything and even forget to ask in the Blade Forums. Frank
 
you should hve melted it with a torch Pat, then placed a flat fire brick on top till cool
Bobbie says to soak the silver in the pickle (borax solution) then clean it with a brass brush, and try again
(with a torch)
 
Perhaps 16 or 18 gauge silver sheet 2 or 3 layers until you reach the desired thickness, you could file out the shape, drop it in and silver solder

Just a thought ;0)
 
So hows the fillet knife coming along? ;)

I've never found insulating firebrick very compatible with molten metal. Even aluminum, which melts at a considerably lower temp can eat into it. The borax flux that you NEED to use, definitely eats into it. You'd be better off with a piece of cuttle fish or some jeweler's or dental investment. You can mix up a bit of investment, let it harden then carve your void in it. Heck you could even make a little ingot mold out of steel. Usually the metal is melted in a separate little crucible, not in the mold, with a torch then poured into the form. You might have a little sodium bisulfate around to make up your pickling cleaning solution. It can be gotten at a pool supplier (sold as a pH balancer.)

Standard adjustable jeweler's ingot mold and crucible...
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Cuttlefish bone image from Anvil Fire...
 
You are right Frank, I should have asked on here first. That's what you get for rushing things. :(

Mike, are you talking about an OA torch? I don't have one sadly. Only thing I had was a propane torch. Tried that but obviously not enough heat. Do you think using MAPP would work? Also, where can I get the borax for the pickle solution? Any local place or does it have to be a specialized place? Sorry for all the questions. Thanks for your and Bobbie's help. I felt even worst for “wasting” the silver she graciously parted with. :(

Jone, I would like something a little more 'solid' but thanks for the thought.

Phil, I'll post pics of the fillet knife when it is done. These WIP of mine just drag on forever and I fear people will get tired of following them with so little progress. Thanks for the tips, I appreciate. I need to get better equipment as well as some of that bisulfate (wrote the question to Mike about that before I read your post). Do you have more detailed instructions for that pickle solution or do I just eyeball it? :eek:;)
 
I tend to mix it pretty strong. I use old ceramic crock pots I pick up second hand. I prefer the kind that you can lift the cock out (not bolted down) so it's easier to clean and refresh. The recommended mix is probably about .5 to 1 cup of dry acid to a gallon of water. I usually mix stronger batches though: probably about a quart of water and might put about 1/2 - 1 cup. I like to run the pickle on low heat in the crock to speed things up. Remember not to submerse anything iron or steel in the pickle if you don't want your silver to get copper plated.
 
Thanks for the instructions Phil. :thumbup:

Erin, I am also glad to be working on it but with this heat I fear I won't be able to finish it until fall when it cools down in the shop. :(
 
Hey Pat.
I have a bunch of nickel silver babbit . I could send yo a piece of that to use. You could either melt it - not a highj melting point - or size it down to hammer in. This is very easy stuff to work. I used it to make nose caps on the end of muzzle loading stocks. All that was necesary was cardboard for the outside. No the cardboard didn't go on fire, and no it stays shiny and doesn't tarnish. Send me an email at niro@telus.net if I can help. That stand or another similar will really present that "Inquisitor" to anyone who looks at it !!!! Frank
 
Thanks Frank, much appreciated. I will send you email.

Mike, I still need a few supplies from the Jewelry store that I should order this week. But of course lack of shop time is my biggest problem right now. In the meantime I did a little work on the stand. Still a way to go but I definitely think it is going in the right direction. Sure glad Frank pointed out the problems with my first attempt. Here's what it looks like now:

inquisitor26.jpg


I just can't do a lot right now, sorry.
 
Awesome thread. Thanks for the continued effort to help us enjoy your journey with you.

I am sure a lot of people are envious of the guy who will eventually receive this.
 
Looking good Patrice! I'm looking forward to seeing the inlay work, as well as the complete package. I like the new stand too.
 
The inlay is done. Did a quick etch to see how it looks. The center of the silver inlay got darker then the edge from the Fecl, like you may be able to see in the pic. Actually looks really nice but I don't know how durable it is.

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I may actually finish this one someday. ;)
 
Just keep at it, you will get there.

I hate having 10 different projects running around at the same time, so you can only tinker here and there because most of your time is used for setting up and tearing down between projects (not necessarily knife making, just everything goes that way).
 
Hey Paddy! I was just thinking about you today and wondering how you were getting along. Great!

But hey, you don't think you can just plop a photo of the silver cross in place and call it a day do you? Aren't you going to give us the skinny on how you finally managed it? Not knowing your process, my guess at to the shadow in the sterling would be fire scale. Scale manifests differently in sterling than steel, in that it is almost "subcutaneous" rather than riding above or on top of the surface. If that's what it is a bit more sanding/buffing would eliminate it. Part of why I'm guessing this is a presumption that the edges of the cross, where it comes in contact with the steel, might have risen up a bit higher (relative to the surface) than the center of the cross, thus the surface at the edges might have gotten worked/cleaned a little deeper than the center did. Whatever the case, it looks COOL!!!

Oh ya, maybe I missed it, but how's the knife held upright on that stand?

Good to hear from you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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