Forged Blades End up Thinner than Listed?

W

Wyoming762

Joined
Feb 24, 2016
Messages
21
Hi again. Got something I would like to run by everyone. I read somebody say this in the internet: "As a note of interest, a piece of steel that starts out as 1/4" stock will generally end up a good 1/16" thinner after forging and grinding. When I specify 1/4" or 3/16" stock, I'm referring to thickness before the blade is finished. Forging as opposed to stock reduction, IMO, imparts qualities to a blade that heat treating alone cannot. One of the reasons I like GB axes and Randall knives, et.al."

I'm not wondering about whether forged blades are better than CNC ones, but if that a forged blade will actually tend to be thinner than the maker lists them as.
If anybody is wondering about my progress in choosing a knife, well I still haven't decided. I left off trying to decide between the L.T. Wright GNS and Genesis, but then I discover the Lon Humphrey Bushcraft Pro. I like most everything about it. It looks great, has wood handles, is hand forged which is nice I suppose, is 1095 High Carbon, and comes with a good leather sheath. It also comes in partial flat grind which is kind of a good compromise between FFG and Saber, and those two different grinds are one the things that was making it hard for me to decide between the to Wrights mentioned above. But, at 3/16, it is a little too thick for my taste. Which is why I'm wondering about the question above. If they do tend to be about 1/16 thinner th a listed then it would put it at 1/8; exactly where I want it.
 
I don't understand why a maker wouldn't measure the final thickness before posting it for sale. If I make a knife out of a 2 foot long bar of steel and it ends up being 1 foot after I'm done the blade isn't 2 feet long.
 
I imagine that it's a mixed bag...I know for sure that some hand-forge makers give you the actuals of the finished knife. I wouldn't be surprised if the thickness was altered by the forging process.

Now, I'm one of the guys who would rather have a knife made with a higher alloy non-forgeable steel...I don't dig the look of hammer marks, with some exceptions, & I prefer better performing & corrosion resistant steels if given a choice. I get the appeal of hand forged of course, it's cooler to think that a dude actually pounded on a blade forever...however, while some soul may be imparted on the blade, I believe that with todays ultra clean simple steels, stock removal is still the better way to go as you don't risk weakening the steel(s) by needlessly pounding their fullest potentials out of them. It's my understanding that with our clean modern steels - & I'm not just referring to super steels, & including the relatively clean modern sheets of 1084s, 5160s, 1095s, etc. of the world - stock removal & high quality HT will yield the best final qualities...maybe I'm wrong?
 
The quoted material is crazy talk. Most people that forge blades don't just hammer it a little bit and call it "forged". They start with a fairly thick chunk and forge it to whatever length, width and profile they want. Some will also forge the bevels, many will leave that for the grinder.

Point being - no one is going to advertise blade thickness based on what stock they started with. That would be insane. Advertised thicknesses are the final thicknesses.


Whether forging has positive effects on the metal or not is a minor debate. Hammering might help, carbon loss may hinder, but overall the blade should be good steel if it was handled well and received the correct heat treat. If it was not treated well during forging, it will probably warp significantly or crack when quenched.

Some steels and smiths are appropriate for forge heat treating - most are not and should be done in conjunction with some sort of precisely temperature controlled oven - even if the blade was made over coal.


In terms of thickness, a 3/16 FFG is "thinner" in most ways than a 1/8" Scandi. You can't compare the two grinds by just looking at the spine thickness. If you wade through this it might help:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...Strength-3-16-flat-ground-vs-1-8-Scandi-saber



1095 is a decent basic steel. If someone really knows what they are doing at the forge and is charging a reasonably large fee, I'd much rather see O1, 52100, Cru Forge V, W2 or L6.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top