Forged my first blade tonight

silver_pilate

silver_pilate

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Oct 30, 2002
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Don't worry, don't worry... I'll post pics tomorrow :D. Right now the blade is in some vermiculite for a slow cool.

This was the first real use of my forge, and as I played with it, I was able to get it to hold a 5 to 10F range at around 1800F. I was also able to pull it down to 1500F and get it stable within the same size range. I'm very pleased. Once it's dialed in, it only takes just the occasional adjustment, if that.

So I picked up a piece of Don's W2 and put it in. I quickly found that it was easier to double glove and hold the 2 foot length of steel than it was to use the box jaws I had. However, as the steel got hotter as forging went on, I switched to a set of offset U-jaws, and they are now my favorite tongs.

A couple of things I figured out eventually. It's a lot easier to let the hammer do the work than it is trying to muscle the steel. I started timidly with smaller swings, trying to use my strength to make up the difference of a long swing. All this did is not move much steel and make my arm tired :D. So I quickly switched to full swings with less muscle, and the steel really started moving.

It took longer than I'd like to form the tip, but as I get some practice, it will get faster. It's also not the exact shape I'd like, but it works. Another area that I need more practice is forming the "plunge" at the start of beveling. I used the edge of the anvil and a half hammer face blow, and it worked, but I need to improve it.

I thought forging the tang (from 1/4" by 1-1/4" bar) was going to really bite without a press, but it was kind of fun. By the time the heat was gone, my arm was tired and in need of a break (with my swings loosing accuracy), and it was back into the fire. I left more on the tang and ricasso than needed, but I'll clean it up with the grinder.

I did some thermal cycling, a normalize, and then an anneal. I'll post pics tomorrow before and after I clean it up on the grinder. It's just as much fun as I thought it would be. It's feels so much more dynamic and alive than sitting in front of a grinder eating steel dust. I guess I'll do that tomorrow :).

--nathan
 
Congrats! Are those new hairs on your chest. Hehehehe..... Thats great Nathan. So is it as cool as it looks to pound red hot steel?
 
It's a lot more fun to forge this time of the year than in July....

If you have a welder perhaps you could weld a mild steel handle onto the work piece ;) Lot easer to hold.
 
Good call, Will. That's one of the next things on my list to get. Right now, I'll use those offset U jaws. Yeah, it was about 32 at the shop tonight, but I quickly shed the coat. Not looking forward to the summer. Time to get that fan out.

Frank, it's definitely just as cool as it seems, but I've worked hard to be good at most things I do. So not being good at forging just ain't gonna fly. :D I'm gonna have to develop some new muscles, because I've gotta get better at this! Oh, and yes, I don't have to wear sweaters any more because of all the new hair growth :D

--nathan
 
OH NO the bug has bitten. Now you wont be happy unless all the hair is singed off your arms. Did that myself once again yesterday.
 
A.C, I must be thrilled then, because I burned most of the hair off my arm starting the forge tonight :D. I need to get a longer hand held torch. Oh, an who needs the gym? I'll just show off my giant right arm and shoulder and giant left forearm in a couple of months :p.

--nathan
 
Yeah the right arm had as much as a 3" larger circumference than the left at one time. Then I got my power hammer and it is only about 2" bigger. Gotta show off them Popeye arms.
 
I light my forge with a lighter :D. The wosh removes most of my arm hair.
 
Make a stump anvil, mine is a 2x2x3" piece of steel welded to a place that fits on my anvil, it allows me a little finer control when working on "finicky" spots like the plunge, I also do most of my flatting on it. Heck, when I think of it I do probably 40% of my blade work on it.
 
Haha...you're done for now Nathan!

Just a note, experiment a bit with the air and gas settings for starting the forge and you can do away with the "WHUMP" and fireball. It also helps to use a small propane torch to light the forge. You have a nozzle you can stick back in towards the rear which means your gas gets less of a chance to accumulate before ignition. I haven't had a fireball in my shop for years. :)

-d
 
Well it's actually a stake anvil but I was at work and my brain was less than engaged after a lengthy conversation with one of my people. :rolleyes:
 
Will, Nick gave me the same idea back when I bought my anvil. I'll have to keep an eye out for a suitable piece of steel.

deker, yeah I definitely need a longer torch. The one I have is one of those little butane hand helds that I have to hold at the opening of the forge and hope the breeze from the blower doesn't put it out :). I have a couple of other torches in a box somewhere. I need to pick up another small propane tank.

Fletch, yes that's another way of lighting it. I'm just worried the blower will put out the flame before the propane lights.

I did figure out one other thing when working last night. When you take a full swing on your work piece and miss it by a hair, striking the heart of the anvil, the hammer has a very strong tendancy to want to get some payback. I did that once, and the hammer rebounded higher than my head. Luckily, I was wearing a cap that deflected the blow. It came straight back up, so I guess my blows are landing square :D.

--nathan
 
It sounds like you are getting hooked on forging. I am anxious to see the result in your style of knives and how they change even if ever so slightly cause you forge them and not stock removal. This will e very interesting to see the change.
 
I'll post pictures tonight. Panch, it's going to take me a bit of learning to figure out how to get the exact shape I want with the hammer. I'll have to do some extra shaping on the grinder for now. I'm just as curious to see how they turn out.

This first one will be a hidden tang with a guard with pamelle sapelle (probably) for the handle.

--nathan
 
I think it's great you posting pictures of your first forged knife. My first forging job was not worthy of pictures only the trash. But it sure is fun.
 
Ok, well I did promise pictures. Looking at the picture, it kinda just resembles a sort-of knife shaped object, but I promise there is some distal taper and beveling done :o.

IMG_0743.jpg


Here it is after I started to clean up the ricasso area and after some very mild edge clean up:

IMG_0745.jpg


Here it is after a little more reprofiling and with ground bevels.

IMG_0746.jpg


IMG_0747.jpg


It's almost ready for heat treatment right here. I've got to square up the ricasso where it joins the tang and maybe shorten it (ricasso) a bit as well. The tang is still too long, but I'll trim it when I get the handle block out and decide on the handle shape. This one will get a clayed heat treatment so that I can get a killer hamon just like Don Hanson's!!! :eek: :o Ok, well, maybe not, but it is his W2 so the potential is there ;) :D.

So my forging needs A LOT of impovement, but it's a start. And there were no overly deep hammer marks or imperfections that didn't come out easily. I've learned a bit forging this first one, and I'll have to try another this weekend. Oh, and I don't know how I got along without a disc grinder all these years!!! The thing works awesome for truing up the flats. Thanks for looking! I'll post more pictures when the knife is done.

--nathan
 
What are you talk'n bout Nathan? That's a great looking tongue depressor!!! :p :D

That's WAY WAY WAY better than my first forged blade. My first one looked like a deformed banana with some sort of genetic mutation. :o

I'm sure you have been bit pretty good by the bug now :thumbup: :cool:
 
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