Forging from round bar

Greenberg Woods

Greenberg Woods

Joined
Dec 27, 2013
Messages
2,696
Hey Guys, so I have been playing around with some W1 drill rod, 5/8 and 3/4 thick. Ive been mostly banding out chisels "il post a video of how I make my saya nomi's soon"

But I was having issues forging knives. They just dont like to turn out well. What im doing right now is

Point the bar, making sure to avoid fish lips
flatten it out
Bend the blade
forge the bevels

but along the process I always seem to get a spear. I try holding the spine down flush the anvil and forging the blade down to keep the back straight, but it all just turns out a mess.

Anyone have a video of forging a knife from round stock or care to describe their process?
 
If your trying to forge out the bend in the spine after the bevels are forged you will indeed make a mess unless you use a wood whacker. I have a chunk of wood stick I use for just this. Lay the spine on the anvil and whack the edge with the wood. It will work wonders for you. I prefer a mildly soft wood so the the edge sinks just a little bit. But that should cure you headache
 
If you don't use the stick method then you get these ;)
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But all joking aside I normally turn the round bar into flat stock befor forging the blade. The peen works great for this to spread it out to get it wider..
 
Make it square first. Oh, and go to the drug store and buy yourself one of those gel pad velcro elbow braces. You will thank me later.
 
I'm with JT, flattening first works for me. Using a guillotine or spring fuller to knock down the round to start your flat at the bolster helps, with integral forgings.
Then, flatten and point the bar, while flattening make sure to spread the heel downward and as wide as you want with the cross peen. If you neglect to use the cross peen at the heel, the flat face will quickly lose you the opportunity to distribute that mass as you intend.
 
+1. Not "cross" forging just means that everything will get longer.
Salem Straub said:
I'm with JT, flattening first works for me. Using a guillotine or spring fuller to knock down the round to start your flat at the bolster helps, with integral forgings.
Then, flatten and point the bar, while flattening make sure to spread the heel downward and as wide as you want with the cross peen. If you neglect to use the cross peen at the heel, the flat face will quickly lose you the opportunity to distribute that mass as you intend.
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Greenberg Woods said:
Im still young. Let me be stupid a decade or so more guys.
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Don't do that to yourself. I'm 45 and have had a couple carpal tunnel surgeries, have tennis elbow, bad knees (5 surgeries) and a bad back. Be smart. You can't hit a reset button.
 
You might look up Uri Hofi's advice on hammering technique.
In blacksmithing circles, you can always tell the beginner because he grabs the end of the the handle in a death grip.
As Peter Ross told me, hold the hammer fairly near the head, just firm enough to keep it from bouncing off the wall behind you, and let it whip up and down in your grip as you raise and lower your hand. You'll move a lot more metal in a lot less time, though it may feel odd at first.
People who do that don't tend to get hammer hand tendon problems.
 
Willie71 said:
Don't do that to yourself. I'm 45 and have had a couple carpal tunnel surgeries, have tennis elbow, bad knees (5 surgeries) and a bad back. Be smart. You can't hit a reset button.
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Agreed. You're going to pay for things you do now, 20 years from now.
 
I always tell students to hammer slower. Hammer hard, accurate, and as slow as necessary to accomplish the first two. This helps the elbow too, not snatching up the hammer quickly, but striking methodically. I don't ring the anvil a whole lot, but when I do, it's to keep a steady rhythm as the work shifts. That rebound helps as well to pick the hammer up, not putting all of the strain on your tendons. I already have hammer elbow, but mostly from when I was in my early-mid 20's and trying to ferociously swing a big hammer (no forging machines yet.) It comes back if I hammer with poor technique.
 
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