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Anyone else have this problem, when forging in the bevels, the wider the blade is the harder the line is to keep crisp? I think thickness of the parent stock you start with has alot to do with it also.
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Forging in bevels, anyone else have a problem the wider the blade?
- Thread starter Sam Salvati
- Start date
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith
ilmarinen - MODERATOR
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Sam, Like anything else you work on, the more surface and mass, the more things to go wrong. Keeping large surfaced flat and smooth while forging is a task, indeed.
Stacy
Stacy
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I noticed I kinda tend to get more sloppy with big steel. I guess it's like you think you have plenty to work with then everything gets away from you. Now I'm more careful it seems like it's not so bad.
I found that using the bar for the handle instead of trying to use tongs made it a lot easier for me.
I found that using the bar for the handle instead of trying to use tongs made it a lot easier for me.
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As far as "crispness" goes, it's simple math. Remember Pythagorus? The higher the ratio of blade width to blade thickness, the smaller the angle of the bevel. A blade that's 1/4" thick and 3/4" wide will have a steep bevel (even steeper if you leave a flat along the spine), which will make a nice crisp line. But a blade that's 1/4" thick and 2" wide will have a much shallower bevel, making the transition less distinct. The only way to make it crisper is to hollow grind.
As far as technique goes, on bigger blades I find it helps me to always try to maintain a good, flat plane, no matter how small it may be at the start. When I begin to work on the bevel I don't try to go from the edge all the way to the spine right from the get-go, but will begin by creating just a small bevel along the entire edge, making sure to keep it straight and flat throughout. Even if it goes just a quarter of an inch up the blade, I'll get that plane established in the first heat, then will gradually work to broaden that plane during successive heats, always doing my best to keep things straight and even.
I also take my sweet time with it. Every hammer blow is deliberate. Sure, it probably takes me four times as long to bang out a blade as most other guys, but it's OK because, well, I enjoy doing it.
This probably isn't anything new to you but it seems to work OK for me.
As far as technique goes, on bigger blades I find it helps me to always try to maintain a good, flat plane, no matter how small it may be at the start. When I begin to work on the bevel I don't try to go from the edge all the way to the spine right from the get-go, but will begin by creating just a small bevel along the entire edge, making sure to keep it straight and flat throughout. Even if it goes just a quarter of an inch up the blade, I'll get that plane established in the first heat, then will gradually work to broaden that plane during successive heats, always doing my best to keep things straight and even.
I also take my sweet time with it. Every hammer blow is deliberate. Sure, it probably takes me four times as long to bang out a blade as most other guys, but it's OK because, well, I enjoy doing it.
This probably isn't anything new to you but it seems to work OK for me.