forging in plunge cut help

D

Dana Hackney

Joined
Nov 1, 2005
Messages
174
Hi folks,

It's been a busy summer for me trying to get ready for my first knife show (MKA)
and holding down a full-time job. The show went pretty well for me as I did sell a
knife and got to meet and chat with the likes of Ed Caffrey, Bruce Bump, Joe Olson
and many others. I also had the chance to take a 2 day refresher course with
Ed Caffrey on the way back home!

Anyhow, I was wondering if anyone has ever come up with a fullering tool (or jig)
for setting the initial plunge cut when forging a blade. I know I should probably
practice my hammering and probably not rely on a fixture but I was wondering
if one could modify a guillotine/chop fullering tool (like this one on ebay -
http://cgi.ebay.com/Blacksmith-Anvi...ryZ13869QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
) to accomplish the task.

Any suggestions welcome. Those angled, half-face hammer strokes are a bear-cat
to master!

Best regards,
Dana Hackney
Monument, CO
 
I use a mini anvil that is only 1" wide and is mild steel so it does not matter how much I beat it up. The mini anvil bolts onto the face of the regular anvil with a 3/8" length of allthread. It allows me to hammer the bevels very accurately while keeping the blade slightly tilted.

There are many other ways also so give them all a try.
 
My 2 cents....I have a spring swage consistant with the bevel angles.....not only can you forge the transition between ricasso and edge, but you can use it to tidy up your bevels during forging, or can be used to draw your bevels. I use mine in a treadle hammer, but you could redesign it to fit a hardy and use with your anvil.
 
Kevin Cashen has a explaination on his website showing how Kevin forges a blade. He uses the edge of the anvil to set up the area where the plunge cut will be. I've tried it, and it works pretty well. I also really like the way he overcomes the "bird's mouth" problem when forging the point. It's one of those, "Gee, why didn't I think of that?" solutions.
 
Dana, good to see you here. What i have taken to doing is i modified the head of a 1.5 lb ball pein to fit the angle i was going for. hope that helps.......Erik
 
Thanks Mr. Finnigan, Chris, Kevin and Erik, for the tips and suggestions.
Right now I'm also trying to use the edge of the anvil, slightly tilting the blade
and attempting to place a half-faced blow to the spot where the plunge cut is to
be, but my eye-hand coordination leaves somewhat to be desired. I know it'll come
with time, and I suppose I should just try to development hammering skills but
I end up creating a more work fro myself down the line.:mad:

I'm okay if I'm fortunate to get a correct strike on one side as the other side
is easier to line up once I can lay the blade on the shoulder I created on the
other side. Oh well, I'll explore all the suggestions you guys sent and see what
works for me.

Hi Erik! It's nice, now, to put a face with a name. I sure enjoyed the MKA and
getting to meet and talk with some of the folks that frequent this forum. Holler
if you ever get down this way (Monument, CO).

Thanks again guys!
Dana
 
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