Forging out some thick 15n20

[jdm61]

.150? Just super glue two .072 strips together. That should work.

 

[JTknives]

#epoxymascus

 

[A.McPherson]

Epoxymascus: you still get a beautiful swirly pattern, but that’s mostly from the fumes!

 

[timos-]

lol guys, ok 3/16" would be fine , or a hair thinner

 

[JTknives]

Sounds good, I will shoot for 2”x3/16”. Might do some at 1/4” as well. The good thing is with the positive responses on this topic I talked the wife into funding a rolling mill build.

 

[skillgannon]

If the price wasn't to crazy I would be interested in the 1/4". Would like to try a large chopper out of it.

 

[Metalhead0483]

The good thing is with the positive responses on this topic I talked the wife into funding a rolling mill build.

Nice! Yeah I'd be happy to buy some 3/16" stock providing the price isn't too crazy.

 

[rodriguez7]

I would like to try a piece in 1/4 thick by 2” wide by about 12” long. I’ll pay for materials and shipping.

 

[JTknives]

I’m hoping to have some “test” bar stock done tomarow. There is a bit of a learning curve to the process and my first attempt was more hassle then it was worth. My first thought was make a massive billet and just draw it out. But I quickly realised just because it’s one billet does not mean it takes less time then say a bunch of smaller ones. 9lbs of billet starts to stretch out so far that it’s hard to wrangle plus trying to keep it straight it difacult. Plus the added risk factor of having over 30 separate welds that must go flawless or the entire thing is wasted. So the plan is to stack up 2” wide by 11” long and 1/2” thick billets. This will get welded and drawn out into 2”x1/4”x15”. Maybe longer if everything goes good. Should take much less time and require only 2 welding heats and a finish square up heat. If this works out then we will plan a rolling mill build that will take it to final thickness and possibly also do the welding.

 

[DanF]

Not to detract from the op's original thoughts and comments, and I appreciate the boxes of 15n20 I bought from him and his wife but there is much benefit in welding up your own thicker stock from his or anyone's thinner stock. I have found it to be very educational to do this for myself, and there is the personal satisfaction of having done it yourself. If an oldster like I/me can do it I'm sure the younger bucks (and does) can do it.

 

[E.Carlson]

Not to detract from the op's original thoughts and comments, and I appreciate the boxes of 15n20 I bought from him and his wife but there is much benefit in welding up your own thicker stock from his or anyone's thinner stock. I have found it to be very educational to do this for myself, and there is the personal satisfaction of having done it yourself. If an oldster like I/me can do it I'm sure the younger bucks (and does) can do it.

A lot of us stock removal guys don't have forging/forge welding equipment.

 

[Metalhead0483]

Not to detract from the op's original thoughts and comments, and I appreciate the boxes of 15n20 I bought from him and his wife but there is much benefit in welding up your own thicker stock from his or anyone's thinner stock. I have found it to be very educational to do this for myself, and there is the personal satisfaction of having done it yourself. If an oldster like I/me can do it I'm sure the younger bucks (and does) can do it.

I could do that, but I work a slightly more than full-time job, and only get a very limited amount of time to work on knives on any given week. So yes, I could spend all that time forging up a billet, or I could (very happily) pay a bit extra to have JT do it for me, and instead spend that same time doing what I love. You know, actually making knives...

 

[JTknives]

Ok things went much better this time and quite a bit quicker. Still would have to do it in batches to make it worth the time but we have a positive result.

Cutting the strips.

Started with about 3lbs of strips.

I only welded a small weld on each corner. My plan was as the steel heats it bows out and the layers separate. It worked perfect and gave a good gap to get a good amount of flux in between befor things got to hot.

After welding and pressing this is the result. It received 2 welding heat passes that where also used to draw out the length. Looks like we did not loose much material.

There is virtually no scale on the billet becaus after the first weld pass I heated and lightly fluxed the surfaced and then reheated and brushed clean. Then when I did the last pass in the press the surfaces where clean and scale/flux free. It ended up being a hair thicker then I wanted but I had planed on having to deal with a scale and rough surface. Thickness was .310 on one end and .330 on the other.

It surface ground really nicely and was real clean.

So here is the results

So all in all I’m rather happy with the set up and how it went. If I used a rolling mill after the press I could get it closer to the desired thickness but I’m wondering how straight it would be. It came out really stright and flat off the press and went right into the surface grinder with out anving to mess with taking out any bows.

 

[DanF]

A lot of us stock removal guys don't have forging/forge welding equipment.

Certainly, I figured that was a given, but I guess not. No offense was intended to anyone, just saw it as another way for people with the equipment to do so to have a more complete learning experience with knifemaking.
J.T. and Stacy, if my post is going to detract from the thread, I'm happy to have it deleted.

 

[E.Carlson]

Certainly, I figured that was a given, but I guess not. No offense was intended to anyone, just saw it as another way for people with the equipment to do so to have a more complete learning experience with knifemaking.
J.T. and Stacy, if my post is going to detract from the thread, I'm happy to have it deleted.

Sorry, wasn't trying to come off rude. Someday it's something I'd like to try, when I have more time on my hands. Slowly gathering the equipment.
Right now I'm more interested on seeing how it performs in heavier knife applications vs the 80crv2 or 1084 I would normally use in that thickness.

 

[Karl B. Andersen]

This was from a stack kerosene welded to about 1/4".
I welded up a bunch to use on the outside layer of billets rather than have thin layers.
While I had it I just forged this knife from it.
It worked very well. Why wouldn't it?

 

[Metalhead0483]

I sent your wife an email JT. Very interested.