Forging?

stabman

stabman

Joined
Sep 17, 2007
Messages
21,367
I want to try forging a knife in the coals of a camp fire.
I need to know some things though.
I'm thinking of using 1080 steel; is that a good choice?
Would bar stock or sheet stock be better? Or does it matter?
I know I need a hammer or two, but what sizes would be best?
I have welder's gloves, but I'll need something to grab the steel out of the coals. What(inexpensive) tool should I use for this?
Any tips on heat treating and quenching would be appreciated too.:)
 
Let me try this one...
1080, yes.
Bar stock is easier.
Any 2 lb sledge with the face rounded a bit will work OK.
Pliers.
Heat it evenly until just past nonmagnetic and quench it in heated oil.
Clean off the oil and put it in your wife/mom's oven for an hour at 450, twice.

Read the Newbie sticky thread.

Campfire, good luck, but maybe.
 
jkf96a said:
Let me try this one...
1080, yes.
Bar stock is easier.
Any 2 lb sledge with the face rounded a bit will work OK.
Pliers.
Heat it evenly until just past nonmagnetic and quench it in heated oil.
Clean off the oil and put it in your wife/mom's oven for an hour at 450, twice.

Read the Newbie sticky thread.

Campfire, good luck, but maybe.
Click to expand...

i like a flat faced hammer with rounded edges. makes a nice finish. REMOVE all the OIL befor tempering.
 
Very looooooooooong pliers. That fire's going to have to have one heck of a hot bed of coals!

You might want to check out GreenPete's Utubes on primitive knife making.

BTW, just what are you going to do with your creation.....STABMAN? :eek: :confused:
 
haha... thats what i heard ...in the currency game you gotta be sharp or you could lose your shirt.. ( or goat )


i think just about everyone starts out near a campfire ...heating a piece of iron rod and pounding it out into a rough object over a piece of rail..

even a small bellows will help you a heck of alot... to heat the iron fast

1080 sounds good

keep the projects small at first... ;)
 
bladsmth said:
It must be geting close to school letting out in Canada.
Stacy
Click to expand...

That's uncalled for.
I'm 32 years old, married, and yes, university IS out now(3rd year of honours history finished, headed into 4th year this fall).
You can see what I look like in the Peche Island thread, if you require proof of my age.
But thanks for being rude for no reason.:rolleyes:
 
jkf96a said:
Let me try this one...
1080, yes.
Bar stock is easier.
Any 2 lb sledge with the face rounded a bit will work OK.
Pliers.
Heat it evenly until just past nonmagnetic and quench it in heated oil.
Clean off the oil and put it in your wife/mom's oven for an hour at 450, twice.

Read the Newbie sticky thread.

Campfire, good luck, but maybe.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the advice.:)
One knifemaker I met on Saturday on Peche Island said the coals of a good fire will work, but the steel will take longer to heat.
 
stabman said:
That's uncalled for.
I'm 32 years old, married, and yes, university IS out now(3rd year of honours history finished, headed into 4th year this fall).
You can see what I look like in the Peche Island thread, if you require proof of my age.
But thanks for being rude for no reason.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
He's tired of answering the same questions every 2 weeks that are all answered in the stickies. Not sure I'd say that's completely un-called for. Good luck with your forging, don't let anyone on this forum discourage you.
 
1080 should be a good choice in steel. Pick up barstock in the thickness (or maybe one size over) what you want, though not as wide as you want your finished blade, and long (2.5-4 ft, or about one meter:D)enough that you don't need tongs (or pliers or vice-grips). That way you can forge the shape you want and then cut it off. You should be able to forge multiple blades before you need tongs.

You can make a cheap forge out of just about anything. Read Goddard's $50 knife shop-that really will make a difference! Also, go to the library and browse one or two books on blacksmithing. Then you can make a lot of tools (tongs, etc) that will help you.

Reading the information in the "Newbies" sticky will help a lot!!!! I refer to it almost daily:p:o:D

Good Luck:thumbup: It's not hard, it's just hard to do right;)
 
WalterDavis said:
1080 should be a good choice in steel. Pick up barstock in the thickness (or maybe one size over) what you want, though not as wide as you want your finished blade, and long (2.5-4 ft, or about one meter:D)enough that you don't need tongs (or pliers or vice-grips). That way you can forge the shape you want and then cut it off. You should be able to forge multiple blades before you need tongs.

You can make a cheap forge out of just about anything. Read Goddard's $50 knife shop-that really will make a difference! Also, go to the library and browse one or two books on blacksmithing. Then you can make a lot of tools (tongs, etc) that will help you.

Reading the information in the "Newbies" sticky will help a lot!!!! I refer to it almost daily:p:o:D

Good Luck:thumbup: It's not hard, it's just hard to do right;)
Click to expand...

Thank you.
That's a good idea about using longer stock. Should simplify things a bit for the first time.
I'll have to check out that book too.:)
 
Didn't mean to insult you. My apologies. At this time of year a lot of students take to the woods camping, and have such ideas. Sadly, the Rambo movie has made it seem more possible than it is.

Yes, this same type of post is made about every ten days. It increases come summer.
The truth is that you will have limited chance of success with a camp fire and long pliers. Read up on the stickies, and try a book like " The $50 Knife Shop." It has a lot of simple , on the cheap and home built ideas.

1080 steel is your best bet. Any hammer ( as said) with a rounded face and about 1 kilo mass will work. Any massive object over twenty times the hammer weight will work for an anvil or sorts ( even an old granite tombstone). The steel will need to be heated to 1600-1900F to forge it. It will need to be heated to 1500F and then quenched in some sort of fast oil ( peanut, mineral, ATF). The temper can be done in the kitchen oven at 400-450F.

Again, Sorry to have offended.
Stacy
 
bladsmth said:
Didn't mean to insult you. My apologies. At this time of year a lot of students take to the woods camping, and have such ideas. Sadly, the Rambo movie has made it seem more possible than it is.

Yes, this same type of post is made about every ten days. It increases come summer.
The truth is that you will have limited chance of success with a camp fire and long pliers. Read up on the stickies, and try a book like " The $50 Knife Shop." It has a lot of simple , on the cheap and home built ideas.

1080 steel is your best bet. Any hammer ( as said) with a rounded face and about 1 kilo mass will work. Any massive object over twenty times the hammer weight will work for an anvil or sorts ( even an old granite tombstone). The steel will need to be heated to 1600-1900F to forge it. It will need to be heated to 1500F and then quenched in some sort of fast oil ( peanut, mineral, ATF). The temper can be done in the kitchen oven at 400-450F.

Again, Sorry to have offended.
Stacy
Click to expand...

That's okay, and I'm sorry for asking the equivalent of a "best knife" question!:D
It looks like I now have enough info to give it a try. Maybe it will even work out!
 
If you're limited to a campfire, check into a greenpete style ground forge with forced air blowing under the fire. Will make the forging much more efficient. I'm up to 40 knives with only a pile of bricks, a pipe, and some lump charcoal, so it can be done.
 
jkf96a said:
If you're limited to a campfire, check into a greenpete style ground forge with forced air blowing under the fire. Will make the forging much more efficient. I'm up to 40 knives with only a pile of bricks, a pipe, and some lump charcoal, so it can be done.
Click to expand...

Neat.:thumbup:
 
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