General forging questions

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Marjanp145

Joined
Jan 13, 2015
Messages
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If I was to grab rod made of w1, 1/2" in diameter. Do u think I would be able to forge a good whittling knife
 
Yes. If you ever wonder if a certain piece of steel will be enough for a project you can take a piece of clay and form it into a 1/2" round then hammer it out into the shape you are seeking.
1/2" would make a smallish knife.
 
That would be a good size to use for a normal whittler.

Forge it hot, and don't hit it in the medium red color or lower. If you work it down too cool, microscopic cracks will form in the steel and come back to haunt you in HT. W1/W2 forge in the 1800-2000F range. Any forging below 1600F will likely damage the steel, and below 1500F will seriously damage it. On a small bar and blade, you may only get 10 blows in on each heat.
 
Marjanp,
You are new, so I will give you some advice.

First - fill out your profile. Your age, location, occupation, and hobbies will help us help you.
Second - read the stickies...all of them. The ones on metallurgy are really helpful.
Third - Look at the dates on threads you pull up in searches. Do not re-open old threads just to ask a question. Post a new thread if you need an answer that is not covered in the stickies or other threads.

The Count would be along soon with his standard reply to Newbies, I suspect.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Marjanp,
You are new, so I will give you some advice.

First - fill out your profile. Your age, location, occupation, and hobbies will help us help you.
Second - read the stickies...all of them. The ones on metallurgy are really helpful.
Third - Look at the dates on threads you pull up in searches. Do not re-open old threads just to ask a question. Post a new thread if you need an answer that is not covered in the stickies or other threads.

The Count would be along soon with his standard reply to Newbies, I suspect.
Click to expand...

I dropped it into Marjanp's visitor messages
 
At the top right of the screen is settings and profile...select settings

Look on the list on the left and under PROFILE, select edit profile.

All other changes are made in the same way.

BTW, United States is a pretty big place. Norfolk, Virginia, or wherever you live, is a better description of location.
 
Does anyone have any suggestions oh how to drill through hardened steel? I've tried cobalt, titanium and h.s.s but none of them work?
 
You really need to read the stickys, and some forging tutorials.

Short answer - with a proper forge and air flow, you can forge with almost any solid fuel. Charcoal ( not briquettes) and forging coal are the most common things. Propane forges are far simpler to use an the fuel is much cleaner burning.

There is a lot more to forging than getting a bar of steel hot and banging on it with a hammer....although that is pretty much how I started 54 years ago. We had no one to tell us what to do, and no way to find out. Today, the world is at your fingertips...literally. take advantage of that and read a lot more than you have so far.
 
Yes I know that you don't have to forge to make a knife, I have made knives without forging. But Im ready to move on to forging now
 
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