Hello and question

[Chris Leahy]

Hello!

New member here, and also a n00b when it comes to making knives.

Working on my 2nd blade and while I've read many posts about warps, I havent seen one for this kind. I think I know what the answer will be, but want to check my thinking before I take action.

This is a fairly long knife, blade is 9". full tang, with a tall blade (2.2" from spine to edge at the heel)
1095 steel.

Its forged, and finished on the grinder.

During normalization cycles it warped both ways end to end, and also cupped from edge to spine

the question is, can I just hard clamp the blade to a flat piece of steel and bend the cup flat again?

My mind says yes, but want to check my thinking with people that might know better

Cheers,

Chris

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Heat it back to red and let cool to black in the air. When black, flatten on the anvil (be careful, it is still very hot.Repeat as needed.

Then do a cycle annealing/normalization by heating to about 1650F, cool in air, heat to 1550F, cool in air, heat to 1450 (just as soon as it becomes non-magnetic), and quench in oil. It should now be ready to harden using the standard protocol. If it still has warp after the first or second step ( 1650 and 1550) you can straighten as needed, but do not straighten after the quench or it will snap like glass.

 

[Chris Leahy]

Heat it back to red and let cool to black in the air. When black, flatten on the anvil (be careful, it is still very hot.Repeat as needed.

Then do a cycle annealing/normalization by heating to about 1650F, cool in air, heat to 1550F, cool in air, heat to 1450 (just as soon as it becomes non-magnetic), and quench in oil. It should now be ready to harden using the standard protocol. If it still has warp after the first or second step ( 1650 and 1550) you can straighten as needed, but do not straighten after the quench or it will snap like glass.

Thank you Stacy. I’ll give it a shot

 

[DevinT]

If you are going to forge blades, you will spend most of your life waiting for things to heat up and straightening things.

Hoss

 

[Jason Volkert]

you will spend most of your life waiting for things to heat up and straightening things.

That's funny but true

 

[Chris Leahy]

If you are going to forge blades, you will spend most of your life waiting for things to heat up and straightening things.

Hoss

Thanks Hoss. 2 blades in and I already figured that out

Fortunately I have a side business building boutique guitars from scratch, so I’m already patient and am accustomed to spending millions of hours sanding and polishing stuff, and also wellaccustomed to things warping.

Metal isn’t all that different from wood, it’s just a metric @&#$-ton harder