Leather and Elk

Will52100

Will52100

Joined
Dec 4, 2001
Messages
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Just finished this up, first blade to be finished useing Texico type A Quench. Showed a finner grain than my other experiments and a slight improment in cutting. Also the first blade that showes 3 distinct harding lines.

4 1/4" cutting edge, 3/4" ricasso of 52100, 3/8" nickle silver gaurd and pommel, stacked leather with nickle silver spacer and elk antler handle.
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Will 52100, this is DaQo'tah

could you tell me the process you use to work the steel?

I would like to know where you get the steel from?

what do you do to the steel before you start to use the belt gringer on it?

what heat treatments do you employ?
do you temper the steel too?

now about the etch, how do you do your temper line etching?

after the etching, what do you then do to the steel to make the etch stand out the way you want?
 
Will, I really like that one! And that combination handle really sets if off with the furniture and blade.Nice work, Will!
 
Thanks Guys, got a lot going on right now, finaly got time to finish one.

DaQo'tah, I now get my steel from Rex Walter, forged down to 1" square bar.

I start forging at non magnetic till there is very little color left, and at no time does the steel get above criticle. Every 5-6 heat the bilit gets a flash normalize, heat to non-magnetic and let cool to a black heat, then back into the fire. After forging the blade it gets 7 back to back flash nornalizing cycles. Then I while forging the tange the whole blade gets heated to nonmagnetic and the blade portion gets 3 20 second quenchs in room temp. type A. After forging the tang out I do any straigting or tweaking of the blade then three full normilizing cycles to room temp, then I heat it back up to non-magnetic and place the blade between to pieces of 1/4" flatbar that I have heated to a red heat and put the whole thing in a bucket of wood ash to aneal. Next two days to more anealing cycles then to the belt grinder.

I finish the blade out to a 400 grit on the grinder leaving the edge about a 1/32"-1/16" thick. I heat the edge with a torch, starting at the ricasso since it's thicker and heat the lower 1/3 of the blade to just above non-magnetic and quench in type A at 150degF. Let the blade cool to room temp in the oil, then overnight in the frezzer. I take the blade out about an hour before the next quench. After the final quench(there are three of them, 24 hours apart) I leave the blade in the freezer for 24 hours before tempering. I temper the blade in a toaster oven at 375 for 3 2 hour cycles, letting the blade cool to room temp between tempers.

After tempering I sharpen and test the edge with a brass rod, if it passes, I go to the belt grinder and take to a 400 grit finish then start hand rubing with 320 grit to true everything up, then to a 600 grit cork belt loaded with green chrome buffing compound. I then test the blade and edge geomitry by cutting rope, hard wood and even chop into an old cow shin bone and just about anything else lying around the shop. After that I start hand rubing at 400 then 600 grit, then it's ready to etch.

I wash the blade with dish washing liquid in the sink to make sure there are no oils on it(hold blade by the tange to keep finger oils off blade), then dip in the etchant. I use 1 part feric chloride to 4-5 parts water. I have good tap water and havent' had a problem, but it may be necisary to use distilled water. After about 10 minits I give a light sanding with 1500 grit sandpaper while wet with the solution then back in for about 10 minits. I usally do this four times, then neutrulize by spraying down with windex. I then boil the whole thing in a can of bakeing soda and water for about 30 minits to help no only neutrulize the etchant but also to kill any flux from soldering the gaurd.

After that I give the blade a couple of light passes on a loose buffing wheel with eighther white or pink compound to brighten everything up. One thing I've notice about Rex's steel compared to my old bearing races is that after all this there is a faint pattern on the edge like damascus.

Hope I explained everything ok,

Will
 
Yeah will, that is a nice one. That handle really sets everything off. Thanks for the lesson too! That was very clear.

Dave
 
Will, Just looking at this knife its saying use me. Looks like the perfect knife to really do some serious work. Like your combination of materials.

I thought you just used ATS 34? :D
 
Thanks guys,

Ray, Ray, Ray, you ought to know by now that I realy truly detest stainless, but I do get a few request for it and a wild hair everynow and then to just grind one out:rolleyes: :p Still got a couple feet of ATS-34 left, and have two ground out and ready for heat treat for about a month now, just trying to get a couple more ground out to go with them.
 
Hi Will,

That is a beauty! Did you color the antler with something? It has a nice mellow aged look to it.

It's good to hear that you tried the type A. It sounds like it's doing the job. That was a great tutorial. Very similar to what I'm doing with 5160. I haven't moved up to 52100 yet. Too many Free John Deere load control shafts.

Just wondering, are you doing any kind of a cryo treatment? If not, it would be interesting to see the difference in performance with a cryo treatment... Food for thought.

Good to hear from you,
Rick
 
That's something that has realy bugged me Baumr, I don't have access anywhere down here to test cryo, so I don't know. I did notice a slight improvement from leaveing the blade in the frezer over night, would like to test the cryo out.

I will say this about the type A, I cant' believe the differance in toughness and grain structure. The etched grain is half the size it was from anything else I have tried, includeing vet grade minieral oil. I think with time and experiments varying oil temp I could replicat the outcome with other oils, but that would take a lot of trial and error, re-inventing the wheel as it were. I think the bigest thing is quench speed, the type A was very slow, that seems counter productive.:confused:

BTW, where you getting the load shafts? I've been looking for some of the larg ones for hawks, cant' find them down here.
 
Will,

Type A is a very slow oil, 28 seconds on the old GM Quenchometer. One publication that I read classified oils with a quench speed of 20 or slower as a Marquenching oil. For whatever that's worth.

As far as the load control shafts are concerned... I have a deal worked out with the local John Deere maintenance manager. He saves all of the used ones that he replaces for me and I bring him a six or twelve pack of his favorite beverage. Works out great for both of us. Kind of a symbiotic relationship of sorts. Things are getting nice and warm around here so all of the tractors are starting to come in for service. I'll give him a jingle tomorrow and see if he has any more for me. I have 2 of the 1 1/8" shafts right now and I wouldn't mind parting with one of them if you want to pay for shipping. Let me know.

Rick
 
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