Mokume... Anybody tried making this stuff?

R

RobertHankins

Joined
Jun 10, 2001
Messages
1,385
Mokume (sp?)
Have any of you tried making this stuff?
I also came across an aticle in an old Blade magazine where somebody had made some out of NS wire, brass rod and copperwire twisted together and silver soldered. Results looked cool.
Also someone used a stack of 50cent pieces...
Guess it's not illegal unless your are trying to make your own money.

I have read the knife making books but would like to hear some first hand accounts, before I try it!
 
Robert~
i have made some in the past ..
though i am no expert in the making of mokume thats for sure.....
what are you needing to know exactly?

hmm .. the 50c mokume sounds kinda freaky.
:)

D.
 
Dion,
I pretty much get the basics of the process.
I plan to use my kiln and some plates bolted together with the material sandwiched in between.
What is a good release material?

How critical is the exact temp?

Do I need a Pyrometer or is my Kiln temp gauge good enough? It is pretty accurate.

Will I still need pound on it after it is released from the plates?

What do you think of the different wires twisted together to make Mokume? Will it work?
 
R~
well, with the fusion method temp is pretty critical.. but its more that the whole thing is hot enough so you dont have bits that dont fuse together or worse yet ... get them too hot and they melt into a blob.
i would think that the accuracy needed would depend on the metals that you were using in the mix ..
if the different metals had a melting temp that was quite vast between them, it shouldnt be a problem and your kiln temp gauge should be perfectly fine.

from what i was told, you will still need to give it a few whacks when its from the heat, just to make sure that all the plates are touching .. so that they can be stuck together.
and also it is supposed to help knock it away from the pressure plates too.
if you whack at the stack ... be careful and make sure that you whack lightly to avoid splattering yourself with molten metal.

i have also been told that you should drop the bundle into a bucket of water in order to solidify the metals ..
but i have also been advised against this by someone else too ..
so i dont know what to suggest to you there.

i dont quite understand what you mean about 'release material' ??
if you mean the stuff to stop the bundle of plates from brazing onto the pressure plates .. then i have always been told to use fire clay ... just mix it up with water until its a nice slurry and then just paint it on.

and as for the wires twisted into the mix of things, you can do that easily enough... its just a matter of playing about and experimenting.. i find you just have to watch how you deal with wires as they have a tendancy of melting quickly before you know it.
:)

also..doing mokume this way means that the metals are fused together and it should be worked hot.

does that help any?
i found that mokume is more about playing about and experimenting .. but then again i havent made a piece in a while either.

D.
 
the complete metalsmith is one of the best books there is on every thing from mokume to casting etc. its writen by tim mcCreight. his book about knife making was what got me started. good luck.
 
ME an Alan fussed some up. but then we split it on a power hammer trying to expand it.

Otha
 
Robert,

I have found that the anti spatter gel that is used on the nozzle and tips of mig welders is an excellent release agent. I also just use the control on my paragon to determine the proper temp for fusion. I normally mix copper nickle silver and brass in my stack and have found that I have to go up to 1750 deg to get good fusion with this mix. I was told that nickle silver and copper is an easier mix to start with and that using the box method gives better results.

Bill
 
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