More scale with a press?

J. Neilson

J. Neilson

Joined
Feb 6, 2001
Messages
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Is it just me or (since there seem to be alot more presses floating around now-a-days so more opinions are available) does it seem like there's more scale on the damascus lately when you forge with a press? I guess I'm just use to the little giant knocking off the flux scale and such. I'm still getting use to this "gentle pushing steel into a billet" as opposed to knocking it six ways from Sunday.
 
I sure dont miss all the hot flying slag in my socks. I dont even wear a leather apron anymore. There is plenty of scale if you are drawing steel at welding heats as with mosaics. Once the welds are done just turn the fire down to forging temps. If You are using a cannister its nice to let it burn off a little anyway. Less grinding later.
 
Yea, a hammer has a planishing effect, and will blow a lot of scale off.

BUT! Much of the scale that's worked up at welding heat can be scraped off in a jiff. I will run the billet through the dies, and it will have quite a bit of scale there. I run it against my "scale catcher" edge, and damn near all the scale gets pulled off.

Otherwise you press it into the steel and it can go pretty darn deep if you're not paying attention.

So the moral of the story? Everyone should have a press AND a hammer :D

I'm still working on the hammer part ;)

I hear if you have a Ron Bowie Claiborne press, you don't even need any other tools. No grinder, no files, no nothing... just stick some steel in there and bring the handle down and all of a sudden you'se gotsa big ol knife ready for sale :D

-Nick-
 
Nick,

I heard that about Ron's presses too. I sure do have press envy these days.

One trick I use alot is to simply turn a billet 90 degrees and give it a tiny squeeze--I mean like TINY--down the length of it. The steel is in a plastic state but the slag seems much harder/more brittle and falls off in large flakes/sheets.

Hope this helps,

John
 
J,
I havn't used a power hammer for damascus, but I did alot of damascus with a hand hammer before I had the press. The big difference is the size of the flakes that come off the billet. When hammering Ive found that the flakes are small and that they head directly for any exposed skin. When pressing Ive found the flakes come off down the length of the whole billet at once. It seems like more , but I am willing to bet the quantity isn't that different from hammering.
Thanks,
Del
www.ealyknives.com
 
Ditto on what John says.....I just "kiss" the edge of the billet and the scale comes off in large flakes.

You really have to be careful to keep your dies clean because you can compress the molten flux and scale into the billet. I wire brush the dies between each weld.

I still give the billet a few good hammerings at weld heat but if I had a power hammer I would use that. Something about the tremendous shock of a hammer seems to close up those small areas, especially in cable and chain.
 
NickWheeler said:
I hear if you have a Ron Bowie Claiborne press, you don't even need any other tools. No grinder, no files, no nothing... just stick some steel in there and bring the handle down and all of a sudden you'se gotsa big ol knife ready for sale :D

-Nick-
Click to expand...

Hmmm...gonna have to try that this weekend......I guess I shoulda ordered that set of dies :eek:
 
That's a neat trick with the billet on edge. I'm going to have to try that one next week. I've been cheating with the power hammer, knocking off the rough stuff as well. None of this has been any trouble, I was just wondering if it was only me. Maybe the heat or something. :D

Delbert, you said a mouthful!
 
Scale is only formed by high temperature ,mostly above critical....You mean you didn't design automatic wire brushes that remove scale ??
 
NickWheeler said:
Yea, a hammer has a planishing effect, and will blow a

I hear if you have a Ron Bowie Claiborne press, you don't even need any other tools. No grinder, no files, no nothing... just stick some steel in there and bring the handle down and all of a sudden you'se gotsa big ol knife ready for sale :D


Dont belive every thing you hear but if its true i want it back
Bowie
Click to expand...
 
Try this scale remover at your own risk!

I've seen JD Smith give a hot billet a very quick dunk in a room temp slack tub, then go quickly to the wire brush and back into the forge. The theory--if memory serves--is the steel contracts just enough to blow off/break loose the scale. Similar logic to wet forging I guess.

John Frankl
 
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