New Respect.

[Jim L.]

For folks that hammer out their blades.

I decided that I would give it a try. `Set up a forge (or a fashion) in my fire pit fired by oak and a compressor. That seemed to work well enough. The steel was from a half inch thick tie rod from automotive use and very hard!!

The anvil was a 15 pound slab of iron 2 in. wide by 1 in. thick (not big enough, but again worked for a fashion). My hammer was a brand new 2 pound sledge that I broke in 20 mins. (the head came off -damn it!-) then had to use a claw hammer (not heavy enough).


No matter how much I tried, I couldn't get the blade wider that an inch. :grumpy:. It did get longer though. By the time I got tired of wacking this poor piece of steel, I had some thing that looked like a butter knife on a pike!!

I tried some old fashioned stock removal on it and now have some thing that looks like an arkansas pig-sticker.

I've set up the photobucket account, but can't figure the link thing yet (no "urls"). I'll post pics as soon as I figure that one out.


Jim L.

 

[jdm61]

One inch wide from a half inch round pretty good for trying it by hand without some way to "draw" the bar crossways. I still only manage to get about 1 1/8-1 1/4 from a 3/4 bar by hand. Most of the stretching happens lengthwise.

 

[Jim L.]

I've been wondering about using old box end wrenches for donor" steel. I don't know what it's hardness is before reforging, but it seems like it's plenty hard. Would it be workable into a good blade steel with forging?

Jim L.

 

[Evan Martin]

I've been wondering about using old box end wrenches for donor" steel. I don't know what it's hardness is before reforging, but it seems like it's plenty hard. Would it be workable into a good blade steel with forging?

Jim L.

I have seen it done before but the exact hardness will be I don't know the one I saw they left the back half below the handle a wrench for looks. Look pretty cool try it

 

[A C Richards]

Most open/box end wrenches are chrome-moly, ie 4140. It will not obtain a sufficient hardness for good edge retention. Might make a nice novelty though..

 

[Bruce Evans]

Jim put up a link to the pictures at photo bucket and maybe one of us can help you with the picture posting...My question to you is Did you have fun forging It always makes me smile when a person trys forging even though they dont have all the correct equipment.Here is a hint about widening that bar without having a cross peen or straight peen hammer,take a small round rod say 3/8" and set it lengthwise with the bar when you get ready to start hammering (rod is not heated) and hammer it into the steel in a couple of places on both sides of the bar thne start forging the bar again.As you work out the grooves it will widen the blade doing the same across the bar will lengthen it.This is what the wedge side of the single faced hammer is for...Sorry to hear you broke the handle but just replace the handle with a good one and try again...

Here is a picture of a couple wrench knives.

The wrenches make great novelty letter openers and will cause people to stop at a show table as they are different,dont think I would want to use one as a huntingknife as the edge doesnt hold that well..

Keep forging.
Bruce

 

[stephanfowler]

a friend of mine in the Ga Knifemakers Guild made a rather nice knife out of the movable jaw from a monkey wrench, apparently it was VERY red hard, but he still got it looking nice.....

 

[Jim L.]

Jim put up a link to the pictures at photo bucket and maybe one of us can help you with the picture posting.
<sip>. I'll see what I can do...
<snip> My question to you is Did you have fun forging It always makes me smile when a person trys forging even though they dont have all the correct equipment.<snip>
The answer I had a blast!!

<snip>..Sorry to hear you broke the handle but just replace the handle with a good one and try again...<snip>
Already repaired, waiting for next tryout.


Thanks, Bruce. I appreciate the info/advice..

Jim L.