Official Post Your San Mai Billet Thread

[Rick Marchand]

Post your next san mai billet project and give a brief summary of what you're up to. This is not a WIP follow along thread in itself but feel free to link a thread if you have one on the go.



I'll start...

I forge-welded this tiny billet of mild steel with a 52100 core. It will be a small kitchen knife in the near future. For now, it is just a vinegar etched billet.

Oh yeah... In the process, I also melted the lining of my forge. Note to self, don't crank it up past 7PSI.

 

[Karl B. Andersen]

I can say this - I was looking for an adapter that connects my camera to my tripod. I even have two of them!!!
But - I could not find either of them ANYWHERE.
I was looking in nearly every nook and cranny and found two billets of stainless/1095 san mai that I had prepared for forging......months ago. I had completely forgotten about them.
So - one of them is now nearly complete and is a hunter with early 20th century Bakelite and will have a hot blued guard.
I'll post it up before the Blade Show.

 

[Bruce Culberson]

Looks like a good weld Rick. Looking forward to what you forge out of it!

I went to town today to pick up some forge welding "supplies":



Hopefully these 3 pieces of steel are a Sans Mai billet later tonight:

 

[Bruce Culberson]

The san mai billet appears to have welded up, will find out later when I split it into two and clean up the edges.

 

[A.McPherson]

Hey Bruce, I saw your wip thread and completely forgot to ask this very off topic question. Do you know that you have a county in TX named after you? I live in it! [emoji1]


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[Bruce Culberson]

Just googled it, Culberson County Texas. No I didn't know that !

 

[JTknives]

I started a thread on this but for future posterity I will put it here to. I also need to publicly thank Mr. Andersen for the help he provided in answering all my questions.

303 sides and W2 core.

Stacked ready to weld

All drawn out

Showing the side

End

profiled

Ground, heat treated and test etched.

 

[BenR.T.]

I can say this - I was looking for an adapter that connects my camera to my tripod. I even have two of them!!!
But - I could not find either of them ANYWHERE.
I was looking in nearly every nook and cranny and found two billets of stainless/1095 san mai that I had prepared for forging......months ago. I had completely forgotten about them.
So - one of them is now nearly complete and is a hunter with early 20th century Bakelite and will have a hot blued guard.
I'll post it up before the Blade Show.

That sounds like mi kinda blade! Can't wait to see pics.

 

[Thadbow]

Welded up my first billet this past Sunday with wrought and a 1084 core.
I think I will double up on the 1/4" 1084 on the next one...?

 

[MatthewLynne]

I used cable and 52100. I know there are a lot of hard feelings towards cable,but I work on the river and it's free to me. Also, when I make a knife for someone out here, they want a cable knife. Noticed that my outside billed is not ending up as close the edge as I would like it to be. Do I need to draw it a little thinner so I'm not grinding it all off?

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[Tom Lewis]

That cable San-Mai is really neat. I think I will try that sometime. Thanks!

 

[Fred.Rowe]

Really like the looks of the cable San Mai. I'll be forging a billet of that very soon.

Thanks for posting the pic, Fred

 

[yotebuster1200]

I like it as well. Now to find some cable!

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[Bruce Culberson]

Matthew - that cable looks awesome!
To have it closer to the edge I think you have to use a thinner core (52100) relative to the outside layers (cable)....but I'm a san mai newbie😀

 

[MatthewLynne]

Thanks guys, I will try a thinner core next time. Should've come to me sooner because the cable moves like butter while the 52100 hardly moves at all when drawing out. If anyone would like cable I could be somewhat of a small supplier. We are always breaking them at work, and I pack em home. Most of it is 1 1/8 with rope core or wire core.

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[JMJones]

416 and 1095

 

[P. McKinley]

416 and 1095

Wowzers! That's a bold look.

-Peter

 

[Tom Lewis]

I just finished this one, 410 ss and 0-1.

 

[A.McPherson]

Loving that cable San Mai! Awesome!


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[MatthewLynne]

I'm gonna have to step up my game, because you boys are doing some awesome work.