Question about forging

S

shawdcs

Joined
Oct 12, 2005
Messages
5
I'm new to knife making (have made one stock removal knife so far) and am trying to learn how to forge. I've got some leaf springs out of a truck (5160 steel) that I want to forge into some knives. I've read the basics of forging the point and bevel but am not smart enough to figure out some of the basics :o . The springs I have are 1/4-3/8" thick and 2 1/2" wide. My first question is: What is the best way to get the stock narrower (width-wise)? Do yall rough cut the stock to the proper width before forging or is there a way to draw it out narrower? Also, I tried experimenting with a piece of metal this morning and was unable to get the tang to extend in length... everytime I hit it it seemed to just spread in all directions instead of getting longer and narrower. I figure I must be missing some fundamental aspect of forging! By the way, this forum is great... I've already learned so much just by reading previous posts! :thumbup:
 
Shawdcs,
I can answer some of your questions easier in discussion rather than in text.
Send me an email with your phone # and a good time to call and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Del
www.ealyknives.com
 
Thanks Delbert... I really appreciate the help. I sent you an email so if you didn't receive it let me know. I look forward to hearing from you and thanks again!
 
Go to the library and check out a book on blacksmithing.It will explain drawing and shaping.The wedge shaped end of the hammer (pein) and the face shape (domed ) are what moves the metal in a specific direction.Going to a hammer-in would be a HUGE help to you,also.
Stacy
 
If I might very humbly submit an idea, as I'm a beginner too. You might check out a local blacksmithing guild. You'll learn a ton about moving metal where and how you want to by doing a little bit of general blacksmithing sometime. I realize it ain't everyone's cup of tea, though.
 
beginer here as well, i knocked some of the scale off with a angle grinder then cut out a blank with my torch, made it oversized so as not to decarbonise the parts i want. then commence to whacking it. time will tell if i screwed it up i guess.
 
Thanks for the input guys. I would really like to see either a bladesmith or blacksmith at work, but do not know of any around my area (I'm sure there's one somewhere near by that I don't know about). While there's nothing like seeing something done firsthand I figured just getting some tips would at least get me started! Delbert Ealy offered to help and gave me some good instruction and tips on what I had questions about. Thanks, Delbert--I really appreciate you taking the time to help a newbie out! :thumbup: I can't wait to get time to fire my forge up and go to smithin'! I'll let yall know how it turns out! :)
 
Let us know where you are.You may have a smith down the street.We tend to stay below the radar.
 
To answer your specific question, you'd put it on edge to hit it if you want to draw the tang out narrower. Putting grooves in the steel with a fullering tool/hammer peen/anvil edge perpindicular to the way you want it to stretch helps also. After you hit it on edge for a while you'll need to lay it flat again and fix where the edges thicken.
 
Bladsmth, I'm in Thomson, Georgia (a small town about 30 minutes west of Augusta). If there is anyone in my area I'd be interested in talking to them. The Iforge site looks like it will be a great source, too, so thanks for the input Sweany. AwP, thanks for the info; Delbert said the same thing--I was afraid the steel would 'roll' over if I hit it on the edge, but the scrap I was experimenting on was only about 1/8" thick (it wasn't from the leaf spring) so I didn't try it. I plan to try some more forging either this afternoon or tomorrow on the spring stock.
 
I really recommend you get some stock that's 3/16" - 1/4" thick and 1" - 1-1/4" wide.

It's cheap, and would be MUCH easier to learn on than trying to knock down stock that size. Kind'a like trying to learn to jog before you learn to walk :)

Just an idea :)
 
Look on the knifenetwork.com and find the Georgia knifemakers guild subforum. I'll be willing to bet somebody will be close to you.

M~
 
If I may, go to the store and buy some modeling clay, silly putty etc. Use a wood or plastic hammer and a table top or counter top. Shape the putty to the rough size of your stock and then practice with the hammer on it. Needless to say, you are not going to want to hit it really hard. The object of this is technique, not strength. Watch how the clay moves with each way the hammer hits and how you would move the "metal" the direction you want it to go. I am a Teacher; welding, machine shop, cabinet makeing etc. I use techniques like this with the students here at the high school and it has helped them. Good luck.
 
CW Doc's advice on using modeling clay is a dandy. Actually, you can form the clay into bars of various sizes and them stick them in the freezer to harden them. Then take them out and "forge" into blades. I actually do this quite a bit.

On a blacksmith's forum I check out regularly, some smith's advise to forge the projects or difficult parts in frozen clay before moving on to metal.
 
Thanks yall again for all the help! Yesterday after work I cut a piece of my spring about 5" long off and decided I'd try to draw it down if for no other reason but the experience. After alot of hammering (new to forging=wore out arm and blisters on hand ;) ) I managed to draw it down to 1 1/4" wide (from the 2 1/2" that I started with) by following Delbert's and AwP's advice. That made me feel much better (especially after a tough day at work!). Nick, I agree with you, but since I've already got this whole set of springs I figured I'd just try splitting them in half next time to get them to about the same dimensions as you listed (about 1 1/4" wide and they're already between 1/4 and 3/8" thick). Mark, thanks for the advice on the Knife network--I found the forum and plan to post a thread there in hopes of finding someone close by. The clay seems like a great idea that I never would have thought of; I definately plan to try that in the near future! Thanks for everyone's help... I sure need it!
 
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