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- Jul 8, 2001
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I am curious Nicky, why you didn't just do a light welding pass through your press.
Keep it up
Bill
Keep it up
Bill
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Some random action shots (just 'cuz)
- Thread starter NickWheeler
- Start date
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- Nov 29, 2006
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- 1,097
Because he just wanted to play with his NEW GREEN HAMMER!!
Seriously now...great thread and awesom pics!![nice shop,too] Thanks for sharing. Don't stop now,I wanna see the end results!!
[Oops, just looked again,new green hammer is the next pic! Sorry!]
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- Aug 6, 2007
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- 5,060
Oops, I forgot to answer you! My anvil was dressed by Russel. I didn't want the edges all rounded over like they do to some of them for drawing purposes. I like square edges for knife work.
And THANKS for the kind words about my shop. It is getting quite well equipped. It's been a long road and I have made a lot of sacrifices to make it happen.... but I'm glad. There is always bigger and better.... but I'm pretty dang happy with the stuff I've got!!!
WOW, that is an amazing tool you have there, Russell was an amazing smith who made a great product. I agree about the square edges, i only have one side of my anvils with rounded corners, the other i like almost sharp enough to be used as a hot cut. Just by looking at the quality and careful selection of th tools you have, it is obvious you care deeply about using the best quality tools to make the best quality product. Keep it up Nick! Those twisted bars are GORGEOUS! Diggin that acid green hammer, i think my Hofi needs a paint job
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- Joined
- Dec 3, 1999
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- 9,437
Let's see....
Didn't use the surface grinder because I can hog off the material on the belt grinder a LOT faster. I can get them plenty flat that way too (for THIS type of thing I mean).
I didn't use the press because I like to do a weld by hand every now and again. With the stack of 5 bars being tall but not very thick, I had to be real gentle to as to not just make the bars all roll over on themselves. I'm sure the press would work, but the hand hammer was more fun!
'
I'm forging it to shape now... Will post pics later
Didn't use the surface grinder because I can hog off the material on the belt grinder a LOT faster. I can get them plenty flat that way too (for THIS type of thing I mean).
I didn't use the press because I like to do a weld by hand every now and again. With the stack of 5 bars being tall but not very thick, I had to be real gentle to as to not just make the bars all roll over on themselves. I'm sure the press would work, but the hand hammer was more fun!
'I'm forging it to shape now... Will post pics later
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2001
- Messages
- 501
Hey big boy when we get a chance to get toether I have a tip that will burn that 3" plate for you like it was 10 ga. I haven't used it in mega years but it will still remember how to do it! Hope you are going to Kelly's next month - Tom, Dave and I will go over and it would be nice to see that cheesy grin again.
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- Dec 3, 1999
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- 9,437
This is a pain in the a$$, who's idea was this?!?!?! LOL
Upset forging material for bolster and tang (talk about a pain and an easy way to screw up a knife!)
"Preform" done. Cut to about the length I think I'll need, and the bolster/tang upsetting/forging is done.
Cutting a V out of the preform to help keep from distorting the pattern TOO much. I actually like some distortion as it shows the blades history under a hammer. But I don't want to "unravel" the pattern in the tip. I just want the pattern to flow through the tip.
V cut out of the tip section.
Forge welding point back together. (I f'd it up the first time and had to cut it open and redo it!)
Upset forging material for bolster and tang (talk about a pain and an easy way to screw up a knife!)
"Preform" done. Cut to about the length I think I'll need, and the bolster/tang upsetting/forging is done.
Cutting a V out of the preform to help keep from distorting the pattern TOO much. I actually like some distortion as it shows the blades history under a hammer. But I don't want to "unravel" the pattern in the tip. I just want the pattern to flow through the tip.
V cut out of the tip section.
Forge welding point back together. (I f'd it up the first time and had to cut it open and redo it!)
- Joined
- Dec 3, 1999
- Messages
- 9,437
Forging the bevels in
Refining the shape.
Hammered to the shape of my drawing plus a little extra for clean up. I left the blade quite thick as I want to grind into this pattern quite a bit.
Refining the shape.
Hammered to the shape of my drawing plus a little extra for clean up. I left the blade quite thick as I want to grind into this pattern quite a bit.
- Joined
- Dec 3, 1999
- Messages
- 9,437
Rodrigo is a VERY talented smith!!!
I can't ever seem to twist anything as tight as he did there. Even doing it at a yellow heat I tend to tear them at some point.
I kind of wish I had done my bolster area the way he did, as it would have been less headache. However, it should be cool to have the 5 bars squeeze down into the bolster area the way I did it. We'll see... it sure was a pain to upset all the material!
I probably won't do an integral again from this pattern for oh, I don't know... EVER... lol
I can't ever seem to twist anything as tight as he did there. Even doing it at a yellow heat I tend to tear them at some point.
I kind of wish I had done my bolster area the way he did, as it would have been less headache. However, it should be cool to have the 5 bars squeeze down into the bolster area the way I did it. We'll see... it sure was a pain to upset all the material!
I probably won't do an integral again from this pattern for oh, I don't know... EVER... lol
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- Aug 6, 2007
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- 5,060
Coming along great Nick! You know what they say about upsetting right?
IT SURE IS *&#$ING UPSETTING.
IT SURE IS *&#$ING UPSETTING.
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2006
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Nick, I think you are incredibly talented smith. Your work is a true inspiration for us newbies. I hope to someday be able to post stuff for others to learn from, Keep up the awesome work!!!:thumbup::thumbup:
- Joined
- Dec 3, 1999
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Thanks for the kind words guys
Okay... here's some more.
I changed the profile a bit with the hammer.
Getting the bolster flat on the 9" disc and 50X ceramic disc. This will be the foundation for the knife.
Scribing centerline of bolster and blade. I surface ground the bolster after getting it pretty flat on the disc, but that pic didn't turn out.
Cleaning up transition from bolster to blade with file.
Here's a quick etch... obviously I didn't have all the scale ground off yet... but it lets you see how the pattern is squeezed down so tight in the bolster area, and how it's pulled out at the edge.
Same thing for the tip... still some scale, but it shows how the pattern flows... keep in mind this is at 50X so it doesn't show real well yet!
Okay... here's some more.
I changed the profile a bit with the hammer.
Getting the bolster flat on the 9" disc and 50X ceramic disc. This will be the foundation for the knife.
Scribing centerline of bolster and blade. I surface ground the bolster after getting it pretty flat on the disc, but that pic didn't turn out.
Cleaning up transition from bolster to blade with file.
Here's a quick etch... obviously I didn't have all the scale ground off yet... but it lets you see how the pattern is squeezed down so tight in the bolster area, and how it's pulled out at the edge.
Same thing for the tip... still some scale, but it shows how the pattern flows... keep in mind this is at 50X so it doesn't show real well yet!
- Joined
- Dec 3, 1999
- Messages
- 9,437
Blade flat ground to 50X (sorry I didn't manage to get any pics of that part)
Filing the choil to shape.
Cleaning up the flat ground bevels on the 9" disc with a ceramic disc.... this assures they are FLAT!
Blade is flat, tapered, and beveled everywhere I want it to be prior to heat-treating.
Looking into the mouth of the digitally controlled, molten salt bath.
The blade at a perfectly even/uniform temperature coming out of the salt bath.
Couldn't get the actual quench in a photo, but here it is right after coming out of the Park #50.
Filing the choil to shape.
Cleaning up the flat ground bevels on the 9" disc with a ceramic disc.... this assures they are FLAT!
Blade is flat, tapered, and beveled everywhere I want it to be prior to heat-treating.
Looking into the mouth of the digitally controlled, molten salt bath.
The blade at a perfectly even/uniform temperature coming out of the salt bath.
Couldn't get the actual quench in a photo, but here it is right after coming out of the Park #50.
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2007
- Messages
- 199
I'm curious as to why you have to twist some bars the opposite direction? Why can't you simply turn them the other way, when you restack them? Am I missing something or am I on glue?
Danbo: A right-hand thread is right handed whichever way you approach it from, it doesn't turn left handed just by flipping the bolt over, check out a piece of all-thread for an easy way to visual this, nuts go on either end and it looks the same no matter which end is up.
This thread is really neat Nick, I've never seen the V in the tip trick before, I can't wait to see the finished product.