Finally finished a billet I've worked five days on over the past 6 weeks.
Started out with some nails and a couple other relics from San Jacinto, shortly after the battle where Texas won its independence in 1836.
After soaking the nails in vinegar for a few days, then brushing off the rust, I built a canoe to put them in. The flat sides are 1/4” 1084, and the short sides are mild. Inside the can, I put some of the nails and some 1095 powder.
From that point it’s just a lot of weld, draw, restack, weld. This is the San Jacinto nails billet stacked at 19 layers.
Final billet set up to weld.
301, nickel, 1232, nickel, 301. Weld it up, and I’ve got 1836. I did incorporate four layers of nickel sheet in the cladding. Ought to make some nice bright lines on the top half of the blade.
You can see where I used layout fluid and marked the lines where I wanted to mill grooves for pattern development.
Here’s the grooves.
Reveal!
Quick check of pattern at 120 off the grinder.
I did grind it a little more after these pictures, to try and get the nickel line up further from the edge on the front side. Still have at least four full days work on this one before final completion, maybe a few more. Goal is to be done by mid summer.
Started out with some nails and a couple other relics from San Jacinto, shortly after the battle where Texas won its independence in 1836.
After soaking the nails in vinegar for a few days, then brushing off the rust, I built a canoe to put them in. The flat sides are 1/4” 1084, and the short sides are mild. Inside the can, I put some of the nails and some 1095 powder.
From that point it’s just a lot of weld, draw, restack, weld. This is the San Jacinto nails billet stacked at 19 layers.
Final billet set up to weld.
301, nickel, 1232, nickel, 301. Weld it up, and I’ve got 1836. I did incorporate four layers of nickel sheet in the cladding. Ought to make some nice bright lines on the top half of the blade.
You can see where I used layout fluid and marked the lines where I wanted to mill grooves for pattern development.
Here’s the grooves.
Reveal!
Quick check of pattern at 120 off the grinder.
I did grind it a little more after these pictures, to try and get the nickel line up further from the edge on the front side. Still have at least four full days work on this one before final completion, maybe a few more. Goal is to be done by mid summer.
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