Stainless San Mai

As far as the vent hole idea... I'll try to briefly explain. It can be done OK without, and I have, with just ground clean surfaces and mig'ed tight. I like however to put a little kerosene in there before welding up the last seam at the handle end, just to completely burn out any oxygen that may be present anywhere. When doing that, it's good to let the exhaust gas out with a tiny vent on each side of the core near the handle. I had a billet puff on one side before, that was welded up no vent.
I just do the first weld in one or two squeezes, starting at the far end if two or more squeezes, i.e. the vent hole end gets forge welded last. Always works well for me. YMMV.
 
Excellent information, Salem! Thanks for sharing it.

Would you mind sharing what type/ brand of instant coffee you use? Also, does it seem to wear alright?

Thanks :)


~Paul
My YT Channel
Lsubslimed
... (It's been a few years since my last upload)
 
I like to use Great Value instant coffee, the cheapest stuff Walmart has. I mix it up hot, very very strong, ccool it and use it cold. It wears OK but of course on a user knife it will begin to show fine scratches. I've gotten a couple of chef knives back in the past year for re-etch/blacken spa treatment. I'll do it for free once but after that I instruct the customer in the blackening method, should they wish to keep using it and keep it black. Parkerizing is way tougher than coffee but I don't use it for san mai, have not tried it but I don't think it would look right at the migration zone.
 
I’m placing an order for some 410 stainless today. However, I did find some 304 stainless locally. I know it isn’t as optimal as the 410 or others, but it was cheap. Also, I figured people have successfully used it in the past and it wouldn’t really hurt to try it out as a trial run.

I regularly make an ass of myself, and in that spirit, I assume the process for forge welding 304(with a carbon steel) would be the same as with 410. Grind surfaces clean/flat and wipe down with alcohol. Just dry weld around the billet, then get it bright yellow hot and set the forge weld with light, but firm hammer strikes.

I’ll report back and make sure to take a few pics of my failure. :D .
 
So, I haven’t gotten around to trying out the 416 yet but I had a question.

I know that the Harbor Freight 20 Ton Shop Presses are most certainly NOT the way to go as a forge press(way too slow). What I’m wondering is if it couldn’t be used to set single welds? Like this f I was to make dies that would allow me to put the billet in sideways and then smush it together once with it? For $150(with 20% off coupon) it might be the way to go, it it would work. I’d only be using it for San Mai or setting single welds. Perhaps if I ever switch to using a stamp for my makers mark...

Secondly, I’ve seen the press in person and it isn’t a flimsy little press. It’s heavy and solid. Does anyone have an opinion as to whether it could serve as a decent base for a real forge press? Even if I had to weld more supports it could be a lot more affordable than a log splitter.

Any opinions on these maters would be greatly appreciated.

Oh and this is the press:

https://www.harborfreight.com/20-ton-shop-press-32879.html


Here another video of the press that makes it look promising

 
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DevinT said:
I think you’d be better off building a treadle hammer.

Hoss
Click to expand...


For just setting San Mai welds? I wonder how much a treadle hammer would cost to build...

I’d love to have a real forge press, but don’t have an extra $3000 to dump into one.

I was wondering if the 20 ton HF shop press would work to be used to set a weld on an 8-10” piece of San Mai, set lengthwise to be pressed all at once? I know the 20 ton number is probably not what it probably does, but I would think it might be enough to smash a forge weld together. Especially if it’s dry welded. But I’m not naive. I know that just because I’d like to think something would work, doesn’t mean it WILL work. Hence my posting here about it. Is this just wishful thinking and a senseless derailment of my own thread? I’m thinking it might be...
 
JG Custom Metal Works said:
Grind surfaces clean/flat and wipe down with alcohol.
:D .
Click to expand...

Why would you wipe it with anything!?
After grinding you have perfectly clean, raw steel. Leave it the f*** alone! Just don't touch it. You can't get it any cleaner.
I often see all sorts of comments about people grinding some steel clean and then wiping it with all sorts of things - most of which are some sort of petroleum distillate.
Makes no sense.
 
Karl B. Andersen said:
Why would you wipe it with anything!?
After grinding you have perfectly clean, raw steel. Leave it the f*** alone! Just don't touch it. You can't get it any cleaner.
I often see all sorts of comments about people grinding some steel clean and then wiping it with all sorts of things - most of which are some sort of petroleum distillate.
Makes no sense.
Click to expand...

Lol Damn Karl, you got me thinking I need to join a support group or something. Honestly I’m not sure if I’ve ever wiped anything down after grinding it. I don’t think I have. If you read my post I was just kind of throwing out everything I could think of in regards to the process. The only reason I think I might have wiped it down with anything would have been because it would have been in water(which could be torched away, I know). Possibly with acetone if it had layout dye on it.

But I will say, the highly passionate way you stated that will definitely stay with me. So thanks ;) :D
 
JG Custom Metal Works said:
For just setting San Mai welds? I wonder how much a treadle hammer would cost to build...

I’d love to have a real forge press, but don’t have an extra $3000 to dump into one.

I was wondering if the 20 ton HF shop press would work to be used to set a weld on an 8-10” piece of San Mai, set lengthwise to be pressed all at once? I know the 20 ton number is probably not what it probably does, but I would think it might be enough to smash a forge weld together. Especially if it’s dry welded. But I’m not naive. I know that just because I’d like to think something would work, doesn’t mean it WILL work. Hence my posting here about it. Is this just wishful thinking and a senseless derailment of my own thread? I’m thinking it might be...
Click to expand...

The press will be useless.

Hoss
 
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