Thoughts on this new violin maker's knife?

[violins88]

His heat treating comment is just for show, a selling point like fast14riot said.

Sorry, but the heat treating comment is sincere. And correct. Violin makers like my heat treatment. I cannot make you believe it. Your commenting that it is just for show has no basis in fact. If you are really interested, please email me. If you are not really interested, please don't try to negate my work.


BTW, the pic is an old one. One of my first knives. Criticism of the visual aspect is valid. But criticism of the steel quality is not.

In addition, I know that properly treated CPM-3V, cryo treated, is superior in all respects to my O1. I made a batch and had it heat treated for me. However, the small market in violin maker knives does not justify buying CPM-3V in quantity. I wish I could, but can not justify the outlay.

Furthermore, I believe I have a very useful holding jig for honing the curved edge. There is no money in this idea. Once you see it, you can make it yourself.

 

[Brian Avila]

Ok, I apologize. I should not have said that. I was out of line.

Let me try to explain my thought process and I am not trying to be rude by doing this.

In the knife world there are a lot of people who just say stuff to sell knives, with no proof ( i have heard of people spouting about 90+ RC hardness in their knives and how they out perform everything out there). I have a hard time believing people who want to keep it a secret, like what was stated on the website. So you are right, we should see proof. Heat treating is a touchy subject in the knife world I have found out. I believe in Science, proof, and an educated decision.

People with Ph.Ds don't know everything, I should know, I work with many and I am working on getting mine. Having said that, they are smart and they do know how to look at something and tell you if you are on the right track. You would be better of getting a quote from him and putting that on our website.

Once again, I do apologize. I don't want to start a heated debate and fight about your knives. So if you would like me to edit my comment I would be more than happy to do so.

I am really interested in hearing about your process. I have heat treated a lot of O-1 knives and would like to hear about your process and compare it to mine.

Side NOTE: You don't have your profile filled out and I don't know anything about you, you should fill it out.

 

[violins88]

Weatherman,

You are a gentleman and a scholar. Thanks for that. I am a retired science teacher, living in Laurinburg, NC, USA. Making violin knives and violins. About the heat treatment of O-1, I have a kiln with very good temp control. I did a lot of reading and a lot of tests. Finally came up with something just a little out of the ordinary recommendations. Really, not radical, but not what is usually recommended. I make the knives one at a time. Ron Hock does not. I bet no one else makes these knives one at a time. Maybe the Chinese, but they don't have the quality control that I do. Okay, I cannot prove the Chinese don't, but that is my guess at this time. I promise to keep an open mind about that.

I would love to make some gouges of 0-1. But I don't want to do the hot forging. I believe this destroys the structure. I would have to do the long process of re-annealing the steel before heat treatment. I know they can be hot forged, but I need tutelage for that.

If I could take a 1 inch wide piece of steel that is 1/8 inch thick and hit it with a sledge hammer over a hardened steel cylinder, to try to form it into a gouge, I would do that. I have been told it won't work. What do you think?

 

[Brian Avila]

A kiln is a good start for heat treating O-1. Temp control and soak time is very important.

You would only need round stock and a hand tool if you wanted to make gouges, you wouldn't have to forge them.

I don't have a way of emailing you, your profile doesn't allow it. Send me an email, I would like to hear about what you are doing with your heat treat.

After thinking about it some more, you should really work your process and prove your process, and then post it or publish it so that you can have the evidence. Craftsman and people who are serious about tools really do care about being forward about all aspects of the processes.

-Brian-

 

[Omega Leather Works]

Plenty of tool makers make chisels, skews and gouges with o1. Hock, from what I've read, makes a decent tool but there are many many makers that grind and forge one piece at a time.

I couldn't really tell how long an edge your knife is good for because I keep my carvers constantly maintained. The thing that makes me most happy is having my knife arrive with an excellent edge to begin with.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

This is a two year old thread, and the subject has drifted to someone's secret HT. There is not much to be gained by leaving it open.

Thread closed.