Turbine Blade

Mecha

Mecha

Titanium Bladesmith
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Dec 27, 2013
Messages
10,043
Hello knife fans,

Here's an unusual long-term project that's recently been "finished," a chopper made from a jet turbine engine's titanium alloy intake blade.

OAL is about 29"

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This was one of those projects where I didn't know what to expect, and it never seemed to be done. Only when I was finishing wrapping the grip, did it become apparent how I could have really completed it. Gonna have to put some more attention into this piece in the future.

Incoming pics of the build! :)
 
Thanks again for taking on this project Sam! I wish I could call in "sick" on Monday to be here when it's delivered, but you can be sure opening that box will be the first thing I do when I get home :D

~Chip

Edited to add: It's made from the first stage fan blade from a TF-39 engine in C-5 Galaxy
 
WValtakis said:
Thanks again for taking on this project Sam! I wish I could call in "sick" on Monday to be here when it's delivered, but you can be sure opening that box will be the first thing I do when I get home :D

~Chip

Edited to add: It's made from the first stage fan blade from a TF-39 engine in C-5 Galaxy
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It was way too interesting of a project to ignore. :D My favorite thing about this blade is way the "integral guard" is at a slant. It's too fun to palm the guard and whip the blade around! I hope this blade puts a bigass smile on your face.
 
dammmmmmn.
I like it.
 
It all began when a suspicious and ominous package arrived, containing this:

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A cast titanium fan blade from a C-5 Galaxy. According to my sources, this is alpha-beta titanium alloy 6-4-2-4, similar to Ti6Al2Sn4Zr2Mo, but more juiced up. This is basically 6al4v (grade 5) on steroids and pounding protein shakes. Hooray, a new titanium alloy to try, and it's even sort of flat already! What could go wrong? :D

The metallurgists who designed the alloy did a good job - its properties are just what you would want in a turbine blade: very rigid but able to flex, slick and hard-surfaced, yet gummy and resistant to crack propagation. If a bird was going to get sucked into a turbine engine, I'd hope the blades are like this one.

It took NINE German-made reinforced cut-off wheels to get through this blade. It is tough.

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The twisted blade piece needed to be flattened. This metal was just obscenely, staggeringly hard to forge. I threw everything I had at it, and eventually it became impossible to continue until I got a real trip hammer running.

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Drawing out the boss end into a tang was surprisingly quick once I got it under a Little Giant 50#.

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Grinding was a pretty much normal ti pain in the ass. However, this alloy releases a ghastly, poisonous-smelling gas when it's ground. Even a full-on charcoal gas mask couldn't block it out all the way. It makes me appreciate the non-poisonous ti-nb beta alloy I normally work with even more.

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Straightening. :)

The blade was convex-ground to zero along its length. It is quite thick by the guard, and tapers rapidly toward the tip.

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Apparently it looks like a "falkri," or falcata-kukri, haha.

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Thanks for looking. :) It was quite a project, and much was learned.
 
Thanks Lycosa and Lorien! :D
 
that funky integrated guard reminds me of some dwarvish sword of reknown, (actually elvish, but wielded by a dwarf;))
I'm such a nerd:abnormal:
 
I bet there's not too many of those turbine blades available at your friendly knife supply store! (Or steel supply house either for that matter)

Paul
 
Wow doesn't describe this project. So cool. Thanks for sharing.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
Let's just say I know a guy who knows a guy ;) ...but seriously, I doubt I'll ever get my hands on another one. I was so stoked when Sam agreed to my crazy idea, and I couldn't be happier with the results :D

Thanks again Sam.

~Chip
 
Wow, you really made quite a piece there!!!! Lovin' my Kiri....[emoji106][emoji41]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
WValtakis said:
Let's just say I know a guy who knows a guy ;) ...but seriously, I doubt I'll ever get my hands on another one. I was so stoked when Sam agreed to my crazy idea, and I couldn't be happier with the results :D

Thanks again Sam.

~Chip
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Thanks for trusting me with the turbine blade and being patient while I up-tooled. It took so much force to shape the thing, it's no wonder they're cast into shape!


darkaether said:
Awesome! Any plans for the rest of the fan blade? Is that a big hole ripped in the middle?
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Not sure what's going to happen to the rest of the blade material. For now I'll just hurl obscenities at it. :D Possibly hatchet heads...
 
Dawkind said:
Wow, you really made quite a piece there!!!! Lovin' my Kiri....[emoji106][emoji41]
Click to expand...

Thanks Dawkind, and always a good thing to hear!
 
VERY interesting !!! There are standard Ti alloys but there are a bunch of non-standard types also.
 
Thanks, gents. :]
 
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