W.Hayes "KATANA" video, questions

Yes, Wally, if you make one with you forging I can guarantee you'll sell at least two copies (Nick and I). What other knife maker works with such wonderful up-front guarantees? ;)

John Frankl
 
If you're still reading, wally.....

I'd like a video just covering the stone finishing part. Details and upclose pictures of the process, etc. There's a lot of 'magic' in that part of the process.

Steve
 
Wally/anybody is this a video or DVD as it sounds great. I live in Aus and your videos don't work on our players. also where can I buy this from/contact you(Wally).
Wally if you still watching this forum put me down for the whole box set if you are going to make any more
 
NickWheeler
....actually the video is very very good,,,,,and I have ordered some of the same steel and I am now getting things set up with the few other things I need to have ready to go as I plan to start a few Katanas over this long winter.

My only problem with the way Wally speaks was minor, due to the way he says "1050 tool steel"....because he says it in such a way, as got me to believe that he said "1052 O steel"......Yes, perhaps now going back I do understand what he said a bit better,,,,but the difference between the words "Two O steel' and "Tool steel" are small and easly mixed up.

I can laugh about it now, but you try looking for "1052-O steel".....it's hard!

The reason I am asking questions about this Video is that it is very important to me that I trully understand all the information it has to bring to us. My wife/Santa spent well over $80 to get it for me and so I mean to do my best to show her I dug into all that it offered. (Also, Wally Hays seemed like a nice enough guy in the video and so, as I had a few questions,,,I decided "What the heck I will just ask him",,lol.
 
It's a shame you can't get it on DVD i have a multi-region DVD player but not VHS so if anyone can find it on DVD please let me know.
I come from Aus so the way he speaks is not problems even a fast mumble is fine, miss prononsiation I hear that everyday here. :)
 
I woke up early and before work I watched the whole 2-video set in fast foward.

and you know what I just noticed?.....Wally Hays is Left handed!
I didnt notice this until at the very end when Mr Hays does some cutting with the katana, he holds it with his left hand in front....and then later we see him play some music and he has a left hand 6-string.

and you know what else is interesting about that?....So is the drummer in the video!...what are the odds?
 
Well.....lets review.
I got the Wally Hayes Katana video on the 25th.
In that video Mr Hayes tells how he gets his 40inch long steel from Admiral steel

The next day I send an email and ask them how much money do they want for some 40 inch long 1050 steel?

I dont hear back, so I get a bit worried that they dont get to their email, so I decide to place a call to their 800 number

I tell them I would like a 40 inch section,
They tell me that the steel only comes 10 foot long and they will cut me (for free) two 5 foot long sections.

I tell them "I really just need a 40 inch long section",

They tell me that they would be happy to cut me a 40 inch long one, but that they would have to then still charge me for the full 5 foot long section, as well as a cutting charge $!!.

I decide that if they are going to charge me for a 5 foot section, (even if they only send me a 40 inch section), then I better just get the whole 5 foot long ones anyway, as I would be paying for it one way or the other anyway...

I place my order for two, 5 foot long sections of 1050 steel, (oh did I tell you that you have to get the full 10 foot section at one time? whats the deal there?)

next I get an email from Admiral Steel telling me that it would be no problem sending me the 40 inch steel after all.(And the money is about the same)

So I answer the email and tell them thats ,Good to hear...and tell them thats what I wanted to get in the first place...

NEXT, I get a phone call message from Admiral Steel ,asking me to call them back

so I call their 800 number once again and again talk to them,,,they wish to conferm my order for the two 5 foot long sections?????

er, "What happend to the 40 inchers?

"Thats a different order???"

Woooooo,,,better back up and untwist this mess before I end up owning a sh_t load of steel!!!!

Two more calls to Admiral Steel later...and my order is out in todays UPS!..

Happy Happy, Joy joy....

Now, on to the next step in this,,,,this,,,,,this...,quest to make my first Katana

(Did you really think it would be easy for me?).....


(am I really happy?...no,,,,not really,,,,Im getting steel cut to a length I dont really want,the money is more that I think is correct...the cutting fee was not even listed in the emails from Admiral but seems of high importance when you actually talk to them,,,,the guy who sent me email seems not to work next to the people on the phones,,,,the email answers dont seem to me to line up with the things that are told to me....
I still got a email here from Admiral that sounds like a good deal,,just what I wanted,and perhaps I should have went with it?,,,but ...well..the important part is that the messup with my order was fixed to a place where I will get my steel and get it as fast as they can send it,,,and thats good...Im new to all this,,,When I ordered steel with Rex Walter I just called him at home , I told him what I wanted and asked "How much?" and he told me and I sent the money he sent the steel, DONE!...this time my experience was a bit different,,,live and learn)
 
Da'Qotah-

Tell Admiral you want that 10 feet. You'll blow through that trying to make a 40" water hardened katana blade half a dozen times before you get it nailed.

-Nick-
 
I agree with Nick, ten feet of steel is nothing. To go further I'd get the ten feet of 1050 and try making a dozen water quenched tanto blades before even trying water quenching a sword blade. Not trying to be discouraging here, your energy is refreshing. However, you will invest an inordinate amount of time in forging and shaping the sword and it seems a shame to test water quenching for the first time on such a project. Even master Japanese bladesmiths have a fairly high failure rate.
 
Well...yes,,all good points ,,,and, the truth is,as you can only get it 10 feet at a time anyway,,,,there is no use of me getting upset about it ...LOL ....

My only point is that in the W.Hayes KATANA video he says he gets his steel from Admiral , and he says to get the 40 inch section.

Well, I tried...

But the trouble is that Admiral wants to sell me 10 feet of steel at a time, with it cut in half. Thats 60 inches not the 40 inches I want.....so while they said they would be happy to make it cut to 40 inches as on the video, they still would have to charge me for the full 60 inch, PLUS a fee for doing the special cutting....

Oh and then I asked them about that 20 inches of steel that they would have to cut off and thats when they said they would be happy send it along, BUT that would be another charge!

So they were going to send me 40 inches at the price of the 60 inch, and then they were going to KEEP the cut off 20 inches that I paied for?????so they could what?...turn around and sell my steel to someone else?....

I just think that Admiral Steel didnt show me that they are really a knife makers supply place,,,haveing to buy 10 feet at a time, cut in 60 inch sections,,,well to me that shows they dont seem set up for our needs,,,they dont have a priceing that I can make heads or tails of..

However, the phone and emil staff did go the extra mile for me,,,and they did make a special trip to get my steel shipped out today,,,so that was very profesional...and Im in the end, happy I guess that I soon will be starting something new.

So now with two sections of 60 inch steel on the way, I will follow you guy's advice and use that Damn extra 20 inches of steel I have to cut off , as a good dry-run on the water quench.....I will make one of them smaller Japanese knives useing W.Hayes teachings from the video....

More as my Katana story grows.......
 
"So now with two sections of 60 inch steel on the way, I will follow you guy's advice and use that Damn extra 20 inches of steel I have to cut off , as a good dry-run on the water quench.....I will make one of them smaller Japanese knives useing W.Hayes teachings from the video...."

Excellent plan, keep us posted on your progress.

While they do have a blade steel division Admiral really isn't a knifemaking supply house. I imagine blade steel sales for them are pretty small compared to supplying steel to large corporations for industrial purposes. One thing that would probably make it easier for knifemakers and bladesmiths would be if they actually listed 1050, 1060 and 1070 with their other blade steel selections, someone should bring that up with Terry there. I'd like to order some 1050 or 1060 as well. I have also heard excellent things about Pacific Steel as a supply source as well.
 
Pacific Steel ?????

hmmmmm ....Interesting,

I will see how things go, if the steel I just ordered comes on time, and is darn good steel, and it does what I hope it will do, then I will stick with Admiral.......

Ed Fowler once wrote here that when looking to copy his knives you have to stay close to the things he does, like the correct steel, the correct heat treatments, the correct quenching oils, .....I aim to copy this time the Katana in the video as close as I can come to it, so as best I can I will do as Im told.
 
He says "1050 tool steel" not that tough. The knife video gives a list of materials which is easier to follow.

Wally suggests 3/8" steel to increase the chance of success in the quench.

He seems pretty confident in the video that anyone can do it. It's stock removal, open fire, and water quench, which is about as low tech as one can go.
 
Protactical
.......

As you have listed that "Open Fire" forge that Wally used in the video.....

But here is a problem I face...

Now my aim is to copy and learn as close to the Video example as I can get. Im right now getting all the tools and clamps and files that appear in the Hayes video,,,However I face one REAL BUGGER of a problem.

The outside, "Open Fire" type forge!....ok, the problem is that where I live, here in North Dakota, it 's WINTER!.....good Gaud I dont want to face a -20 below wind chill and be out trying to do everything right at the same time....

In the video we have 3 things I got a problem with,,,,
1- outside open-flame forge
2- 5 foot long water quench tank
3- charcoal

It's winter here,,,I need to move the action inside my shop,,,it would still be unheated, but way better, I would be able to see things without my eyes tearing up and freezing.

I need to come up with a way to have a 5 foot long water quench tank, about 120 feet from the nearest water sorce....My shop is an old farm building, un-heated, no water,,,,and once I use the quench water, I have no way to get rid of it easly.

This is winter,,,,where in the world am I going to get real wood charcoal in bags as Wally uses?....

My answer?...well...I do own a Whisper Low Boy 3-Burner forge run on gas...it is open at both ends and should allow me to bring a sword up to quenchable heat,,,,,I think?

The water quench tank is a real problem,,,,so far,,,I have no ideas yet how to pull that off...
 
how about a wooden water trough? kina like in the old cowboy movies. just wateproof it so it doesnt leak out too fast.

edit: Walmart usually has real lump charcoal.
 
just a thought, but 1084 is a better choice then 1050 though 1050 is close to what real katanas were made from the 1084 will give better results i think. ive seen people use things anywhere from 1050 to 1090 so its your choice
 
1050 is in the Wally Hayes video that is my guide for my first katanas...

However if you have read some of this topic you will see that Im in the market for a different steel and supplyer,,,,

tell me why 1084 is better?....

I wish to end up with a good cutter, but it is also very important to me that the Katana has a good Hamon to show...

I know nothing of 1084,,,(all I know of 1050 is from the one Heat-treatment in the video), so what type of heat-treatment does is need?
 
Use your gas forge, I'm going to use mine. You can get away with the charcoal and open forge if you don't have a gas forge, no reason to use one if you do.

Just so it is clear for those who haven't seen them, Haye's various videos were done for Paladin Press. The assumption is that you don't have anything specific for knifemaking. He describes a process that has the lowest hurdles to entry. While he uses a pro grinder in this video, he points out you can use a 1x36, and uses one in his knife video. I'll be using my KMG.

I don't see the problem with the water, load up your receptical with water/snow near your forge, quench some steel in there to bring it up to heat. Maybe use a bird bath heater or horse water heater to keep it from freezing over.

Also keep in mind you aren't forging this thing, just heat treating it, so conceptualy you could move your propane forge to some other building for the quench, you aren't going to be running it for hours and beating on an anvil.
 
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