What's going on in your shop? Show us whats going on, and talk a bit about your work!

[bike4fun919 OpbunchKnives]

1095 with hamon finished

 

[weo]

Hello all. Not sure if this should be a separate WIP thread or just posted here (can someone explain me a difference?) but I thought I'd document the process of my latest knife so as to get some critiques on my techniques/process as well as answers to questions. Also I thought I'd choose this knife because it's an overreach of my abilities, being an integral. As far as shape/style, I'm shooting for a hunter/EDC but that's still up in the air, depending on the results of my forging.
Here we go....

The billet started as 6 layers of 5160 (3/16" x 1" x 8") and 7 layers of .130-140 of 15N20. Here it is after the 1st weld

Here it is after getting drawn out, cut into 6 pieces and welded again, making 78 layers

Trying to keep welding temps below 2150

Here's a quick etch after the 2nd day of forging

Heck, why not risk another billet of similar construction at 150 layers...

...so let's make a 78-150-78 layer billet

Here's the obligatory kind of action shot of welding and starting to forge out the tang (sorry, you won't get any true action shots)

Tang forged out

The blade pre-shape forged

grinding lines laid out

And ground

One thing I need to remember is to switch my brain from blacksmithing to bladesmithing and keep the tang thicker during forging to make it easier to keep things straight while forging and take grinding into account.

One question so far: Yesterday when forging the blade shape, my forge temps climbed up to 2240+ and I read that forging temps recommended for 5160 is 2150 max, so what damage did I do and what, if anything can I do to correct this damage?

Thanks for looking, and hopefully it won't be too many days before I can get back to this....

 

[Hengelo_77]

I call these gentleman's knives.
Small three finger knives with an inside front pocket sheath.
I've shown the checkered top one before, I now (almost) finished it's brother.
Black and white ebony over black ebony in a black sheath.
I'm pretty happy with them. The brown one is my EDC.

Black leather with a natural colour threat

I stitched the clip with a black threat to have the visual vocus on the main stitch line

 

[weo]

Here's the blade flattened, bevel forged and edged cleaned up on the grinder in preparation for getting the center line scribed in to get to the grinder.

 

[ashwinearl]

I call these gentleman's knives.
Small three finger knives with an inside front pocket sheath.
I've shown the checkered top one before, I now (almost) finished it's brother.
Black and white ebony over black ebony in a black sheath.
I'm pretty happy with them. The brown one is my EDC.

Black leather with a natural colour threat

I stitched the clip with a black threat to have the visual vocus on the main stitch line

I really like this design. I hope you don't mind if I try an adaptation?

 

[ashwinearl]

Work in progress Maple Valley Richlite from masecraft on a mini kwaiken in 80crV2

 

[weo]

What I'm thinking on my project: Red is what I was shooting for (not bad seeing as how i lost my pattern during the forging process...), green is what I have, and blue is where I'm going.
I think.

 

[Hengelo_77]

I really like this design. I hope you don't mind if I try an adaptation?

Please do and please post pics here

 

[Rose and Thistle Custom]

Finally made some progress on the little D-Fly grips

 

[OccamsBlade]

Work in progress Maple Valley Richlite from masecraft on a mini kwaiken in 80crV2

That one really comes together for me. I think it's the strong contrast between the blade and the handle material, and similar texture between the the two. And clean simple design. I'm a sucker for antiqued look too.

Nice job.

 

[Hengelo_77]

Got this one ready for leather.
I've shown it it this threat before, when I polished it's scales but before epoxy.

This is why I took the effort to finish the scales before epoxy, twelve bits of brass sticking out.

Tap-tap-tap

You need three hands or you need to improvise.
(I tried a gadget like Nick Wheeler uses but it didn't work for my aplication)

If you look close you see the front pin domed on either side and the back pin like it is before doming

How about that

Bocote over ebony liners with brass domed pins.
Niolox stainless

 

[marchone]

Got this one ready for leather.
I've shown it it this threat before, when I polished it's scales but before epoxy.

This is why I took the effort to finish the scales before epoxy, twelve bits of brass sticking out.

Tap-tap-tap

You need three hands or you need to improvise.
(I tried a gadget like Nick Wheeler uses but it didn't work for my aplication)

If you look close you see the front pin domed on either side and the back pin like it is before doming

How about that

Bocote over ebony liners with brass domed pins.
Niolox stainless

Very nice work. What is the blade length?

 

[OccamsBlade]

Got this one ready for leather.
I've shown it it this threat before, when I polished it's scales but before epoxy.

This is why I took the effort to finish the scales before epoxy, twelve bits of brass sticking out.

Tap-tap-tap

You need three hands or you need to improvise.
(I tried a gadget like Nick Wheeler uses but it didn't work for my aplication)

If you look close you see the front pin domed on either side and the back pin like it is before doming

How about that

Bocote over ebony liners with brass domed pins.
Niolox stainless

Nice. Been researching that myself recently, and stubmbled on a thread that has Wheeler's method. I plan on giving the drilled bolt head in a vice method a go on said thread myself.

 

[Hengelo_77]

Very nice work. What is the blade length?

Thnx, 3,5" blade and overall a hair longer then 7 3/8

 

[marchone]

Thanks. I sent you a PM.

 

[ashwinearl]

two more mini-kwaikens in progress. I have three more to go in this mini-production run.
One is Jade G10 on top of ruby G10 liner. Air bubbles seemed to have caused a 'speckled' look.

The other is Alternative Ivory and G10 pins. The black dust from the G10 was nowhere near as bad as metallic dust in terms of staining the lighter material. I kept it wet at all times with Windex.

 

[allenkey]

Just a lil sheepsfoot I made myself. Overall length is like 4" lol. I had a small piece of 15N20 laying around and I didn't want to waste it. I can't forgeweld in my mini forge so I figured why not? It's got bolivian rosewood scales which came out gorgeous. Pictures do not do it justice at all (plus my camera sucks unless it is a veryyy sunny day)- the wood has such a natural chattoyence to it that I didn't have to use any oils, waxes, urethanes, or varnishes... I just burnished it.

I scratched up the other side of the blade really bad with a 120 grit stone which was a major bummer. I'm new to stones so I guess it's par for the course but it's a sharp lil knife. I got that hair-popping sharpness I aim for much easier with stones than constantly chasing it on the belts.

 

[CDore]

Working on this W2 tanto thing. Thought the look of the Hamon after temper was pretty cool, one of those neat things you always forget to take a picture of.

 

[Natlek]

I really like this design. I hope you don't mind if I try an adaptation?

Well , when it is already approved... count me too
Hengelo_77 , I really like that knife

 

[Rose and Thistle Custom]

CDORE, Wow! Beautiful! Ashwinearl, love those two. How long is the blade on the alt ivory one?