Wheeler Fighting Bowie Project :) ( UPDATED CUTTING & FORGING VIDEOS)

I am there for you brother. When you run out of knives to EDC just let me know!! :D

Good one :)

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Hey guys- :)


My new schedule has really gotten in the way of things, but I'm still working hard on this project! :)

If I wouldn't have done any of the video work I'd probably be done already, but hopefully, it has made the project more interesting/personal for those involved. :)

Thanks guys!

[video=youtube;FsD1OM2C75M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsD1OM2C75M[/video]
 
Nice work, bro.

They sell 416 stainless in flat stock, you know...

= )

3 flute for this kind of work, eh? Allow for faster cut? Been buying my end mills at Maritool. Might have to scope these guys out...

If Dad was REALLY well trained, there would be treats at every pass. : )
 
Thanks for the update, Nick
The videos, while time consuming I'm sure, will make this project a BENCHMARK others can look back upon and learn for quite some time.
And while I love to make "smart-ass" comments, your fortitude and professionalism make me proud to own your work.

Rock on, Nick - you the man!
 
Another cool Vid Nick. I like the Guard dismounting block (even though it broke), I am going to have to make something similar.
Thanks for sharing!
 
Nick you truly are a credit and inspiration to all that are in love with art of the Blade

I am so very proud to even be part of these projects

Thanks buddy :)
 
If nothing else, a thread like this demonstrates to the uninitiated the incredible amount of work and precision that goes into the making of a blade such as this when done by one of the VERY BEST!

Thank you again for all of your painstaking work, especially on camera! :cool:
 
If nothing else, a thread like this demonstrates to the uninitiated the incredible amount of work and precision that goes into the making of a blade such as this when done by one of the VERY BEST!

Thank you again for all of your painstaking work, especially on camera! :cool:

I couldn't agree more... along w/all the other accolades. :)

At one point my love of knives made me consider going into the bladesmithing 'profession'... then after reading and seeing so many of these type of posts and knowing several extraordinary 'Smiths... I just decided I'd stay a collector/user and let the real artists keep making these beautiful blades. :)
 
...

At one point my love of knives made me consider going into the bladesmithing 'profession'... then after reading and seeing so many of these type of posts and knowing several extraordinary 'Smiths... I just decided I'd stay a collector/user and let the real artists keep making these beautiful blades. :)


pfft! It's so easy even cave men did it.


;)
 
I always wondered about forging guard material. Glad you posted that.

Does anything change hardness wise when you forge it or even the corrosion resistance? What final thickness and width do you shoot for?

Brian
 
Nice work, bro.

They sell 416 stainless in flat stock, you know...

= )

3 flute for this kind of work, eh? Allow for faster cut? Been buying my end mills at Maritool. Might have to scope these guys out...

If Dad was REALLY well trained, there would be treats at every pass. : )


Damn it, why didn't anybody tell me?!?!? ;) :D

I started buying round stock because the flat bar is getting so expensive. Of course the time needed to forge it down, the propane, the wear and tear on tooling (especially if you accidentally hit the drum switch in reverse when using the face mill with inserts that cost $10 a pop!!! :grumpy: :foot: not that I know anything about that! ;)) all comes at a cost.

But I bought 70# of 416 round for what a handful of flat bars would cost. Plus I can take it to any size I want, and having the round stock is nice if you turn a custom frog for a sheath. :)

But yea, it's a PITA. LOL

Matt- don't tell Bentley what you said... he will start demanding a treat as a toll. The stuff from Lakeshore is awesome... and something that I am very drawn to... it's made in the good 'ol USA. :thumbup: And they price their stuff about the same as the supply houses charge for import tooling. I'm sure I would get better tool life with a flood coolant, but I'll wait to set that up on the bigger mill... plus I probably wouldn't have used it here anyway as it makes it hard to see what's going on.

Joe-
thanks brother. I am kind of a big deal. ;) LMFAO :D (for those that don't know, I'm just play'n!)

Michael
- Dang, I must have missed some good smart ass comments! LOL :D I have been too busy to be on the forum or email much lately. Unless you said something bad about my dogs, then we're good my friend. :D


Greg
- Thanks my friend... I think you are really going to like'a da' Mango! :)

Ben- It was just supposed to be temporary, but it lasted about 4 or 5 years... so I can't complain too much. I know why it broke like that... one of the blades was a bit snug going into that slot, and I hammered the guard off anyway. Guarantee that started the split. Doh!

totallynotalex
- Thank you for asking!!! I think something like this is in the future... but I better get this run of 12 done before I let my ADD brain wander too far off into the future. ;)

Dudley
- I miss ya buddy! I WILL get you on the phone one of these days!!!

Eric and David- I am but a simple caveman! :D

Brian- If you wanna see somebody that forges it, check out Lin Rhea's postings... he frigg'n forges it TO SHAPE!!! He's the man! I have done a couple that way, and it's a lot of work and really easy to screw things up royally.

Half the time I just face off the top/bottom of the stock and rough grind the sides well enough to seat in the mill vise. But I was trying to be proper since everybody is watching. ;) 416 is finicky with heat... It needs to be forged fairly hot, and you can't take real big bites or you'll tear it apart. Without carefully monitoring the times/temps during forging, you can get it where it's really nasty and will destroy cutting tools. You can do a full anneal on it in a kiln or salt, and it will come out as soft as mild steel. I have found if I just do some simple normalizing heats in the forge, it comes out soft enough to machine, but still hard enough to maintain good corrosion resistance. According to the books, to get the very most out of the corrosion resistance, it's recommended you harden it... but I haven't found that to be a necessary extra set of steps.

Dimensions can be whatever trips your trigger. I normally want something around 0.350-0.400 thick and 0.750 wide.


Whewe, that was a lot... hopefully I got everything squared away. Thanks fellas!!! :)
 
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Greg- Thanks my friend... I think you are really going to like'a da' Mango! :)

Thanks fellas!!! :)

I am sure I will and I am so looking forward to it. I have another block of it I need to send you, I will get it in the mail soon/someday. ;)

Greg
 
Hey Guys! :)


With everything that's been going on here lately, I haven't really been sure which end is up. :eek: :foot:

But I have been working on this project every chance that I get!!! :) Sorry fellas, I just haven't had the time to keep up on this thread until now.

Finally got some new material shot for the rest of the guard fit up + rough in, and managed to get it all edited together. Hope 'ya like it...

Thanks guys!!! :) :cool:



(please remember to put the settings on 720p to get the best video quality)----

[video=youtube;oSjuKpPFCeA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSjuKpPFCeA[/video]
 
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