First steps - forging knives

[msharley]

In the future?

Would it be possible to fab up a piece of tubing, just shorter than your "stamp"? To use as a guide?

Placing the "stencil/stamp" in the tube, setting it on the "work" in a perpendicular fashion? Then striking it?

(have done this with weld stamps)

That is one swell looking piece of work!

Am anxiously awaiting a pic or two (three dozen) of progression toward completion!

 

[Vaquero]

I think you're placing too much emphasis on the stamp.
It's one of a kind. It's going out of country.
It's for use, not show. The recipient will cherish it.

 

[General Zod]

Let me tell you about the quench on this knife. When I do an oil quench (which I sometimes do on some of my other blacksmithing work, like coat hooks, because it basically blues the steel) I use an ammo can full of canola oil. It does a fine job. But it's also only about 12" long and 4" wide, and this knife is almost 16" long.

So I went on a 2 week search for a metal trough that would be long enough to quench the entire knife, including room to swirl it around so the boiling oil doesn't create a "steam jacket" to ruin the quench. And I found...

Nothing. No window planters, no oblong animal troughs that were the right size (I mean, I don't need a permanent trough with 10 gallons of oil in my forge), nothing. So...I used a foil turkey roasting pan, because ya gotta use what you've got. And even then, I had to bend and re-shape it so it would be long enough. And at some point, it developed a little pinprick hole in it. The cool oil didn't really leak much - I didn't even notice. But before quenching the knife, you're supposed to warm the oil up to about 100° so the cold oil doesn't stress the steel. As soon as I put a hot piece of mild steel in to warm up the oil, I had a fast leak.

Oh shit.

So I'm watching the oil drip off the edge of my work card, watching the steel heat up in the forge...ok, grab it, test it - is it still magnetic? No! Good, slide it back into the forge for a few minutes, then pull it out, adjust the grip with the tongs, and quench! And suddenly the oil is practically draining out of that pinhole! Shit! Ok, test the steel - does the file bite into it? No? GOOD! OK, the steel is hardened, and now it's time to juggle a funnel, the empty canola oil bottles, and the foil baking pan that wants to fold up rather than pour the hot (well, about 150°) oil where I want it to go.

But hey. I got a good quench, and then following Betty Crocker's Knifesmithing Cookbooks' instructions (bake for 2 hours at 400°, rinse under cool water, and repeat), I have...a good blade to finish and be proud of.

 

[General Zod]

In the future?

Would it be possible to fab up a piece of tubing, just shorter than your "stamp"? To use as a guide?

Placing the "stencil/stamp" in the tube, setting it on the "work" in a perpendicular fashion? Then striking it?

(have done this with weld stamps)

That is one swell looking piece of work!

Am anxiously awaiting a pic or two (three dozen) of progression toward completion!

Thing is, I usually nail it on the first try. I even got a piece of mild steel and practiced a time or two before trying the second go-round on this piece and still flubbed it. But I'll definitely look into your idea - it's sound.

 

[General Zod]

I think you're placing too much emphasis on the stamp.
It's one of a kind. It's going out of country.
It's for use, not show. The recipient will cherish it.

I might be, but it's going to be given to a 2 star general in an allied military, so I want it to have a few obvious flaws as possible.

 

[msharley]

Let me tell you about the quench on this knife. When I do an oil quench (which I sometimes do on some of my other blacksmithing work, like coat hooks, because it basically blues the steel) I use an ammo can full of canola oil. It does a fine job. But it's also only about 12" long and 4" wide, and this knife is almost 16" long.

So I went on a 2 week search for a metal trough that would be long enough to quench the entire knife, including room to swirl it around so the boiling oil doesn't create a "steam jacket" to ruin the quench. And I found...

Nothing. No window planters, no oblong animal troughs that were the right size (I mean, I don't need a permanent trough with 10 gallons of oil in my forge), nothing. So...I used a foil turkey roasting pan, because ya gotta use what you've got. And even then, I had to bend and re-shape it so it would be long enough. And at some point, it developed a little pinprick hole in it. The cool oil didn't really leak much - I didn't even notice. But before quenching the knife, you're supposed to warm the oil up to about 100° so the cold oil doesn't stress the steel. As soon as I put a hot piece of mild steel in to warm up the oil, I had a fast leak.

Oh shit.

So I'm watching the oil drip off the edge of my work card, watching the steel heat up in the forge...ok, grab it, test it - is it still magnetic? No! Good, slide it back into the forge for a few minutes, then pull it out, adjust the grip with the tongs, and quench! And suddenly the oil is practically draining out of that pinhole! Shit! Ok, test the steel - does the file bite into it? No? GOOD! OK, the steel is hardened, and now it's time to juggle a funnel, the empty canola oil bottles, and the foil baking pan that wants to fold up rather than pour the hot (well, about 150°) oil where I want it to go.

But hey. I got a good quench, and then following Betty Crocker's Knifesmithing Cookbooks' instructions (bake for 2 hours at 400°, rinse under cool water, and repeat), I have...a good blade to finish and be proud of.

What about?

Soldering a couple end caps on a piece of gutter?

 

[General Zod]

What about?

Soldering a couple end caps on a piece of gutter?

I've got no way to accomplish that - it occurred to me though. The only concern would be whether it was deep enough. Of course now I know the oil won't get too hot to use a plastic bin, which I was originally going to do but then I worried that the plastic might melt.

For now, though, I'm sticking to knives that'll fit in my ammo box. 6" to 7" blades until I'm feeling brave enough to tackle another monster.

 

[jrbfishn]

I think you're placing too much emphasis on the stamp.
It's one of a kind. It's going out of country.
It's for use, not show. The recipient will cherish it.

Listen to this. He speaks wisely. This is a one off thing and should convey that.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

 

[jrbfishn]

I might be, but it's going to be given to a 2 star general in an allied military, so I want it to have a few obvious flaws as possible.

If it was being given to be show piece on a dress uniform, I could agree. But if I understand correctly, it is being given as a gift momento by a Texan as someting a Texan would carryand use. It should look like it. Not a show piece.
They can get those from the knife channel.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

 

[jrbfishn]

Oh yeah. I am generally not a fan of large knives. But from what I see, I would be proud if someone thought enough of me to give me that blade.
I'm really curious to see it finished.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

 

[Axxe55]

partly because of their size is why many cusom knife makers don't do bowie knives

 

[General Zod]

Oh yeah. I am generally not a fan of large knives. But from what I see, I would be proud if someone thought enough of me to give me that blade.
I'm really curious to see it finished.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

Yeah, I never intended to forge one this large - especially with my lack of experience. It's been an adventure.

 

[jrbfishn]

Bowie type knives have their uses. But they are limited by the size. I just prefer a 4"-6" general purpose blade that will do more things well than a Bowie can do.
There is no one perfect knife.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

 

[General Zod]

Steel guards and pommel are being epoxied on at this very moment. The suspense...

 

[General Zod]

All right. We are epoxied up. Gonna let that cure overnight, then tomorrow I'll cut the pins flush and finish grinding the guard and pommel to shape. Then if there's time I'll fit the wood handle scales and epoxy & pin them to finish Saturday.

And of course I still have to make a sheath.

 

[no2gates]

That blade looks great. What are you making the sheath out of?

 

[General Zod]

That blade looks great. What are you making the sheath out of?

Dead cow, as Col. Bowie intended.

 

[no2gates]

Dead cow, as Col. Bowie intended.

I've seen kydex ones, but that's just wrong. Like a 1911 with a Picatinny rail wrong...

 

[General Zod]

Like a lever-action rifle with an M-LOK handguard. Yep. Plus, I have never worked with kydex, but I've made leather knife sheaths among other things. Still had half a tooling hide and 90% of my tools, too.

 

[General Zod]

All right. I'm still in the middle of making the sheath, but the Bowie knife is DONE. This is my very first finished knife.