Hello

[Blade]

Hello All,

I have been checking out the forum for a week and find it very interesting so I decided to register.

I make custom knives and like to make and fix tools.

I have a Burke Millrite mill a Hardinge dv59 and a Kerry 11 x 24 lathe, also have a Linley jig bore and a bunch of different belt grinders and other tools. I have a couple of burgmaster drill presses and a regular drill press also.
I am always on the lookout for tools, I guess you could say I'm a tool junky.

Take care,

[ozzie46]

  Welcome aboard and have fun.    Thats what it's all about. If you have any questions theres usually some one who can point you in the right direction.

  Ron

[Brass_Machine]

Hiya Blade 

Welcome to the collective

Would love to see some of your knives. I have always had an interest in doing my own. How far do you take it? Do you start from blanks or smith your own?

...
I am always on the lookout for tools, I guess you could say I'm a tool junky.

Yeah... I think that describes most of us on here 

Eric

[j45on]

Welcome Blade 

[Blade]

Hiya Blade 

Welcome to the collective

Would love to see some of your knives. I have always had an interest in doing my own. How far do you take it? Do you start from blanks or smith your own?

I buy raw material for the blades and the liners, usualy stainless and titanium or damascus for the higher end knives. the materials come in sheets or flat bars and I lay out my patterns and cut out the parts, then I heat treat the blades and grind them and do all of the finishing. When I figure out how I will post up some pics, things are a little different here for posting images.

[Blade]

Ok  I guess I will have to figure out how to use the quote feature also:)

Here are a few pics of my knives. Two are Damascus and one is titanium stainless and G10.

[Brass_Machine]

Those are some nice knives. I especially like the middle Damascus one. So when you say you buy the raw materials, you actually forge the Damascus? I would love to see some shots of that!

Eric

[Blade]

I purchased the Damascus as bar stock for these knives, I have forged some damascus but I don't have the space for the extra equipment I need so I just buy bar stock.

[Brass_Machine]

I purchased the Damascus as bar stock for these knives, I have forged some damascus but I don't have the space for the extra equipment I need so I just buy bar stock.

That's pretty cool too. Didn't know you could buy it as raw stock. After you shape and sharpen a blade, do you need to heat treat it all?

Eric

[Blade]

Damascus is available from several different sources. You can get stainless or carbon steel and sometimes blends of both. The majority of it is made by by people who started as knifemakers and branched off to produce damascus for other makers.

The bars come in different sizes and are anealed when you get them so that they can be cut and drilled. Carbon steel blends are easy to heat treat and can be hardened and tempered with very simple equipment.

[Rob.Wilson]

Hi Blade

All i can say is stunning 

Do you work form your own designs  or can you get drawings ?

Any chance we could see a build log of the next knife you make 


Rob 

[Blade]

Hello Rob,

I work from my own designs, and also from custom designs for orders.

I will try to get step by step photos to make a build log.



Thanks everyone for the welcome!

[Brass_Machine]

Hello Rob,

I work from my own designs, and also from custom designs for orders.

I will try to get step by step photos to make a build log.



Thanks everyone for the welcome!

Cool. I would like to see that as well.

Eric

[johnbaz]

Very nice knives there blade

Hope to see some more of your work


Cheers, John

[Stilldrillin]

Hi Blade.
Welcome to the Collective! 

We're a very mixed bunch on here. Someone always knows something, and everyone wants to know what you're doing. 

Join in. Show plenty of pics. Enjoy!  

David D

[Rob.Wilson]

Hi Blade

Would be great if you could do a build log   


Rob

[Blade]

I started a thread in the project logs section, I hope that is the right area. 

[cidrontmg]

Hi Blade,
I guess you know this site already, but if not, I think it might be of interest. I´ve done some knives (not folders) with their materials. Some pretty exotic stuff there...
https://www.brisa.fi/portal/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
And welcome aboard, of course!
 

[Blade]

hello cidrontmg,

That site is new to me, thanks for the link!

[Divided he ad]

Posted on your build already... Just found this     


As said "welcome to the collective  "   


Now then... How could people all look at those (lets be honest) stunning knives and not ask.... Cost? (PM if you like  )


I'm personally a sucker for the damascus steels... Whatever they are used to make    Watched all sorts of youtube videos of Japanese sword makers and Swedish axe makers.... I wish I could see colours properly. I can't harden/temper steels to save my life 



Still, loverly work... Looking forward to seeing your knife build log develop.





Ralph.

[Blade]

Hello Ralph,

You don't have to see color to harden or temper steel, any steel can be hardned by using temperature. Most stainless steels require soak times at temp of up to 30 minutes so you bring it up to temp and quench then run your tempering cycle which is usually two cycles of two hours each and a cryo cycle in between for some steels.


Take care,

Eddie

[Divided he ad]

Hi Eddie,

You don't have to see color to harden or temper steel

I've always thought it was to do with the colours? Cherry red and all that.... Red is red. There is bright red and dark red, that's about it for me 

I'm well in the market for a thread on hardening and tempering.... At your or anyone else's leisure. It's not like I need to do any tomorrow.... Or the next few weeks/months either as far as I know?


Still very interested in this stuff.... I did read something about tempering in an oven the other day.... Can't remember where? Thought it was a possibly an "in" joke 



anyway.... Always interested in new ways (for me) of doing things 





Ralph.



P.S. Did you figure the Quote function out yet? I can explain if required?

[Blade]

Hi Eddie,

You don't have to see color to harden or temper steel

I've always thought it was to do with the colours? Cherry red and all that.... Red is red. There is bright red and dark red, that's about it for me 

I'm well in the market for a thread on hardening and tempering.... At your or anyone else's leisure. It's not like I need to do any tomorrow.... Or the next few weeks/months either as far as I know?


Still very interested in this stuff.... I did read something about tempering in an oven the other day.... Can't remember where? Thought it was a possibly an "in" joke 



anyway.... Always interested in new ways (for me) of doing things 





Ralph.



P.S. Did you figure the Quote function out yet? I can explain if required?

Yup I think I have the Qoute thing figure out. Thanks!

Using color to harden steel is usually hit or miss.  Due to varying light conditions it is easy to judge the color wrong, a better way is to use a magnet. When you heat a piece of steel to the critical temperature it becomes non magnetic, by using a magnet on a rod or wire you can check your steel until the magnet will no longer stick, at that point hold the steel at temp for another 30 seconds or so and then remove and quench immediately. Another indicator That you reached proper temperature you can look for is that the scale will be falling off or blown off of the piece that you are quenching.

Another method you can use is if you have a kiln is you heat to 1500 degrees F and hold at temp for 5 minutes but you need to have an accurate pyrometer and it is best to have some type of coating for the steel to protect it from decarburizing. These methods are for simple steels like O1 W1 and the 10 steels. When you start to do more complex steels like 440c and A2 they require long soak times so you just run at temp in the kiln and then quench.

[Blade]

Hey Blade, nice craftsmanship on the knives!

My think is antique clocks, but I admire good craftsmanship wherever I see it.

This is a great forum, welcome and enjoy it!

Thank you! I agree, there is nothing like looking at something that is well crafted, I love to look at anything that is hand crafted or machined and well made. I think that is what attracted me to this forum, Lots of great work here and a ton of info.

Thanks for the welcome!

[andyf]

I've always thought it was to do with the colours? Cherry red and all that.... Red is red. There is bright red and dark red, that's about it for me 

Ralph, I've never found "cherry red" very helpful; cherries just don't seem to come in the same colour range as red-hot steel. In one of his books, L C Mason recommended the colour of boiled carrots for hardening, and that seems to work for my rough and ready stuff. The more difficult bit is tempering; I go for a straw colour, but with a direct flame it's easy to get the relatively thin bit which is going to be the cutting edge glowing red again, so it stays hard and brittle when quenched.

Andy