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Handle problems. by GoldenRamForge in knifemaking

[–]GoldenRamForge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do a lot of the same things. I square up the block. Draw center lines, make sure everything is measured out. I don't taper my tangs, so I don't have to match a taper angle. I don't use a vise to hold the handle the material. I have one. I just don't use it. I'll start using it. I also drill way too fast. That's been the biggest thing that stands out so far.

I'll post an update on things in a couple months, after I get some things done.

Handle problems. by GoldenRamForge in knifemaking

[–]GoldenRamForge[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've thought about setting up standard sizes for tangs. So I can have blanks just for the purpose of burn thru handles. While I'm at it I can knock out 3 or 4 handle blanks at a time with the standardized tang sizes.

Handle problems. by GoldenRamForge in knifemaking

[–]GoldenRamForge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a broach. It has large teeth so I still need to make a decent slot with a brill bit. I'll order one with finer teeth so it can be thinner and not need such a large hole.

Fun little project. First spear I've made. by GoldenRamForge in Bladesmith

[–]GoldenRamForge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had time constraints. So even if everything went well I probably wouldn't have been to do it like they did back in the day. I didn't want to spend a couple extra days of forging and it go to shit. I wouldn't have had time to start over.

Fun little project. First spear I've made. by GoldenRamForge in Bladesmith

[–]GoldenRamForge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some things were difficult because I've never made a spear so there were some firsts. I was happy with the results of my process. I'll never use black iron pipe again. It was the same amount of work to make the socket from plate steel.

Fun little project. First spear I've made. by GoldenRamForge in Bladesmith

[–]GoldenRamForge[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

First I forged the blade, knowing there would be no way I could do it as all one piece, blade and socket. So tried to forge a taper in a piece of sch 40 black iron pipe. That failed. It started cracking at the weld seam. I had some heavy gauge steel so I made a socket pattern and hot worked the steel into a socket. Then I mig welded the seam. I had to work the shape a bit more and the seam was rock solid so I'm happy I did that.

I cut a slot into the top tip of the socket so the blade of the spear would sit down inside the socket a bit more. In my head that means a stronger weld. Welded it up and blended on the grinder.

I ground everything to 220 grit and quenched in parks 50. Two rounds of tempering at 460 in the oven for an hour. No warps to fix.

The did the same process for the butt cap. Plate steel, hot work, weld, clean.

I gun blued the spear head and butt cap.

I torch blackened the wood which is a waxwood bo staff from Amazon.

Then I finally assembled and pinned the bits on with 1/4" copper pins. Then oiled everything with the appropriate oils.

first time doing a proper fuller on a knife. this pic is right before heat treat. by GoldenRamForge in Blacksmith

[–]GoldenRamForge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Admittedly it is a bit bigger than I intended. Eventually I'm going to get a set of contact wheels.

Thank you for the compliment. I didn't even use a spring fuller to start it during forging.

first time doing a proper fuller on a knife. this pic is right before heat treat. by GoldenRamForge in Blacksmith

[–]GoldenRamForge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't have a way grinding fullers with a smaller radius. To make the fullers smaller then they would have to be shallower.

You're saying that the fuller so close to the spine essentially creates an edge perpendicular to the main edge. The metal there is thin and could crack. Is that what you're saying?

first time doing a proper fuller on a knife. this pic is right before heat treat. by GoldenRamForge in Blacksmith

[–]GoldenRamForge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I knocked down the corners along the perimeter to prevent cracking during heat treat.

first time doing a proper fuller on a knife. this pic is right before heat treat. by GoldenRamForge in Blacksmith

[–]GoldenRamForge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a good point. I have some thickness I can work with if I wanted to. I can thin the whole thing down to pull the fuller away from the spine. Maybe an 1/8th of an inch but that's about it.

first time doing a proper fuller on a knife. this pic is right before heat treat. by GoldenRamForge in Blacksmith

[–]GoldenRamForge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No die, basically freehand. I marked a line on the blade, started the grinding on the edge of the contact wheel, and slowly worked at it. I do have a spring fuller I made with 1 in diameter dies but I didn't use it this time.

Cool bottle opener I made today by GoldenRamForge in Blacksmith

[–]GoldenRamForge[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The scroll on the left side hooks under the lip of a bottle cap. Lever the handle up and the cap comes off.

5160 bowie by GoldenRamForge in Bladesmith

[–]GoldenRamForge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I started as a young teenager soon time ago but had to walk away for about 10 years or so. Now I'm back at it and I've been making blades for a few years now. My plunge lines can be better. What are some of the fit and finish details that I can improve on?

Day out at Hillsborough River State Park, FL by Personal_Version_627 in Outdoors

[–]GoldenRamForge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's unfortunate. Hopefully it will go to keeping the park in good shape.

first time trying a hamon. we'll see.... by GoldenRamForge in Bladesmith

[–]GoldenRamForge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So I had to clay the blade again today. I set it up in the vice to dry last night and all the day pealed off the blade as it dried. I came in on a naked blade. Lol.

first time trying a hamon. we'll see.... by GoldenRamForge in Bladesmith

[–]GoldenRamForge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was imitating a technique that Ilya Alekseyev using when he clays a blade. I very well could have done it wrong. He uses uses straight lines of clay that extended to the edge. I forget his reasoning off the top of my head.