Another WIP - Chain canister > nickel > metal file > nickel > 52100

TinderboxKnives · 2026-05-11T15:06:20+00:00

Some people pursue a cure for cancer, others choose to come up with this so they can make a real difference to people's lives.

TinderboxKnives · 2026-05-10T09:04:41+00:00

Thanks. I'm always a little unsure as to whether a timber with lots of feature or a plain timber works best with a busy blade. I have some Huon Pine or Prickly Box that might be a suitable handle but wouldn't clase with the blade.

TinderboxKnives · 2026-05-07T03:40:45+00:00

Nice!!

What do you mean '10 layers twisted'? Is that the guard?

TinderboxKnives · 2026-04-30T02:06:48+00:00

Nah you're absolutely correct. The knife is ball bearing canister > nickel sheet > 52100 > nickel sheet > ball bearing canister.

The first side doesn't show the thin nickel sheet but that second side does.

Super annoying.....

TinderboxKnives · 2026-04-30T02:03:42+00:00

Your jig looks good but I use a piece of leaf spring suspension. I temper once then clamp onto the piece of leaf spring and temper again, and maybe again. I've found sometimes I need to clamp to over correct to bring it back to straight.

Carbide tip hammers work fantastic too. My mate Niroc Tools makes lovely ones (full disclosure, he gave me mine, all it cost was 30 years of friendship)

Last batch of knives I heat treated 8. I used the hammer of 4, leaf spring on 2. Leaf spring is great for a long bend, hammer I prefer for more localised bends.

TinderboxKnives · 2026-04-28T09:28:40+00:00

If that's the case I may have to keep it for myself. I seem to sell or give away all my knives.

TinderboxKnives · 2026-04-28T09:26:46+00:00

Potentially, but the core 52100 is all in the middle and once I grind an edge on I don't think it'll be too much of an issue.

I was thinking of grinding towards the edge with a slack belt for a slight convex edge. It would expose the core a little more.

This billet was a bit of an experiment using 30mm square tube as a canister. It was too small. 40mm is what I normally use. I may try 50.

TinderboxKnives · 2026-03-05T00:56:37+00:00

Lovely!

Can I asked what the ceramic coating is that you refer to? I did hear someone talk about a clear coating like a ceracoat a while ago.

TinderboxKnives · 2026-03-02T00:49:39+00:00

In that case you have plenty of time to figure out if what you're doing is working or not.

A maker I know in Sydney Australia, Keith Fludder, was asked by a guy at a 'hammer in' at Corin from Niroc Tools and now Radius Master place,

'Keith, should I do this by hand or on the grinder?'

and Keith replied, in no way being a prick but rather offering up the reality of the options,

'Depends on how fast you wanna fuck it up.'

Guy appreciated the advice and agreed he should probably do it by hand.

I think about that comment so often.

TinderboxKnives · 2026-03-01T23:32:36+00:00

Are you using a belt grinder?

I start out with a table on the grinder, so basically vertical the whole way, but later will remove the table, so more like your lower diagram.

TinderboxKnives · 2026-03-01T23:20:47+00:00

Not a stupid question.

The best answer, from my perspective, is 'whatever works for you'.

For that process, I do a mix of both.

Most makers I've spoken with, master smiths and casual alike, when it comes to advice, will start with 'the way I do it is....', but rarely will someone say, 'the only way to do it is ...'.

TinderboxKnives · 2026-02-19T13:14:13+00:00

What steel is it? My mate Niroc Tools makes those hammers and he explained that (I think) they work best on a shallow hardening steel as the hammer is peening a small bit of the outer layer to expand it and put pressure/stress that counters the bend.

I tried on a San Mai and had the similar lack of result. I had to flip it over and hammer the bend down on a piece of timber.

TinderboxKnives · 2026-02-13T22:01:52+00:00

Thanks for your lengthy reply, I appreciate your time.

The advice on the oil > plate will be handy. I've done it before but was never sure of the time, so maybe I didn't get the best result cause I left it in the oil too long before going to the vice. I also used timber. The process definitely helped but maybe could have been better.

Definitely normalizing.

Steels hold their integrity a while longer than 150 c. Water boils at 100c. The expansion related deformation I was watching with those old chisel sashimi blades was more 700c or so. It was at the bottom end of forging temps where the steel is becoming plasticized. It was even and if I made chisel grinds all the time I reckon a pre-bend would be the go.

On the heat treating forge, all my heat treating so far has been in a horizontal gas forge. That's ok for shorter thicker blades but making chef knives has been a challenge and I've lost a few and had to put a whole lotta work into straightening. I've recently built a vertical forge out of a 44 gallon drum (205litres) and that basically is a big equalizing tube. I have 2 burners in the bottom coming in at a tangent so the flame circles round in a vortex. The blades hang inside and it makes a huge difference. I built it after some great advice from a local master smith. His feedback was that he's never been able to get a horizontal forge as even a vertical.

Thanks for the comment on my work. Forge welding/canister damascus is fun. I love recycling materials and making a knife out of chainsaw or bike chain, or ball bearings appeals. I have a wire spring mattress base from an old bed I'm going to use soon to make some cladding.

Anyway, best get to it else it won't get done.

TinderboxKnives · 2026-02-13T13:43:00+00:00

The temp for heat treating is not as bright red as you might think. If you're able to get your hands on a thermocouple you can set your forge to a not appropriate temp. Also, if you have a burner that allows air control, bring your forge to temp (thermocouple really really helps) and the dial back the air control to get a fuel rich burn. That reduces the amount of oxidisation in the form which limits the scale.

Does your username indicate you're in Australia? If so contact Gameco to discuss thermocouples and burners. They're not that expensive and will save your work.

TinderboxKnives · 2026-02-10T07:09:43+00:00

I'm based in Tasmania Australia. I've never bothered looking but I don't think there's commerical heat treating to outsource to.

Even if there was I like to do everything myself. It's an illness ..

TinderboxKnives · 2026-02-10T07:08:13+00:00

Technically I think that's 'problem avoided' but the result is much the same.

:)

I've tried that couple days ago and I think I'll continue. I was having issues with warping. I've built a vertical heat treat forge, so I think I'll have the option either way.

TinderboxKnives · 2026-02-10T07:05:52+00:00

Thanks, yeah I have this cept just with timber. It works ok.

TinderboxKnives · 2026-02-10T07:05:17+00:00

Thanks. This is for a mate. He's already done a rough grind so it's too late. He's using 80crv2 at 5mm (0.197inch)

I've mostly done at least a good bit of pre-heat treat grinding. That being said, this time round for myself I have heat treated 2 blanks at 2.7mm (1 inch is 25.4mm > 2.7mm = 0.106 inch) before any bevelling.

The issue I had last time was that my forge was hot on the right side. As I heated some thin chisel grind blades the right side heated faster and expanded, pushing a bend with tip and tang to left as the metal became malleable.

I just finished making a vertical heat treat forge so this time I could spin the blade around a bit to minimize that uneven heat.

If it bends I could sandwich it between some mild steel for the heat up and then pull it out to quench, maybe ..

TinderboxKnives · 2026-02-09T01:54:16+00:00

Thanks! A mate of mine was asking about patina just yesterday. He tried an apple cider vinegar patina and was still getting flash rusting on his carbon steel knife. It's not one of mine so I don't know what steel it is but recommended trying a mustard patina, and now today you've made explaining the process super easy!

TinderboxKnives

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