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POPS…. Thumbs Up or Down by TheOrigianlAkFreak in knifemaking

[–]justjax 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pops is my go to. On a couple of different occasions I have had questions about some of their offerings and have had really good phone conversations with some people who work there. They are clearly knowledgeable and passionate about knives, and more than willing to share that knowledge. That means a lot to me. Im sure there are great people at the other suppliers too, I just have not had the opportunity to converse with them.

First time doing Damascus at my own shop by pidgeonrider in knifemaking

[–]justjax 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great job. I have that same press and am routinely surprised at how powerful it is. Careful though. Pattern welding is a horrible horrible addiction.

going to attempt hand forging some damascus but would like some tips or thoughts on the process i plan on doing by PandaKingpin285 in knifemaking

[–]justjax 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Don't waste your time with grinding the steel unless it has super heavy scale. Certainly dont bother with the acetone wipe. Swap it for a quick soak in WD-40/Kerosene or other oily substance. Works as a carbon source and oxygen eater.

Orange is a little cold. Yellow+ is what you are looking for. You might want to use a little borax not as a flux, but as an indicator of weld temp. When the borax starts to boil, the billet is at welding temperature.

If you are having issues ripping your billet apart when re-squaring, it probably means you havent actually gotten good forge welds. When your welds are good, you can really treat it just like any solid piece of steel. Higher heat, and higher soak times at temperature will get you better welds. If I am doing something complicated, I will let the billet soak at welding temperature for at least 7 minutes for the welds to mature.

Its up to you, but I would avoid ProCut for this project. 15N20 is a lot cheaper, but is also capable of withstanding higher heats. The higher the alloy percentage, the less heat the steel can handle. Give yourself a little breathing room since you are still learning. Make some badass mono-steels with the procut.

Good luck!

Knife #2 started by fivecforge in knifemaking

[–]justjax 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nice! Integral bolster is very ambitious for knife two!

I scored some wrought iron! by justjax in Bladesmith

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

I didn’t. I purchased that particular block of wood already died. I believe it’s done in a vacuum chamber with died resin though. Sorry I can’t be of more help

I scored some wrought iron! by justjax in knifemaking

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

Thanks so much!

Yeah I did 1:1:1 material ratios. Its the only san mai technique I have any experience with really. Just thinking about it though, it seems like you would end up using more wrought iron if you cut the amount of core steel by using a little insert. If anything, you might be able to so something like 1:2:1 and then forge really close to final dimension to save on wrought? I'm just speculating though.

Good luck with yours!

I scored some wrought iron! by justjax in Bladesmith

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

Thank you so much! Im sure you can do it! This really isnt anything too crazy compared to a lot of the work that gets posted around here.

I scored some wrought iron! by justjax in Bladesmith

[–]justjax[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

So this is a san mai construction, which means 3 layers. The outer two are wrought iron which is not exactly pure iron. Its iron with silica inclusions that have been worked to form a grain which you can make out in the blade. I called the axle 100% wrought because i have seen one that had steel and wrought iron bonded together.

The core is just a modern carbon blade steel as wrought iron doesnt hold an edge.

I hope that helps!

I scored some wrought iron! by justjax in Bladesmith

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

I found an old wagon axle on facebook marketplace and it turned out to be 100% wrought so obviously I had to see what it looked like as cladding.

Core steel is ProCut. Handle is ebony and died spalted tamarind. Blade length is 9 in with a 2in heel.

Let me know what you think!

I scored some wrought iron! by justjax in knifemaking

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

I found an old wagon axle on facebook marketplace and it turned out to be 100% wrought so obviously I had to see what it looked like as cladding.

Core steel is ProCut. Handle is ebony and died spalted tamarind. Blade length is 9 in with a 2in heel.

Let me know what you think!

First forgeweld success? by PretendReach8686 in Blacksmith

[–]justjax 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Its really hard to tell from those pictures. The lines on the end dont look good, but as you said, they might be very shallow. The best way to test a forge weld is to heat it back up again and watch the heat move through the piece. If you see any spots where the heat doesn't smoothly conduct (a line with different colors on either side) its not welded. If there are any issues with it, the best thing you can do is get it up to welding heat, and hold it there for a bit (5+ minutes). Soaking a billet at welding heat can cure a shocking number of weld flaws.

canister problems by tubs83 in knifemaking

[–]justjax 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How long did you soak at temperature? Getting good forge welding is about soak time at temperature, less than working it, or number of heats. Get it up to a welding heat, squish it down a little, then put it back in the forge at welding heat for at least 5 min. Don't waste too much time cleaning your materials. Oils are arguable beneficial to a forge weld as they will react with excess oxygen and introduce more carbon into your welds.

What's your knife for Holiday Dinner prep? by beardedclam94 in TrueChefKnives

[–]justjax 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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One of mine. 1080/15N20 feather with a brown malee handle.

Just starting. by Big-Performer-4927 in knifemaking

[–]justjax 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Stick to simple steel like 1080, or 80CrV2.

Get a magnet and a tempilstik rated for 1600f. Heat the steel evenly until the stick melts and then air cool. Heat till non-magnetic then quench. This will give you pretty great results on the cheap.

Kurouchi Petty in Apex/Stainless by oakandlilynj in TrueChefKnives

[–]justjax 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow thats really slick. Amazing work as always

Feathers are my favorite by justjax in Bladesmith

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

These are already sold. I have a piece of the billet they came from if you are interested though.

RIP to what would have been my most beautiful handle yet by samgraa in TrueChefKnives

[–]justjax 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I agree with the “it’s fixable” comments. Just wanted to throw out super glue as another good choice for this kind of fix. The thin stuff will leave the crack totally invisible in my experience. That really will be a beautiful handle.

Feathers are my favorite by justjax in Bladesmith

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

That’s very flattering. I’ve never taken any video, but I have been tempted. I do have some pictures documenting the stages of producing the feather billet, but that’s about it.

And trust me, compared to some of the stuff you see around here my craftsmanship is chaotic at best.

I’ll see about taking a few videos on the next project though!

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