every week at my forge and workshop(updated)

[Wullz 408]

Can't wait to see this chopper / cleaver Matt, might just be what I have been after.....as for the boar knife, wow!

[midnight 657]

Thanks ?

I'm working on the chopper animal all day tomorrow . I put the first stage pre heat treatment grind on it and it's feeling pretty good .

It has immense cutting power (couldn't help my self had to hack at something ha ha )

[socks 32,253]

If you remember matt we spoke about a cleaver chopper around a year back ... Any pictures of what you are making .....

[midnight 657]

Cleaver chopper isn't going to happen this time !!

Out of 3 blades I was working on today 2 haven't made the grade and are snapped in the scrap bin , the chopper was one of them .

Long story but that one is never going to happen . I managed a great knife from the blade that survived . I'm just making a sheath now , then I'm getting pissed !!

Long day today and it's doesn't seem worth it !

Iv had to make a heat treating gas forge from scratch then list the two blades and all the money on materials and time ... It's another day tomorrow right ??

[mushroom 12,827]

Are you quenching with oil or water mate??

Edited November 15, 2014 by mushroom

[midnight 657]

Oil , whys that ??

I rarly use water hardening steel and even then I use oil

[mushroom 12,827]

Just curious mate took 6months of forging and metal work during my degree and remember the tutor saying when hardening (and there are many ways) sometimes alternating when quenching can stop metal becoming brittle

 

Defo not a dig or anything

[midnight 657]

I think he is sort of confused (the tutor) there's pretty much only one way of heat treating , heat and rapidly cool .

Some steel is air hardening , some water and so on . The same as tempering , some steels need heat to temper others cold (cryogenic tempering)

I work along side blacksmiths , there understanding of carbon steels the hardening and tempering is pretty limited and confused . Just the same as my forging skills and General metal work , they can forge things I can't , but they can't select steel correctly or forge a good knife for toffee .

There pattern welding is terrible to , but they can forge weld and do every day !

As you say a massively complex topic with loads of variables ..

As far as I know the only water hardening steel you will ever see in knives its W2 and tamehagene . You will never see tamehagene because it's japabesse sword steel and restricted for export .

W2 you would find easy as it's the older steel used for making files . But still unless you looking for a hamon ( Japanese clay backed hardened steel with a visible temper line ) everyone uses oil to harden that to ..

Water hardening is really harsh , the steel hardens way to fast and the chance of cracking and warping is huge , also it can cause I larger grain in the steel , simply put the size of the molecules in the steel once hardened ..

There is a process called normalising , this is heating and air cooling repeated in cylrs of 3 . It causes the grains to shrink making the steel finer at a molecules level , resulting in a finer edge and a less brutal blade .,..

But all steel in the hardened state is brutal , so we temper the steel to take out strees and add some flexibility ...

 

Wow I'm boring ha ha .

 

I didn't think it was a dig at all , just curious about the question ..

Today's issues where warping . I couldn't keep those fuckers straight .

After a few attempts I chucked them on the floor and they snapped ....

What a tool !!!

 

Anyway I know the issue and it's sorted . To hot a forge and un even heat on one side of the blade .. Small adjustment and its golden ..

[mushroom 12,827]

Top reply mate

 

In the tutors defence I think he meant quench in oil then water then oil etc lol

[Gin 498]

Its a really good informative thread, this one Matt

[Wullz 408]

Awww naw! Was really looking forward to the cleaver type Matt! I will have to buy something else now......

[bo88y 46]

you were second in the queue Wullz lol aye it was a pity it didnt work

[midnight 657]

Let me try again . I need to order some steel so will look at that tomorrow .

There's enough of you interested to make it worth me trying again ... The cost of that steel is going to make my eyes water tho . I have to buy half meter lengths .

The handle on the one that got away wasn't right for my eye , not if I'm totally honest , funny thing I'm make this stuff up as a go along with customs but have something very specific in mind when I start ..

I was about 85% right in that one ..

Iv got a better idea of what the pit falls are now .

But that grips gotta be right . There blade heavy things . Although I'm not going to be able to make true cleavers as I simply can't deal with steel on that scale , they will be more slender and longer bladed to get the weight right .

[socks 32,253]

Matt don't forget I asked you to make me a cleaver a year ago so I must be top of the list .........

[midnight 657]

Yep I got you on the list socks , I think il order enough steel for 4 so I have one spare ....