# A few new knives hot off the forge



## Bushbow (Jul 3, 2012)

Crain Cable over 15n20 san mai














Sushi/sashimi set WIP









I call this one the whale skinner - not really large enough to skin whales but it looks like and Orca to me


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## Rookie1 (Jul 3, 2012)

Super cool! Im not really into knives but you sure do nice work. :msp_thumbsup:


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## Stihlofadeal64 (Jul 3, 2012)

I am as the poster above. I am interested in the process that makes the etched finish look (zebra like). That is absolutely cool! Can you elaborate on it, at least in simplicity (not to reveal your secrets). Thanks for posting.


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## Bushbow (Jul 4, 2012)

It is commonly known in the knife world as "damascus" but it is not truly damascus and to describe that you will need to use Google. What I am doing is actually pattern welding or forge welding steel. With enough heat and pressure 2(or more) pieces of steel will become one; joining properties at the edge of the bond but retaining their individual properties away from the bond. 

The process for most of these knives is an alternating stack of 1080 and 15n20 steel about 3x3x1. Weld a piece of rebar to the end, heat and forge weld together. A forge weld does not introduce a binding steel like a stick, mig or tig welder does - it is just two steels becoming one on a molecular level. Some steels work better than others for welding and some show a pattern better. To get a better scientific description of what is actually happening you need to ask someone smarter than me - all I know is it works. There are a few techi things involved but essentially once a solid weld is achieved with the layers you have a "billet".

This billet looks, acts and "is" a single piece of steel and can be forged as one. So at this point you have a crusty, blakened, chared piece of steel about 4x1.5x1/2 stuck to the end of your rebar. You heat this and forge to the shape you desire. Moving it into a rounded form and twisting it gives the sushi knife pattern. Stretching it out and folding in 1/2 with subsequent welds doubles the layer count exponetially. Disturbing it by hamering in small dents or lines with different tools and hammers creates patterns and tear drops on the finished blade, etc.. Think of it a stack of alluminum foil - it you hit it the top layer is the only part being struck but you are affecting all the layers below. With an anvil under it you are effecting the medium with equal pressure from the top and bottom with a top blow. 

Once the blade is shaped through forging to your satisfaction you have to grind to final shape on a belt sander. The knife at this point looks like one piece of shiny steel wihout any pattern. If I like what I have created I will drill holes in the tang and heat treat with a triple normalization cycle and double quench. If I am happy it is hard(I use file to determine this) I soak in the temper oven for a couple hours at 400 degrees to draw back the HT to a workable hardness of around 58-60 Rockwwell. After testing to satisfaction of hardness I begin the final grinding of the blade to shape with subsequently lower grit belts until about 400 grit smoothness with power tools and then to wet sand paper where there are hours of hand polishing to 4 or 600 grit, sometimes lower depending on the knife. This is a long and tedious process that I have yet to find or develop an effective method other than just by hand. If you skimp here it will show up in the etch. 

Once satisfied that everything on the blade is perfectly smooth I add my makers mark and soak the blade in etching solution(feric for most steels is best) and whola - the pattern arrives like magic. There are tricks to get the pattern to show better like gun blue and such but this is the process and what you are doing is really just forced corrosion with two steels rusting at different speeds leaving a pattern in the blade. 

Add handle scales and make a sheath - all done. 

little neck worn blade with bead chain sheath





100+ year old wrought iron over 1080 san mai camp knife


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## leadarrows (Jul 4, 2012)

Wow...just wow...Those are too cool.


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## Metals406 (Jul 4, 2012)

I still can't rep you from last time. . . Great work as always!

My next venture will deal with Marquenching and austempering. 

I wants me some Bainite by God!


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## Toddppm (Jul 4, 2012)

Saw this on craigslist, railroad spikes, looks sorta like the work you're doing. Cool stuff.


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## Bushbow (Jul 5, 2012)

Railroad spikes make some cool looking knives and even better tomahawks but there is not enough carbon in them to produce a hard steel that will stand up under fire. For the spike hawks I will forge weld in a piece of 5160 spring steel on the business edge which gives the best of both worlds. A softer(relative when talking about steel) body, able to stand up to the pounding blows with a hard, sharpenable edge. 

Here are a hawk I have done recently from a ball pien hammer turned battle hawk - obviously the hammer is of tool steel and can be hardened throughout so I differentially harden for sharp edge/soft body. When we take the boys camping we have hawk throwing contests. There mother thinks it's dangerous but we think it's fun!!


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## crowbuster (Jul 5, 2012)

Wow, I love that whale skinner. What would a knife like that cost a guy? Course I would only be skinnin coyotes with it. love it


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## Hedgerow (Jul 6, 2012)

That's some neat stuff... I like the sushi set! Seems like we got several knife / steel guys here on AS...


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## sunfish (Jul 6, 2012)

Nice work!

I make a few knives also. :msp_smile:


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## Metals406 (Jul 6, 2012)

sunfish said:


> Nice work!
> 
> I make a few knives also. :msp_smile:



Understatment much!? 

Your knives are T&A bro!


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## Hedgerow (Jul 6, 2012)

sunfish said:


> Nice work!
> 
> I make a few knives also. :msp_smile:



Oh sure!!! But do ya make one for your ole' buddy Matt to cut twine with???
Noooooooo!!!
:beat_brick:


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## Metals406 (Jul 6, 2012)

Hedgerow said:


> Oh sure!!! But do ya make one for your ole' buddy Matt to cut twine with???
> Noooooooo!!!
> :beat_brick:



:hmm3grin2orange:


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## Freehand (Jul 6, 2012)

Hedgerow said:


> Oh sure!!! But do ya make one for your ole' buddy Matt to cut twine with???
> Noooooooo!!!
> :beat_brick:



A highly intelligent posterior here……..


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