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Old 10-04-2017, 03:58 PM
epicfail48 epicfail48 is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Springfield Mo
Posts: 95
Quote:
Originally Posted by danjmath View Post
No forging in the shed. Check
HF iron is a waste. Check

Current plan is to do a portable forge ala dtec1's suggestion, and keep scrounging for an anvil-like piece of metal.

My uncle's-friends-brother is a bladesmith who works mostly with D2, and I will pay him to do the heat-treatment for a D2 kitchen knife I am making for my parents for Christmas, but currently I am just making knives for my own use, and honestly doing the heat-treat has been one of the more enjoyable parts of the creation process for me.

I am sure they are not the highest quality, but they skate a file, and my edges have held up better than the $30 gerber/buck knives I own, though maybe not as nice as my $40 kershaw.

My current WIP is a 200mm Yangiba on which I am going to attempt to make a Hamon. Probably a little beyond my skill level, but again, its for personal use, I enjoy the work, and whatever the outcome, I consider it a learning experience.

Thanks again for the input. This is why I asked before I even built the shed.

Also-I will update my profile. I have looked at blacksmithing classes locally, but what I have found is either prohibitively expensive, or focused on using coal-forges doing decorative iron-work, which I am sure I would learn a lot from, but making knives is what interests me most.
Putting a hamon on a blade isn't quite as complicated as people make it seem. Don't get me wrong, its still bloody complicated, but the way that some people describe it would make you think Hephaestus himself would struggle with it. All you really need is a clay-like coating that'll handle the heat and a shallow hardening steel. My personal favorites are 1095 and Rutland's Furnace cement. Thin the cement a bit with water, put a layer on the blade about 1/8" thick (works for me, more or less may be needed), and make sure to stay away from the edge by at least 1/4". Heat to critical, 1450-1500f, then quench in a relatively fast quenchant. I like Parks 50, brine can be used but is risky, heated canola oil might work but doesn't give much activity in the hamon.

As far as the D2 kitchen knife goes, you may want to reconsider the choice of steel. Can't say I've tried it personally, but general experience seems to suggest that D2 gets a little chippy with thin edges, something about large chromium carbides. I'd recommend either 1084 or O1 for a blade like that, both are exceedingly easy to heat treat and take a wicked edge.
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