knifemaker weekend

[Don Halter]

Well, it's been a while since we had one here! based on the few responses I had to the email, the next gathering will be Sunday, Nov 19th at my place. (note change from saturday to Sunday)

I had several emails come back as "box full" and similar responses, so hopefully everyone will see the postings here. We have a few new makers here in Bryan/College Station that will be out. We'll do the usual noon till whenever.

8229 Scasta Rd Bryan, TX
Mapquest actually has it pretty well.

Make your best way to Bryan/College Station and take the FM 1179 (Briarcrest) exit off the Hwy 6 bypass. Go East. You'll come to an intersection with a light (Allen Academy school across the street, Exxon on your right). Go straight and stay on FM 1179. From this light, it is exactly 5 miles to the Grassbur Rd. Turn right onto grassbur and go about a mile. Scasta is the third road to the right (Prospect, Shady, then Scasta). Turn right onto Scasta and go several hundred yards down. We are on the left with two big fields and a chain link fence. Pull in the second drive and you'll see the shop. Park anywhere you can fit.

If coming from Austin direction (Hwy 21). Just before getting into downtown Bryan, you'll see the FM 158 turn (more of a "Y" at a light). Turn right onto this and take it through the city and across Hwy 6. Once across Hwy 6 overpass, the second light will be FM 1179. take a left and follow the above directions.

If you pass something good on the road, scrape it up, we'll make chili! Just kidding. if it's cool or misty, watch for deer on 1179. They're out in the middle of day now. We average two per day smacked on the road. If you hit one with antlers....saw 'em off and bring them on out!

[Don Halter]

Due to a major brainfart, the date is moved to Sunday, the 19th. (I was reminded by several people that I will be at a Civil War re-enactment Saturday.)

I changed it above also.

[Chris Daigle]

Count me in again Donnie. Let's see if we can drag Texas Jack there.

Do you suggest aiming for the deer?

Chris

[Don Halter]

If you can rig up a big Texas Tubular bumber on your car...go for it!

We had an 8-point standing in the field staring at me last night when I was walking in from the shop. His woman-deer was eating our antique rose buds!!! I thought those must be some mighty big grasshoppers stripping the buds and leaves off the new growth!

Time to dust off the hunt'n gear!

I haven't heard from Rick...or 90% of the others as well! A few locals and new guys. Being a Sunday, I was hoping Richard Epting and Chester Darcy could make it out for a while again. I hoping to have Rick's blade finished up by then...or at least ready for heat treat. Everything in the shop got wet when the front collapsed during our mosoons a few weeks back and his blade got some nasty rust, so I had to re-prep it fro HT.

I pulled out my mokume jigs and such, so that's ready to go. I'd like to get a nice section made that I can make some habaki for some Japanese tantos from. Once the forge is hot, you can make a lot of mokume billets! Prepping the metals for the first fusion weld is the long-drawn-out pain!

I had wanted to take lots of pics (combined with some from the last meet with the fuming chemical pot) and write up an article for the TKCA newsletter. Everyone is gauranteed to be stinking rich and famous afterwards!

[TexasJack]

I've just been wonder where you two (Don & Chris) have been hiding!!

Got all that steel rusting away in my garage waiting to make the trip!

Don, are you still interested in the Parkerizing chemicals? If so, I'll bring them two.

Now here I sit with no place to hunt, and Donnie has deer grazing in his yard. Life is just not fair!

I thought by now your eldest would have his bow rights back and would be out there bringing in meat for the family! (As I recall, he had his bow and arrows taken away for trying to shoot his brother. I also have a younger brother, so I have some sympathy for the urge.)

[Chris Daigle]

Yeah, lil Halter was showing off his bow skills last time we were there. He should be able to bag one by now.

Bring the rusty steel Rick. Your blade is probably the only thing I'll have for show and tell this time. But, it's something (and not rusty )

Chris

[TexasJack]

Yeah, I was gonna say that I've been so crushingly busy at work (Did I mention I work for idiots?) that I haven't had time to complete anything in at least 6 months. But since both Chris and Don (ahem!) owe me blades, that should give us something to look at!!!

While typing this (and eating my lunch) my boss came in and asked how much vacation time I have left. "You're not going to take ALL of that, are you?" Um, yeah, that is my intention. I may have to carry a couple weeks over to next year - so that I will have that much more left over again. 'Course, they keep trying to run me off, so maybe it's a good contingency. {sigh}

THIS would be a good moment to pound on some steel.

I'm thinking of having some golf balls made with my boss' picture on them.

[Don Halter]

We've been in hiding. Chris and I have been secretly plotting to take over the world...muhahahahahahahah! We'll be using the 1084 to construct some monoliths! Now If I could just find what I did with all those apes!

Sure, bring the chemicals on up. I'll get a stainless trough together by then.

I'm not sure just how many deer we have here, but they're becoming problematic out on the roads. The feeder road just before the Briarcrest exit is deadly after 5 pm! They even had a few go out onto the highway!

Aidan's been wanting to shoot one of the deer since about August (when he got his bow back). I've been moving the corn progressively closer under the dusk light to see what all's coming up at night. We get sometimes a half dozen or so does and young deer. Last night was the first time I've seen the buck. Although his prints gave him away a while back.

An old friend of mine just moved in down the steeet. He's got access to lots of hog hunt'n area a half hour north of here. I'll be sure and give you a holler when we go. I'm trying to get him up for a knife hunt using some hounds. The knife blade I have for you would be perfect for that!

[Anthony Chaney]

I'm not sure if I will be able to make it or not, but I'd darn sure like to try. It's been a year since I was out there. I have a meeting in Grapevine on friday and I have to be in Houston on sat. Depending what time I can leave houston on Sun, I will try and get there. Sounds like it is going to be fun.

[BMiller]

Hi Don,

Thanks for opening up your shop again. You mentioned making some mokome. If I brought the material, is it possible to finish a piece big enough for a set of barlow bolsters? I'm going to do Don Robinson's barlow project and thought it'd be cool to make as much as possible. The only time I've forged anything was at your shop last spring for about 10 minutes. Actually you just let me beat on some scrap.

If possible, what kind of material is used? How long does it take to make a 3" x .090 thick piece of damascus?

Thanks,

Bill

[SBuzek]

Don
Been meaning to e-mail you about the weekends had major computer problems but hopefully thats all straight . I should be there for the 19th Be good to see everyone again
Stan

[Chris Daigle]

All right! Looks like it'll be a pretty good turn out.

Bill, as to your question (as per Donnie):

Go to Hobby Lobby, WalMart or any craft store and look for the thin brass/copper strips. The 0.10" x 1" give you a lot of layers. I have some copper sheet, but it's around 0.30 so it's difficult to get a good pattern without multiple foldings. Don't open the packs until you get here so they don't start oxidizing. About 30 layers gives a nice 1/2" -3/4" stack depending on actual sheet thickness, so you need about 3 feet of each metal (three 12" strips cut into 2" long strips works).

Procedure:
Put on laytex gloves.
Open packs of metal.
Rub with 600 - 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper.
Clean with dial soap and rinse thoroughly.
Cut into 1.5-2" long strips ( I don't remember how long my jig is...I think it holds 2")
Stack all the strips.
Grind all edges flush.
If you caused any discoloration during grinding, you need to resand all pieces, then rinse/dry.
Place stacked strips in jig keeping edges flush.
Screw jig down as tight as humanly possible.
Paint edges with liquid paper.
Take laytex gloves off.
Place assembly in pre-heated forge.
Heat until surface starts to look shimmery (yes, that's an official word) and sweaty.
Take out and quickly strike the center of the jig with a hammer.

If it compresses into a solid billet, you did good.
If it falls into several slabs, it wasn't hot enough.
If metal went spewing out as you hit it, it was too hot.

Heat back to red and squish down to about 1/8", then cut into four or so sections.
Even all pieces up by stacking and grinding edges flush.
Sand surface to clean metal.
Rinse/dry.
Place into jig and repeat heat/hammer process.

Now you should have about a 120 layer piece. You can work it like damascus for patterns (grooves for ladder, pits for pool/eye, etc).
Bring up to medium red for heavy working.

Pefectly clean surfaces and proper temp are the only hard parts. The temp thing, you just have to get used to. Once the surface starts to shimmer, you have about 15
seconds to get it out of the forge and onto the anvil. If one of the brass layers starts to melt, the copper on either side go instantly into solution with it and your whole billet
pretty much goes "slush" and will now be a pool of red brass on the forge floor!

Chris

[Don Halter]

Looks like it'll be a party now!

Stanley,
Glad to hear from you. I was going to shoot you a call this week since your email kept coming back.

Bill,
While we're haeting one set, you can be prepping yours. The basic billet goes by pretty fast. Working it into a pattern can take some time...especially if it cracks or melts and you have to start over. hah! You should easily be able to get a section big enough for a couple bolsters. Were you wanting 3" x 0.90" damascus in addition to mokume...or did you just mean a 3" x 0.90" mokume? I don't know that we'd have time to do much damascus work in addition to the mokume. Looks like we'll be doing quite a bit of mokume. Probably start one and do the initial welds, but you're welcome to come down any other weekend I'm here and finish one up. I had planned on doing at least one set of forge welds just to blow the "you can't forge weld after having copper in your forge" out of the water.

Anthony,
Swing on by if you get time. We're usually out there till around 5:30 or 6.

[BMiller]

Chris and Don,

Thanks for the answers. Don, I'm going to have to buy some steel for this project so I was just wondering about the time frame for damascus. No problem though, it sounds like the mokome takes some work anyway.

Bill

[BMiller]

Don,

Well it's 10 pm and it looks like I'm not going to be able to make it Sunday. Man I was looking forward to seeing you and Chris again. Thanks for offering your help.

Bill