MEMBER ITEMS FOR SALE
Custom Knives | Other Knives | General Items
-------------------------------------------
New Posts | New PhotosAll Photos



Go Back   The Knife Network Forums : Knife Making Discussions > Custom Knife Discussion Boards > Knife Making Discussions > The Newbies Arena

The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 04-13-2015, 04:56 PM
Reverend Reverend is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 27
Straightening a Bent Damascus Handle?

I recently acquired an inexpensive (interpret that to mean cheapo) damascus sword blank. The seller stated that it is a 1095/15N20 blend. The blade itself is somewhat decent, but the handle has a warp in two areas. I'd like to salvage the sword if I can, but being completely ignorant of the heating, quenching and tempering process, I have no idea how to go about it. Can I heat the areas on the handle with a propane torch, then straighten it with a hammer on the anvil?

Do I need to quench the handle, and if so how? Any info you give me would be greatly appreciated. And yes, I did do a search and discovered several ways it can be attempted.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 04-13-2015, 05:31 PM
jmccustomknives jmccustomknives is offline
Skilled
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Alabama
Posts: 554
If it's just in the handle area and not in the blade I would put the blade in a vice with the handle portion out and heat it with a torch to dull red and tweak it. The vice should act as a heat sink to keep the blade from loosing temper. If it's just the handle you don't need to do anything else as you don't want to harden that part of the sword. Post a pic to help us get a better idea. I
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 04-13-2015, 06:03 PM
Ray Rogers's Avatar
Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
Founding Member / Moderator
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Wauconda, WA
Posts: 9,840
By 'tweak' the handle James means don't hit it with a hammer! You shouldn't make any attempt at altering the tang until the area you intend to bend is at least a dull red color. At that point, it should be soft enough for you to bend it using a couple of pairs of heavy channel locks or any other method that allows you to bend it slowly. If you hit it with a hammer without adequate heat the steel can crack. If you have sufficient heat but are unskilled with a hammer the tang can end up bent in the other direction or simply be beaten out of shape. Bending slowly is safer .....


__________________

Your question may already have been answered - try the Search button first!






Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 04-14-2015, 06:37 AM
Crex's Avatar
Crex Crex is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Acworth, GA and/or Hanging Dog, NC
Posts: 3,583
All good advice. Make the jaws on your vise "safe" with some aluminum angle. Won't scar up the blade and give just that little extra grip.
Also, "try-fit" and walk through your steps before lighting up a torch. Things have a habit of going wrong once things get heated up. Give yourself plenty of room to maneuver.

Pretty simple procedure if you take your time and think ahead.

ps - don't take it out of the vise until it's cool to the touch.......don't force the cooling with water, a wet rag, or even forced air.


__________________
Carl Rechsteiner, Bladesmith
Georgia Custom Knifemakers Guild, Charter Member
Knifemakers Guild, voting member
Registered Master Artist - GA Council for the Arts
C Rex Custom Knives

Blade Show Table 6-H
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 04-14-2015, 01:35 PM
Reverend Reverend is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 27
Ok thank you very much for the help. I will try to post pics later on.
Do you think that if I clamp the blade in several places to a heavier piece of steel, that it will straighten out once I apply MAP heat to it? Or do I need to bend it past straight in order for it to straighten?
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 04-14-2015, 04:47 PM
Ray Rogers's Avatar
Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
Founding Member / Moderator
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Wauconda, WA
Posts: 9,840
I thought you were straightening the tang (handle area). If you are straightening the blade heating it at all will ruin the temper. As for the handle, it will almost certainly need to be bent slightly beyond straight to get it to straighten....


__________________

Your question may already have been answered - try the Search button first!






Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 04-15-2015, 09:15 AM
Reverend Reverend is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray Rogers View Post
I thought you were straightening the tang (handle area). If you are straightening the blade heating it at all will ruin the temper. As for the handle, it will almost certainly need to be bent slightly beyond straight to get it to straighten....
Yes, my bad. It is the handle area...
Here are a few pics...






Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 04-15-2015, 05:20 PM
Reverend Reverend is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray Rogers View Post
I thought you were straightening the tang (handle area). If you are straightening the blade heating it at all will ruin the temper. As for the handle, it will almost certainly need to be bent slightly beyond straight to get it to straighten....
Yes. My bad. It is the tang that is bent and twisted.
Here are a few pics...
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 04-15-2015, 05:24 PM
Reverend Reverend is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 27
Some pics...
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 04-15-2015, 05:34 PM
Reverend Reverend is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 27
Pics anyone...
Attached Images
File Type: jpg IMG_0607.JPG (104.4 KB, 15 views)
File Type: jpg IMG_0608.JPG (338.1 KB, 14 views)
File Type: jpg IMG_0611.JPG (404.5 KB, 17 views)
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 04-15-2015, 05:37 PM
Reverend Reverend is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 27
I'm thinking the process is something like this...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL2XxWyVfGM
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 04-15-2015, 06:16 PM
Ray Rogers's Avatar
Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
Founding Member / Moderator
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Wauconda, WA
Posts: 9,840
Didn't watch the video (no band width to speak of) but read the comments that went with it. Seems like they are using the vice and 3 rod method. That's perfectly fine but still relies on the steel being hot enough where you need it hot and cool where it should be cool. Really, its nothing more than I said the first time: get it hot enough to bend and bend it slowly and steadily. You will know if it gets too cool or if you moved the steel too fast when you hear the *ping* ....


__________________

Your question may already have been answered - try the Search button first!






Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 04-18-2015, 06:37 AM
Crex's Avatar
Crex Crex is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Acworth, GA and/or Hanging Dog, NC
Posts: 3,583
Clamp it like Ray has described and use a couple of large, flat-jawed cresent wrenches or the like to do the tweaking back into alignment. It's really a very simple process, just take your time. As I said before, make dry-run practices first before you heat everything up. The three pin set up is more for simple warps and not twist.....your tang appears to have a slight twist as well as warp.


__________________
Carl Rechsteiner, Bladesmith
Georgia Custom Knifemakers Guild, Charter Member
Knifemakers Guild, voting member
Registered Master Artist - GA Council for the Arts
C Rex Custom Knives

Blade Show Table 6-H
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 04-20-2015, 08:31 AM
Reverend Reverend is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 27
Update:
Well I went ahead and tried the 3-pin method on the vise. It straightened it quite a bit, but not perfect.
I followed up by pinning the handle to a piece of iron barstock and positioning some nickels under the handle in areas where it was twisted and bent. After a few attempts the handle looks good and the scales fit flat!
Thanks for the help!
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 04-21-2015, 05:49 AM
Crex's Avatar
Crex Crex is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Acworth, GA and/or Hanging Dog, NC
Posts: 3,583
There you go.....now lets see it all put together.


__________________
Carl Rechsteiner, Bladesmith
Georgia Custom Knifemakers Guild, Charter Member
Knifemakers Guild, voting member
Registered Master Artist - GA Council for the Arts
C Rex Custom Knives

Blade Show Table 6-H
Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
1095, advice, angle, anvil, apply, blade, damascus, grip, hammer, handle, harden, heat, hot, how to, iron, knife, make, post, rod, simple, steel, tang, temper, video, vise


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Straightening nthe10ring The Outpost 10 01-18-2009 04:47 PM
Bent clevis pin J. Keeton Ed Caffrey's Workshop 9 09-19-2006 08:08 PM
Bent TI sheet Txcwboy The Newbies Arena 6 06-04-2006 10:42 PM
bent knife bear300us The Newbies Arena 4 04-10-2004 12:15 PM
Straightening bent blades Jamey Saunders Ed Caffrey's Workshop 8 07-18-2002 02:22 PM


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:18 AM.




KNIFENETWORK.COM
Copyright © 2000
? CKK Industries, Inc. ? All Rights Reserved
Powered by ...

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
The Knife Network : All Rights Reserved