Forge and knife shaped object (non hardenable)

I would consider annealing the hammer head, re-forming the flat end by grinding to better resemble the pein end, drill both ends, and make a straightening hammer with oblong-shaped carbides that the two ends oppose each other like a vertical/horizontal peen forging hammer. The hammer doesn't need to be hard.
 
I think the bevel is coming a bit better, but the more I try with the 2" grinder, the more I am wiping out the short curve of the recurve. The overhead light in the shot is so harsh, you can't see the bevel as it looks in real life. The karambit was in the drawer for the past 5 years maybe? I got some inspiration from Leo Todeschini's blades that he did for Tom Hardy's character on Taboo. This was just an attempt to see if I could hack out the rough shape with an angle grinder from an old circular saw blade. I am not thrilled with the ergo on it, especially the index hole. I had so much issue with that, I couldn't even consider doing the two hold knuckle duster style that he came up with. Anyway, if I try that shape again, in some real steel, I think I will spend more time in my drawing packages, and perhaps some time with cardboard to get the shaping right.

Anyway, I got a little excitement from the new belt grinder, as I learned how to turn a 2x72 into a 3/4 x 72 by cartching a cutting corner right into the belt. It was quite exciting as it shredded off a big slice of the belt, then tried to beat me silly with it before letting it fly freely across the room. On a good note, the blade itself was gone from my hands so quickly that I had to go looking for it. No one was hurt, and nothing was damaged except for a 120 2x72 belt that is now about 3/4". And I have some 120 for the lathe. :)

All that aside, I am considering straightening up the front side of the tang just a touch more, and doing a 1/2 hidden through tang.(is this even the correct term) The idea being that I want the spine and tang visible on the palm side of the handle, as well as the butt (pommel end?) but not on the finger side. I figure this way I can provide some more ergo to the fingers, but still have that nice stripe of steel on the handle of the knife. But still thinking about it.

I have posted this knife process elsewhere. I prefaced the posts that I "know the knife can't be hardened because it was made from 1018." I hadn't thought anything of it, other than as an exercise in shaping and grinding. But one fellow on FaceBook replied with this:


I'd never heard of such a thing, but figured I would ask if anyone ever heard of doing such before?

View attachment 81078View attachment 81079View attachment 81080
Those belts are annoying to put in the grinder. They like to twist. I've taken to hanging a weight off them when I hang them up. Keeps them from twisting.

Sent from my Champion Forge using Tapatalk
 
Those belts are annoying to put in the grinder. They like to twist. I've taken to hanging a weight off them when I hang them up. Keeps them from twisting.

Sent from my Champion Forge using Tapatalk
But I found the fast way to get them off the grinder :)
 
I would consider annealing the hammer head, re-forming the flat end by grinding to better resemble the pein end, drill both ends, and make a straightening hammer with oblong-shaped carbides that the two ends oppose each other like a vertical/horizontal peen forging hammer. The hammer doesn't need to be hard.
I didn't even realize I showed a hammer. Are you talking about the ball peen or cross peen hammer? If you are talking about the ball peen, I won't be modifying that. Sometimes I put that in the vise and use the face as an anvil for small items or peening over rivets. It gets a fair amount of use.

The cross peen one is mostly what I used this case. I do have a significant sledge head, that I was considering rehandling into a one handed beast :) I wanted to do it as an exercise in offset turning on the lathe for an oval was to the handle. But it may be a fun piece to try to mod I to a rounding hammer.

I just saw one with carbide ball bearings brazed I to the faces. The guy was using it to demonstrate stretching/shrinking removing warp.

But... I am really not interested in becoming a blacksmith.

I do restore some antique tools, so u have a bunch yet to do. It can be zen like, but I have to work my self up to it. So what's a few extra tools hanging around? Maybe when I can get rid of 10 or more hand saws I can start collecting hammers. :)
 
But I found the fast way to get them off the grinder :)
I was sharpening something the other day (I don't remember what) and the the thing I was grinding snagged the belt seam and ripped the belt in half. NOT fun.

I have realized that that is one of the less obvious benefits to using a gas spring instead of a coil spring to tension your grinder. I have constant belt pressure (even grinding without a platen), but when the belt breaks, the swing arm doesn't go "sproing!".
 
The cross peen one is mostly what I used this case. I do have a significant sledge head, that I was considering rehandling into a one handed beast :)
I have a 10lb sledge on a stubby handle that I forge with. One handed beast. Definitely a workout compared to a 4lb rounding hammer. Moves plenty of material, though!
 
I didn't even realize I showed a hammer. Are you talking about the ball peen or cross peen hammer? If you are talking about the ball peen, I won't be modifying that. Sometimes I put that in the vise and use the face as an anvil for small items or peening over rivets. It gets a fair amount of use.

The cross peen one is mostly what I used this case. I do have a significant sledge head, that I was considering rehandling into a one handed beast :) I wanted to do it as an exercise in offset turning on the lathe for an oval was to the handle. But it may be a fun piece to try to mod I to a rounding hammer.

I just saw one with carbide ball bearings brazed I to the faces. The guy was using it to demonstrate stretching/shrinking removing warp.

But... I am really not interested in becoming a blacksmith.

I do restore some antique tools, so u have a bunch yet to do. It can be zen like, but I have to work my self up to it. So what's a few extra tools hanging around? Maybe when I can get rid of 10 or more hand saws I can start collecting hammers. :)
Sorry, Bradley, I put my post in the wrong thread and don’t know quite how I managed that. It was intended for another thread, but I see Chris saw it, so that’s good.
Again, sorry for the intrusion.
 
Last edited:
I was sharpening something the other day (I don't remember what) and the the thing I was grinding snagged the belt seam and ripped the belt in half. NOT fun.

I have realized that that is one of the less obvious benefits to using a gas spring instead of a coil spring to tension your grinder. I have constant belt pressure (even grinding without a platen), but when the belt breaks, the swing arm doesn't go "sproing!".
I am sure that over time I will develop a preference, or at least an opinion on that topic. At present, since I only coverted a 2" belt to a 3/4" belt, I didn't get the whole "sproing!" effect that I might have. :)
 
Sorry, Bradley, I put my post in the wrong thread and don’t know quite how I managed that. It was intended for another thread, but I see Chris saw it, so that’s good.
Again, sorry for the intrusion.
Not a biggie! I was just confused because I didn't remember including the hammers in the photograph. But then, I don't know you all that well, and perhaps you are clairvoyant or psychic or something :D:D:D

Although I am not all that interested in becoming a blacksmith, I feel it is inevitable that I will have a minimal setup for doing such things as making and modifying tongs, and perhaps some more artistic endeavors. So over time I will want to improve on some of the makeshift pieces that I do have. At present, I am limited to the back of my vise, or my short chunk of r-r rail to use as an anvil. I also have a 2-1/2 ft section of i-beam but I use that as a flat surface in long (wood) glue ups, I can't imagine hammering on that. I do however, like hammers of all kinds. I am considering turning some handles for different ones, but haven't really tried the offset turning technique yet. Interestingly enough, I can resell axe heads pretty easily without doing much to them, so I still haven't made a good wood working hand axe yet, but sledge heads don't go so easily. I have one that took quite a bit to get the handle stub out of, since they used every imaginable version of a wedge to keep it in place, including screw driver drill bits. :) It's in my to-do pile. If I remember correctly, all I did beyond getting the rest of the handle off was a quick evaporust bath. It seemed to be in reasonably good enough shape to do something with, Up until recently, I was considering it would make a nice anvil gripped in the vise instead of my big ball peen because it has a larger face, and flat sides, where the BP has curved sides. But now, who knows, maybe it can become a hammer :)
 
That is the AmeriBrade (Mastery Package).

I never intended for this knife to be hardened, just wanted something to practice basic grinding/shaping techniques on. But, some people see every challenge as something to be solved :) Like I said, it might be an interesting process to try, but I probably won't.
 
I know I will get in trouble again for saying this but if you want to practice use bedframes. Heat Treat it like 1084 or 1075. It will depending on the frame harden to 55 to over 60 RC. Others have confirmed this using a real R C tester. I have used RC test files and am guessing between 55 and over 60 RC. I am a hobby guy and definitely would not recommend this to a. serious knife maker .Bed frame metal is inconsistent and very rough but you will have a lot of fun.
 
You're right Robert, those old bed frames are not mild steel a person might think. They are HARD to drill or cut with a saw. The new bed frames seem to be mild steel.
 
You're right Robert, those old bed frames are not mild steel a person might think. They are HARD to drill or cut with a saw. The new bed frames seem to be mild steel.
It's sort of impressive how low of quality the steel is that they use for those frames. It could be dead soft in one spot and 60RHC in another... just inches apart, sometimes!

Sent from my Champion Forge using Tapatalk
 
I know I will get in trouble again for saying this but if you want to practice use bedframes. Heat Treat it like 1084 or 1075. It will depending on the frame harden to 55 to over 60 RC. Others have confirmed this using a real R C tester. I have used RC test files and am guessing between 55 and over 60 RC. I am a hobby guy and definitely would not recommend this to a. serious knife maker .Bed frame metal is inconsistent and very rough but you will have a lot of fun.
Assuming one were to come into possession of some bed frames and not want to sleep on them, how would you go through testing to see if the metal would be good for blade making? I am aware of spark testing and quench testing, and snap testing. But I have found some bed frames that remind me of anti-drilling matrix in safe doors. Big mix of everything from bread dough to diamonds... :)
 
Back
Top