kevin - the professor
Well-Known Member
Hello All,
I have been doing my best to make pattern welded blades with subtle grain structures and visible heat treatment effects (ala China). A good bit of this work goes into swords, and I am selling these swords for pretty significant amounts. Not tremendous amounts, but a fair price.
Here is the point - I thought it was really important that I get good heat control for heat treating for improved visual appeal and for improved performance, but most importantly for improved safety.
I have my shop isolated in one bay of a two car garage. It has to not block my wife's ability to park inside during the winter. I love this challenge, and it keeps me from going nuts in tool buying.
So, this weekend, I was able to get the major tools I have been slowly buying for the past 5 years rounded out. Though not featured in the pics, if you look you can see forge, anvil, post vise and hydraulic press.
I built a tool arm for my small wheel attachment to go with my Uncle Al's Riverside Machine variable grinder (much like a Bader, and maybe a little better).
I had to use my almost new high-torque mini-mill to do this, and crappy old drill press, and cheap bandsaw with reinforcement for sitting on it. I weigh about 230lb, and did not trust the sheet steel legs.
Most importantly - a 36" stacked heat treat kiln from Evenheat via Tim Zowada. I was going to put rheostats on each segment, but I don't think they are necessary. I will, however, put a large iron pipe into the kiln to keep temp gradient to a minimum and give more thermal mass. This thing hit 1465F in less than 15 min, and was able to get the temp cycyling to +- 8F after about 5 min at temp. Also, there never seemed to be more than 8 or 10F difference between the top and the bottom of the furnace, and usually it was less than that. A big pipe retort will smooth both of these out a bit.
I am excited. I will likely take a break from some of the larger pieces I am working on and forge/grind a series of small, simple, 3-piece knives. Clay them up, and do some controlled manipulations and comparisons with alloy and temp. I plan to do this with w2 and low manganese 1075 to see how hamons form at different temps across the alloys. It will be fun. I may throw in some w1, also.
I almost can't believe I finally have the tooling I have wanted for these last years. Now, I have even fewer excuses when something goes wrong (yet it still does pretty regularly)!
thanks to all here for the invaluable information.
take care,
Kevin
I have been doing my best to make pattern welded blades with subtle grain structures and visible heat treatment effects (ala China). A good bit of this work goes into swords, and I am selling these swords for pretty significant amounts. Not tremendous amounts, but a fair price.
Here is the point - I thought it was really important that I get good heat control for heat treating for improved visual appeal and for improved performance, but most importantly for improved safety.
I have my shop isolated in one bay of a two car garage. It has to not block my wife's ability to park inside during the winter. I love this challenge, and it keeps me from going nuts in tool buying.
So, this weekend, I was able to get the major tools I have been slowly buying for the past 5 years rounded out. Though not featured in the pics, if you look you can see forge, anvil, post vise and hydraulic press.
I built a tool arm for my small wheel attachment to go with my Uncle Al's Riverside Machine variable grinder (much like a Bader, and maybe a little better).
I had to use my almost new high-torque mini-mill to do this, and crappy old drill press, and cheap bandsaw with reinforcement for sitting on it. I weigh about 230lb, and did not trust the sheet steel legs.
Most importantly - a 36" stacked heat treat kiln from Evenheat via Tim Zowada. I was going to put rheostats on each segment, but I don't think they are necessary. I will, however, put a large iron pipe into the kiln to keep temp gradient to a minimum and give more thermal mass. This thing hit 1465F in less than 15 min, and was able to get the temp cycyling to +- 8F after about 5 min at temp. Also, there never seemed to be more than 8 or 10F difference between the top and the bottom of the furnace, and usually it was less than that. A big pipe retort will smooth both of these out a bit.
I am excited. I will likely take a break from some of the larger pieces I am working on and forge/grind a series of small, simple, 3-piece knives. Clay them up, and do some controlled manipulations and comparisons with alloy and temp. I plan to do this with w2 and low manganese 1075 to see how hamons form at different temps across the alloys. It will be fun. I may throw in some w1, also.
I almost can't believe I finally have the tooling I have wanted for these last years. Now, I have even fewer excuses when something goes wrong (yet it still does pretty regularly)!
thanks to all here for the invaluable information.
take care,
Kevin