My "Secret" Blade Show Project

EdCaffreyMS

EdCaffreyMS

"The Montana Bladesmith"
Well, maybe not all that "secret", but it's something that I've been wanting to do for a while now, and something I have never seen anyone else do...
A 416 over Mosaic San-Mai Folder!

This is just a quick pic that I took in the shop this morning, and I will have better pics up on my Blade Show Preview either later today or tomorrow. I have all but one knife completed for the show...just waiting on some dental burrs to arrive so I can finish up the handle on a big Persian Style Bowie.

SanMaiFolder.jpg


Now it's back to work! The knives are almost done, but now it's time to build sheaths! :(

Edited: Here's a better pic as promised! I'll have more views posted on my Blade show preview page tomorrow.

SanMaifolderhalf.jpg
 
Last edited:
Pretty insane, Ed. It looks gorgeous, but I have to admit to feeling clueless as to what exactly is going on. Are the handles inlaid with gold wire and something else? Did the hamon hide the Damascus pattern on the blade?
 
Rock,

It started out as a billet of San-Mai..Mosaic Damascus Core, with 416 Stainless on the outsides. By virtue of how the blade was ground, it exposed the Mosaic at the blade's edge. The duller gray color is the 416 stainless. The "sparkle" line you see on the blade is a decarb line much like a hamon. The handles are from the same billet of San-Mai. When I contoured the handle scales it exposed the Mosaic all around the edges, but left the 416 down the center of the handles....which I thought would be a great place to add a bit of engraving/texturing. Once I get more and better pics you'll be able to see more.
 
Wow, I think you're really onto something there. That's very cool. Was it difficult to weld the stainless and mosaic together? That has to be forge-welded, right?
 
It's a liner lock design with Ti liners. Because of all the steel it's heavier than a conventional folder, but that's just one of the trade offs in creating an all steel type folder.

The billet was forge welded. I've been playing with doing to for the past year or so, and have to thank Burt Foster for the inspiration. Burt was the first person I knew of to forge weld carbon steels and 416 in a San Mai configuration.
My thought was that if it could be done with plain carbon steels, then why not with Mosaic Damascus. It took a while to figure out the forge welding technique, but once I understood what was going on, it was fairly simple.

The problem with a 416 San Mai, is that once it's forge welded up, it doesn't react throughout the rest of the process like you might think. When thermal cycled and annealed like I would do with a plain carbon, or straight billet of mosaic, it's far too hard to work or drill. I had to rethink the entire process from billet to blade, and re-adjust what I did to make it work out.

Looking back at the journey, I suppose a lot of folks who don't forge might not understand everything that's going on, but for me it's been very exciting and enjoyable.
 
Well, I don't really understand it, but I find it fascinating regardless! I bet that was quite a trick to figure out the welding and heat-treat, etc. I didn't even know it was possible with such dissimilar steels. Glad you went through all the work, the end result is the bee's knees!
 
Thanks Shane!

I have to admit, that was one of those knives that came out exactly like I had it pictured in my head...which usually DOESN'T happen. :)

Hopefully there will be someone in Atlanta who just can't live without it!
 
Ed, thats a very impressive knife. I don't forge steel and am awed by the patterns and designs that come from forging. I think you just raised the bar. By the way where do you get that cool round thumb bob? Thanks, Dan
 
Thanks Dan!

The thumbstuds are 3/16" titanium balls, that are pre-drilled and threaded for 1-72 screws. I get them from Reactive Metals Studio. Even though the folder most of the folders I build are right handed versions, I always put dual thumbstuds on my folders, just because to me, it looks more balanced.
 
Wow!! Ed that is one beautiful knife!! Absolutely beautiful!!! Great work as usual!
Jerry
 
That is one beautiful knife. I really like the changes you've played on Burt's concept. Since I can't even afford to ask the price I wish you all the luck in the world in finding someone who can't live without it a Blade. It deserves a good home and you deserve a good reward :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top