McClellan Made Blades
Well-Known Member
Good Morning Dawgs!!!,
I have a quick question regarding my new Tire Hammer that I recently bought from John Wayne Taylor, it has the dies he made for it and are basically, (kind, sorta), combination dies, these are a bit smaller than the Little Giant dies, I haven't measured them but I'd say they are approximately 2" X 4", with one side being flat and the other side being somewhat tapered. Nothing like any I've seen, kinda like each side has an angle, not meeting in the center of the die. What is the best type of die shape for knife making? I was thinking maybe, a set with a 5 to 10 degree bevel, to draw out the taper and I'm not quite sure of the set that came with it, is there any shaping I can do to it to make it more useful? Do keep in mind that John Wayne is a Artisan Blacksmith, if that matters to why these dies would be shaped the way they are, I'm sure they have a reason for them to be shaped like they are, for a Blacksmith's purpose.
I was thinking last night, as I was getting started on my first knife using it, was that I actually had no idea how to use it correctly or if there was a correct way to use it. I have seen a few in use, and many videos on-line. I also realized that I'd never seen anyone post anything about proper power/tire hammer usage either. I'm sure there are techniques, tricks and tips that would be very helpful for those of us fortunate enough to be able to own one.
I would greatly appreciate ANY and ALL help, comments, ideas, references that I can use to make my experience with this new machine a success! Thanks Dawgs!!! Rex
I have a quick question regarding my new Tire Hammer that I recently bought from John Wayne Taylor, it has the dies he made for it and are basically, (kind, sorta), combination dies, these are a bit smaller than the Little Giant dies, I haven't measured them but I'd say they are approximately 2" X 4", with one side being flat and the other side being somewhat tapered. Nothing like any I've seen, kinda like each side has an angle, not meeting in the center of the die. What is the best type of die shape for knife making? I was thinking maybe, a set with a 5 to 10 degree bevel, to draw out the taper and I'm not quite sure of the set that came with it, is there any shaping I can do to it to make it more useful? Do keep in mind that John Wayne is a Artisan Blacksmith, if that matters to why these dies would be shaped the way they are, I'm sure they have a reason for them to be shaped like they are, for a Blacksmith's purpose.
I was thinking last night, as I was getting started on my first knife using it, was that I actually had no idea how to use it correctly or if there was a correct way to use it. I have seen a few in use, and many videos on-line. I also realized that I'd never seen anyone post anything about proper power/tire hammer usage either. I'm sure there are techniques, tricks and tips that would be very helpful for those of us fortunate enough to be able to own one.
I would greatly appreciate ANY and ALL help, comments, ideas, references that I can use to make my experience with this new machine a success! Thanks Dawgs!!! Rex