little hotties

[Grizz]

20153134.JPG

What? What were you thinking?

top is 1/4 inch preform for S-hooks. length for scale is 7-1/2 inches. will keep it this way as a template for when I forget how to make em'. again. the twist is tight because I used spot heat and turned it as soon as it released. that's two complete turns.

middle is a wood chisel almost ready for the bevel. it will net out just under an inch in width. the drawn out tang nets about 1/4 inch thick. it's O1 steel forged from 1/2 inch round bar. used 4# hammer for most of it. will be glad when I can finesse a 6# hammer for O1. it is tough stuff to squash until it gets square. the scroll on the butt is for a mallet if something is that stubborn. will put wood scales on the tang for a better grip.

bottom is a 1/2 inch wood chisel from 1/4 inch O1 steel. the 4 pound pounder sufficed for that stock.

I'm thinking about which way to make a scorp, and a V-parting tool, not for turning but for cleaning up mortises and the like.

I have a couple of knives and other tools ready for the big quench. I'll probably wait for these pieces and whatever else makes it into the heat treat que. My hot cutter turned out a little soft, over-tempered, so I re-hardened it and left it file-hard this time. It's 1/2 inch O1 also, and I just heated it to the color and jammed it into the cold slack tank. All no-no stuff but since I'm not an expert, and don't know any better, and the steel didn't crack, it's good to go.

Only other item is the kogatana for my daughter-in-law. I'm replicating the one she carried to grade school in Japan. All stock removal so far, will draw out the tang but that's all the forging it needs. it's 1084 steel, I made the kiridashis for my boys from that and it seems like it's good utility tool steel to me.

Craftily,
Grizz

[Ysabel Kid]

[Gobblerforge]

Interesting technique. I twist my hooks last. Proof that there is more than one way to draw iron. Forge on, Brother.
Gobbler

[AJMD429]

I expected a thread on short magnum cartridges or something.

I would like to know MORE about the 'heat treating' process such as:

• a) how you can select and make different hardness and
  b) what limits the choices vs. a given steel type.

[Grizz]

Interesting technique. I twist my hooks last. Proof that there is more than one way to draw iron. Forge on, Brother.
Gobbler

Thanks Gobbler

I've done it both ways, but I have a predilection for asymetry and find the early twist helpful in keeping the hooks symetrical-looking by fixing the center...

[Grizz]

I expected a thread on short magnum cartridges or something.

I would like to know MORE about the 'heat treating' process such as:

• a) how you can select and make different hardness and
  b) what limits the choices vs. a given steel type.

hey, thanks for asking. you know I am a rank beginning amateur smith right?

here's what I've learned about the heat treating so far...

different steels have different amounts of carbon. 5160 has around 0.6% while 1084 has around 0.84%. when the two are heated to a certain temperature and suddenly chilled or quenched they become very hard, but the one with more carbon is harder to start with. When 1084 is tempered it may still be harder than 5160 at full hardness, due to the carbon differences.

after the steel is hardened it is brittle, like glass in some cases, and is tempered by heat treating, bringing it up to a certain temperature for a certain time to reduce the hardness to the point required for the work at hand. A chisel is tempered to a final hardness different than a hammer or knife. Some knives are tempered to a different hardness than others, for example a heavy chopper knife might be tempered more like an axe, not quite that soft, while a small carving knife with an inch long blade can be left much harder. A differientally hardened or tempered blade may have the hardest steel on the edge, spring temper in the center, softer at the spine and dead soft in the tang area. I draw the tangs of the carving knives to a spring hardness down to the ricasso area to avoid breaking the blade at the handle.

it's a results oriented merit-based discrimination thing. a blade that is too hard for its job and grind angle will chip at the edge, while a blade that is too soft for its job will roll the edge and not stay sharp. good intentions go no-where in tool making, it's only the results that count.

now days blade smithing at the commercial level is industrialized. steels are refined to amazing levels of potential and computer controlled ovens and kilns make high science of the metalurgy arts.

Did I answer your questions? If there are any factual errors I hope a real smith will chime in and teach.

Grizz @ Heat Treat Forge

[pokey]

I would like to know MORE about the 'heat treating' process such as:

• a) how you can select and make different hardness and
  b) what limits the choices vs. a given steel type.

this might help.

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/tempe ... _1530.html