In all of my spare time, I started making knives last year. Up to this point I have just bought 1095 high carbon steel and went to work with a file. Then I modified a 4" belt sander to shape them. Recently I bought a coal forge and a gas forge that I've been playing with. I want to make some Damascus and started researching what steel I need to buy. In a nutshell it boiled down to 1085 high carbon and 15n20. This is where it got interesting because I kept reading about bandsaw blades are made of 15n20, so I dig deeper and found tha specifically bandsaw blades for wood use 15n20. So, now I have a use for the blades that get damaged beyond repair, like when I try to cut my 2 plane clamp off!
This is the last knife I made from 1095 with Myrtle wood handles.
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I wish I could find somebody local who does some amateur blacksmithing and would like my old blades. I'd be happy to give 'em away to a person who could use 'em.
That's a good looking knife! Did you make the sheath also?
I have a grandson and his friend that recently took up forging steel and making knives!
A few years ago I was approached by one of my cousins saying that his son was interested in all aspects of forging and was looking for scrap metal, so I gave him a half dozen old 1¼x.045 blades.
Good to see they're going to be recycled locally!
Quote from: Lawg Dawg on March 18, 2018, 06:37:55 AM
That's a good looking knife! Did you make the sheath also?
Yes, I made the sheath as well. So far I've basically been making knives for friends and hunting partners. This particular one was made for a guy I work with who put my daughters elk and my last elk on plaques for me. The wood for the handle was from his grandpas stash that he ended up with. Once I get the elk Home I'll post pictures of them, on mine he used black walnut then carved an elk from maple and inlayed it.
Nomad, if you post them on Craig's list I bet someone would take them. You never know they might come back later and bring you a sample of their work?
Have they had any luck forging the used blades? I'm a little concerned about stress fractures that could lead to a flaw in the knife. I would think if it gets folded and forge welded a couple of times, any cracks would also weld up, but I've been wrong before lol
I have made a few knives out of old metal sawing bandsaw blades but they are not as nice as yours. I do not know what kind of metal they are but they will get very sharp and hold an edge very well. I have a distant relative who makes all sorts of knives and if memory serves, he uses ATS34 steel for his knives.
I have an old coal forge that was given to me but I have not really had a chance to use it. I would like to try to make some knives out of files, coil and leaf springs, as well as some saw blades. The knives I have made so far have just begun as a piece of good metal and everything was removed that did not look like a knife. In the future, I would like to take a piece of metal and make it look like a knife (and hold an edge, not be too brittle, and feel good in the hand) after heating, beating and quenching.
I've been told by my cousin that his son has been making damascus blades, but I haven't seen any yet!
I like the way you ended the hand stitching. Looks much better than a rivet. Nice knife.
Thanks Dakota, hopefully that stitch at the end will stand the test of time and not get cut.
Caveman, what type of forge do you have? Mine is an old round rivet forge with a manual blower. Free is a good price! I gave $400 for mine and it's not in great shape. The knife above is a material removal project, I haven't finished a blade from the forge yet.
Crossroads, I went out a little while ago and took a picture of the forge. I could not make out the name since it was a little dark in the dust collector shed where it is stored.
Also, I took a picture of some of the knives that I made several years ago out of bandsaw blades. Most of the ones I made were given to relatives or to my graduating FFA officers at their end of the year banquet (I have not done that for several years now) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22883/image~497.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1521416574)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22883/image~496.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1521416552) I appreciate you sharing your knife and sheath. If I ever get caught up with some of my chores around here, I would like to try to use the forge. A friend of mine gave me a bag of coal. I don't have an anvil but I do have a short piece of RR iron that may suffice until I can get one.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22883/image~495.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1521415963)
The heart pine handle was on a knife I made for my oldest daughter. She was supposed to sharpen it - it still does not have an edge.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22883/image~494.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1521415962)
Knife with cherry wood handle and some filing so I could practice picking out epoxy from the depressions. Below.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22883/image~492.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1521415960)
Knife with bubinga handle below.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22883/image~491.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1521415957)
I believe wm and possibly kasco blades to be air hardening steel. Timberwolf and lenox are also very likely to be as well. As that pertains to forge welding it may make it much harder due to the higher chromium and vanadium content of these steel.
In my 13+ years of bladesmithing and blacksmithing I have never forged an air hardening steel to my knowledge. I have forged several steels that will air harden(52100, o-1, and occasionally 5160 will) but not true air hardening steel.
After seen what guys are paying for forges these days I need to be building those instead of sawing.
I've played around with making bandsaw damascus. Had to weld it to thicker mild first. Never made anything from the blank.
I've made damascus from wide bandsaw mill blades and those 1¼ wide pallet bands you use to see. Come out good.
Those are nice looking knives! That forge looks good too, something like that would go for $5-800 around here.
I have a piece of 1095 and a bad blade. If I get ambitious today(worked graveyard last night) I might give it a go and see what happens. Not sure a guy would get a straight answer if he asked what steel is used on wm blades. If it is indeed 15n20, it can be oil quenched, if it's not and is an air hardened steel, I guess the old blades will continue to go to recycle lol
I ain't saying that they couldn't be used for damascus just I ain't tried. 15n20 is not a common steel anymore.
Contact Ray Kirk at Raker Knives for guaranteed 15n20 and 1095 thin stock (.084 and .0625 respectively). Great prices and one heck of a nice guy.
Imo making damascus is too much work to cheap out on materials.
I apologize if I sounded like I was arguing, that wasn't my intentions. I'm new to forging and have way to much to learn to argue or turn down advice. I was just going off of what I've been reading and figure it's worth a try for the learning experience. I got ambitious and lit the burner and put together a test piece. It's 3 pieces of 1095 and 5 pieces of wm 4* double hard. For my second forge welding project, it seemed to go okay. I'm going to fold it a couple times then make a letter opener out of it for an old friend. Now that I've done it first hand, your 100% correct, Damascus is to much work to skimp on materials. I just placed an order with alpha knife supply, but probably won't use them again due to poor customer service. Thanks for the info on your supplier, I'll keep him in mind.
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Grind the edges of the billet down to bare metal to make sure its welded up good. Dark lines means it aint welded. If in doubt post a pic or two and I'll help all I can. Member Gadrock is also an accomplished blacksmith.
Will do, thank you! I recognize Ray from forged in fire. He's the one that finished early and got a cup of coffee, he should've gotten style points for that lol
Damascus is not so hard to do if you have a power hammer.
We have a guy that wants all of the old skidder cable, maby i should let him know i have a dump truck load of blades :D
Quote from: Kbeitz on March 20, 2018, 04:15:32 AM
Damascus is not so hard to do if you have a power hammer.
A power hammer only reduces the amount of hand hammering that has to be done. It doesn't eliminate it. You still have to prep the billet, heat to the proper temp, soak at that temp long enough to heat all the way through, and on and on.
A power hammer helps but its still a LOT of work.
I'm thinking after you take most of the hammering away the rest is just fun... Guess it's all on how you look at it...