View Single Post
  #7  
Old 10-09-2017, 02:34 PM
epicfail48 epicfail48 is offline
Enthusiast
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Springfield Mo
Posts: 95
Another vote for not trying too much new stuff on one blade. The blade style you're going with is already a bit of a challenge, long blades tend to warp, asymmetrical grinds tend to warp, 1096 tends to warp, and clay coated blades tend to warp. You've really got a perfect storm for making a pretzel going there.

Can't say ive got much advise for straightening for you either, I've not had much success trying to straighten a knife post-ht. Generally you want to find a way to force the blade to bending the opposite way of the warp and keep it that way for a tempering cycle, but I almost never get that to work. Either it doesn't straighten, or it snaps. I've started grinding my bevels after HT for most of my 1095 blades, then warp doesn't really matter much. The one exception is hamon blades, those pretty much require grinding the bevels before HT, and keeping fingers crossed it doesn't warp too badly.

I'd skip the clay coating for this blade, HT it normally, see how it moves and use that knowledge on the next one. Best to learn stuff in small increments, rather than all at once. I know Walter Sorrels has a video on how to make a Yanagi-Ba on hit YouTube channel, may be worth a look.

Oh, last thing, never get too attached to a 1095 blade before you heat treat it, especially if you're going for a hamon. You can get away with a slower quench medium like canola oil on a relatively thin blade with bevels pre-ground, sometimes, but getting good hamon activity and even getting full hardness on some blades requires a faster quench. Generally, that means water or brine, and if you want to see a bladesmith cry, ask him how many blades he's lost to brine. If you plan on working a lot with 1095, invest in some Parks 50. Almost as fast as water, doesn't crack blades nearly as much
Reply With Quote