The Monster - And Off We Go!!

[AchimW]

After 3 years of preparations, discussions, steel research and more preparations, finally the kick-off for our BIG project!!!

Please read here:

http://www.7knifedwarfs.com/aw/2006/...ascus-bar.html

Achim

[Gene Chapman]

Achim, good for your and co workers, looking on here with great interest. The biggest billets I made were 1 1/2" X 2" X3", these were hand welded and drawn out on a 50# Little Giant power hammer, no big deal now but in 1983, it was interesting.

Good luck on your venture, keep us informed.

Gene chapman

[rhrocker]

I'm very anxious to see how this project works out. What will you use to weld the individual plates up with, some sort of huge press? What about the kiln? Have you decided what the final product will be, a sword? Keep us posted Achim!

[AchimW]

Well, Gene, the biggest billet to date was also done, like yours, in the 1980's. It was a 1.3 metric ton billet forged by Manfred Sachse from Rheyd, Germany. Manfred forged damascus from 1961 on and lives only about 30 miles away from me. So it's a local tradition, so to say..... hahahahaha....

Robert, the billet will be welded on a 1000 ton Hasenclever press. The furnace is a gas furnace who can heat about 30 tons of steel at once. And the final product? A sword? Just one? Calculate, please: forged out to 1 1/2 by 1/4 inch the bar would be nearly one mile long!!
But no, this is a billet of simple 300 layer damascus steel. For swords i like to make something more sophisticated..... and less hard.

Achim

[Gene Chapman]

Achim, you have us all glued to our seats waiting for the final result.

[rhrocker]

I like the idea of the one mile long sword! You'd beat anything in Ripleys, that's for sure!
It would have to be articulated for parades and such !! Ok, Ok, maybe not. I'll still follow the post with keen interest. Maybe afterwards you'll sell off small pieces of it to knifemakers. One billet = 1,500 knifemakers.

[AchimW]

New pics on website now:

http://www.7knifedwarfs.com/aw/2006/...ascus-bar.html

[Andries Olivier]

GREAT! Is this a new world record?

[AchimW]

Nobody ever claimed a world record before. To the best of my knowledge, the biggest billet before this one was made by Manfred Sachse and his crew in the 1980's. It was 1.3 tons and had 7 layers.

Achim