Let's build a Texas Toothpick slipjoint together.

[Don Robinson]

I'm cutting out the back to back blade pattern and gluing it to my 3/32" CPM 154. I also run a black marker around the pattern.

I have a specific reason for leaving extra stock at the ends of the blades.

I always make two blades at once.

Reason 1. I use one for a handle while grinding the other.

2. It saves setup time to perform the same operation twice.

[Mike Turner]

Hey Don we do have that live chat here called the bullpen would be faster to talk that way. Also I will be away tomorrow I am going to a blacksmithing conference be back on Sunday.

Don do you mind doing a damascus blade and back spring so we can go over the heat treat and tempering of the back spring?

[Don Robinson]

Cut out your blades and back spacers. Leave lots of extra stock all the way around, especially on the kicks.

If you intend to grind your blades instead of milling, then you don't need the extra stock on the ends.

[Don Robinson]

Originally Posted by Mike Turner

Hey Don we do have that live chat here called the bullpen would be faster to talk that way. Also I will be away tomorrow I am going to a blacksmithing conference be back on Sunday.

Don do you mind doing a damascus blade and back spring so we can go over the heat treat and tempering of the back spring?

Mike, I don't know how to do the bullpen thing. I also don't want to get involved in discussions with others that don't apply to this thread. Can we make it private and limited to just our participants?

The back spring heat treat will depend on the alloys in the damascus. Yes, I'll help you with that if I can.

[Mike Turner]

Did not think about that Don and not sure about making it Private I will ask Alex.


I use 1084, 15N20 or 1080, 15N20 for most of my pattern welded stuff so you know so we can get the spring tempered correctly.

[beebee58]

Just spent most of the day cleaning the workbench, rearranging the shop, squaring up the drill press and mill, along with making sure I have all the supplies needed to do this project Don.
I have deceided to just epoxy and pin the bolsers on this one instead of using a spot welder or even silver soldering (doesn't mean that I won't practice what you show).
Of the 4 slippies that I have made so far (2 still on the bench) the hardest part for me has been the heat treat and tempering of the lock bar. I either get them too soft or so hard that they snap, I'm sure there is a happy place somewhere in the middle. I just have found a consistant way to do that.
I can't wait to start on this on Monday............... since I'm on vacation next week and the boys are still in school, I should move along quickly.


BB

[Don Robinson]

In order to mill the flats, you need a tilting table like this one.

Also the blade must be fastened to a tooling aid, the plate with tapped holes in it in this case.

I place the blade edge parallel to the plate, then clamp the plate parallel to the table.

In the photos I'm drilling two 1/4 dia. holes for the screws and deburring the holes using a countersink mounted in the hand drill.

I always remove all burrs by using a hand file held as shown. Deburring after any machining is absolutely imperative.

[Don Robinson]

I place the plate on the table, clamp either 2 or 3 places, and tilt the table. in this case about 7 degrees. The tilt angle depends on how far you want the flat to go toward the spine and the width of the blade.

Later I'll grind the flats on my belt grinder and blend the point angle in before heat treating.

These photos show milling one blade flat, then relocating and milling the second flat.

[Don Robinson]

I'm measuring how far the flat on each blade comes up toward the spine, using a black marker to blacken the second side of each blade, then using the caliper points to scribe a corresponding line on the other side of the blades.

I'll simply cut to this line when I mill the second sides.

I eyeball the plunge location on the first side (easy to see while it's clamped to the table) and cut and match the plunges by eye on this side.

The blades come out with the cutting edge centered and matched plunges.

[Don Robinson]

Milling the other side to the scribed line and matching the plunges.

Look carefully at the second photo. It clearly shows the plunges are lined up on the blade that has been milled. Easy to do.

[Don Robinson]

Grinding the as-rolled surface of the blades and backsprings flat and parallel.

[Don Robinson]

Next I'll paste the patterns back on the blade making sure there's material at the kicks, go all the way around the patterns using a marker in case the paper comes loose, and get ready to grind the actual profiles.

[22H2]

Don I am going to grind the blade and I normaly do that after heat treat. does that matter?

Ted

[Don Robinson]

Originally Posted by beebee58

Just spent most of the day cleaning the workbench, rearranging the shop, squaring up the drill press and mill, along with making sure I have all the supplies needed to do this project Don.
I have deceided to just epoxy and pin the bolsers on this one instead of using a spot welder or even silver soldering (doesn't mean that I won't practice what you show).
Of the 4 slippies that I have made so far (2 still on the bench) the hardest part for me has been the heat treat and tempering of the lock bar. I either get them too soft or so hard that they snap, I'm sure there is a happy place somewhere in the middle. I just have found a consistant way to do that.
I can't wait to start on this on Monday............... since I'm on vacation next week and the boys are still in school, I should move along quickly.


BB

I have used pins in the past. Forgot about that! Sure, you can put two extra 1/16" pins thru the bolster and liners, peen them together and get on about the rest.

Now for the benefit of others who want to use the extra pin method:

In the rear bolster you'll have 3 pins, one 3/32" all the way thru, and two 1/16" pins to hold the bolster in place.

Just be sure all the pins and bolster material are exactly the same material or the pins will show.

Keep the pins well inside the finished profile so you won't grind into one when you finish the profile.

Thanks for bringing this up. It may help someone else and I had completely forgotten this method.

Now remind me again. What's your name? Remember I'm old and my memory isn't good at all.

[Don Robinson]

I want to be sure no one misunderstands the last post about the extra pins.

Do not drill the 3/32" pin hole in the rear bolster until I show you what to do. If you use the extra pin method above, just get the bolsters pinned to the liners and stop there.