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The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need.

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  #16  
Old 11-03-2016, 08:47 AM
jimmontg jimmontg is offline
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Talking No do not reheat it.

Have you tried to run a file across the edge and if so how much did it seem to bite. Run the file away from the edge not into it. If it barely bites into it you are on the right track. Note a file should bite into it, but not easily, you should now have to put some pressure on it to file the edge. If it files it easily you tempered it too long or it didn't harden up right with the overheat. You can make it too hot. A lot of the carbon steels will have a sweet spot and it's between 1425 to 1480 and the higher the carbon the higher the austenitizing or hardening temp. As I said before O1 is 1475, but you have some flexibility if using a forge. Your bright orange in sunlight would be up near 1550 (max for O1) to 1650, was it yellowish?

Next after you grind it down and put an edge on it where you think you want it is the brass rod test, If it chips then you have some brittle steel and need to temper it back some more and if it bends and doesn't come back it's too soft, but the file will tell you that. Those are the two best tests you can do right away and if you really want to see what happened you would then put it through its paces and start carving shavings of preferably hardwoods or if you have some old thick rope see how many cuts you can do before it dulls up.

Try to find a video on youtube On the Knife Brass Rod Test to show you how it's done.Here's one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woP1tqF-dsg

Now I do not brass rod test my knives as I don't think it's as important as the hardness that is best for the steel I'm using. I have hardness files and can test my hardness (pretty much) and if it's where I think it should be I do the cutting tests, if it's too hard whittling dymondwood will crack the edge. I know my steels that I use and how they should be. Air quench steels I send to a professional heat treating company.

I sometimes used to use the forge at the college down the hill in trade for teaching TIG welding, but they haven't let me use it the last few blacksmithing or knife forging classes as the new welding teacher doesn't want me "screwing" his students up with my 40 years of welding experience and metallurgy classes. So they go out not knowing how to counter warp weld or even how to weld a 90 degree angle without having to beat it back with a big rubber mallet. Their syllabus doesn't teach somethings that experience could. But I'm not resentful! LOL
I just have to buy Damon some propane and drive 60 miles and he'll let me use his forge after he tunes it up or something he said was wrong with it at the moment. He also tries to poison me with the hottest peppers in the world he grows. He's also one of the best engravers and knife makers around too.
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  #17  
Old 11-03-2016, 10:14 AM
ssvacha ssvacha is offline
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No it was not yellowish. I will try the file test and will sharpen and do the brass rod test. I'll post the results.

Thanks so much!

Shawn
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  #18  
Old 11-03-2016, 07:45 PM
ssvacha ssvacha is offline
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I did the brass rod test. After sharpening it I pressed the edge against a brass rod and while I have to really press hard for any bending, there is a slight bump that I can feel in the edge after.

I will finish the handle and will really test the knife on a variety of materials then break it.

Thanks for the tips!

Shawn
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  #19  
Old 11-05-2016, 07:31 PM
jimmontg jimmontg is offline
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Sorry I didn't get back sooner Shawn.

You said you had to put a lot of pressure to bend the edge, but it stayed partially bent? How did the file test feel? Did it bite into the steel easily or did it take some pressure too?

I'm just curious and wondering how the cutting tests are going. A two minute heat of O1 where it was bright orange in daylight has got my professional curiosity up.LOL
If you do a break test I would like to see a close up picture if possible, it's your first knife and if it makes a lot of cuts before going dull you might not want to break it, but use it. I'll understand, but that goes against all the heat treat specs I ever saw on O1, a two minute heat to probably around 1550+. If it turned out to be a great knife would just be humorous to me. So please excuse me.lol
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  #20  
Old 11-07-2016, 06:52 AM
ssvacha ssvacha is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jimmontg View Post
You said you had to put a lot of pressure to bend the edge, but it stayed partially bent? How did the file test feel? Did it bite into the steel easily or did it take some pressure too?
Yes, what I did is sharpened the knife so that it easily cut paper, but I didn't bring it to hair popping sharpness. I also don't have a 1/4 brass rod but do have a 1/8 that I am going to use for the scales. I put the brass rod on the anvil section of my bench vise and really pushed hard (it was difficult to see any bending). I did this in a few places and then ran my fingers alongside the blade. I could feel a few areas where there were bumps but I didn't notice this everywhere I did the pressure test.

Next, I started whittling and chopping at some scrap wood. I also hammered the blade into a piece as well. I haven't tried the rope cutting test. I don't have 1/2 inch but I do have quarter inch twine.

I haven't broken the blade yet. I need to put the scales on and abuse the knife for a bit. I am also starting to shape my next blade.

Thanks again!

Shawn
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  #21  
Old 11-07-2016, 09:28 AM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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Quarter inch twine won't help if it's cotton twine, needs to be hemp...


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  #22  
Old 11-07-2016, 09:09 PM
ssvacha ssvacha is offline
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Thanks for the info! I'll have to get some.

Shawn
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  #23  
Old 11-10-2016, 05:47 AM
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Crex Crex is offline
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Originally Posted by JeremyRayTurner View Post
One more critical point in heat treating that I have found to be true on mainly longer blades from experience and as well that I learned watching the television show with Daniel Casey called Fire and Iron is that when you bring your work out of the forge and plunge it into the oil, you want to keep the spine of your work or the tip if your edge quenching pointing TRUE NORTH due to the magnetic field and pull of the Earth some times this alone will warp your blade especially if it is over heated, when it is over heated it takes a second or two for the treat to set and establish allowing the magnetic field of the Earth naturally pull the blade North when its Magnetic Properties come back alive ~ the magnetic pull of the earth can will and does make a difference ~
Yeah, ever notice which way you go when you fall off a ladder?????

If you think that warps your blade you need to do more real research.


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