I'll go ahead and let you see the blade of one of my projects. This is one of those that make me use an awful lot of what I know about making a knife. Actually, this kind of knife forces me to learn new things, or at least, try new things.
The blade is 11-1/2 inches long of my laddered "W" pattern Damascus. I have it drawn on paper and may show you the drawing too when I get a chance.
The intention is for this knife to remind you of the Iron Mistress while not being a copy. I'm speaking of the one designed for the 1952 version movie knife. I might round up a picture of it if I can. I'm not in love with that knife, but some of the features are useful and, in my opinion, attractive. So I borrowed some features of that knife to work into my design. As you know, I have shown some large knives here that form a series. Southland, Southland II, III, etc. This is the Southern Mistress since its in that series and I am wanting it to remind one of the old South and days of Jim Bowie.
It will take me some time to complete this one but I should be working on it in the next couple weeks to show some progress. Here is the blade.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7516/15887503858_9f740e1e2d_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/qcVBoj)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7569/15887506038_1fd1a83e79_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/qcVC2U)
You have a solid foundation there Lin. Looking forward to seeing it come together. :campfire:
Am I gonna get to see that in Little Rock?
That is turning out beautifully. Very nice chatoyance. I am looking forward to seeing the way this one works out.
Chris
Thanks
Yes Karl, I plan to have it in Little Rock.
I don't know if you can pick it up in the picture but it has a hamon almost halfway up and switches back and up behind the clip. Of course the Damascus pattern is mostly what you see but its there.
Lin, that is very nice work!
If you don't mind, what is the height of the blade and the length of the clip?
Thanks for showing this one.
Wayne
Wayne, the height is a bit over 2 inches. I have not measured the clip but it about 4-3/4 to 5 inches.
Thanks
Another winner Lin.
This one will be Epic I am sure!
I like the way you draw out the choil on your big blades!
Steve
---------
Potomac Forge
Member, W.F. Moran Jr. Foundation
Looks like the start of something epic Lin,
can't wait to see it finished.
LP
Lin -
Is this the picture of the Iron Mistress you mentioned? I think Alan Ladd played Jim Bowie.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e285/bard9l/IronMistress.jpg) (http://s41.photobucket.com/user/bard9l/media/IronMistress.jpg.html)
Yes Danny, it is. Thank you for posting this.
If that is not the actual movie knife, it is patterned pretty closely after it.
My knife is just borrowing some features from it. I want there to be a family resemblance but hopefully with a bit more curve and detail.
Already you see the long straight edge and deep clip. My clip is not as extreme as this original but deeper than most of my others.
I frequently get hamon on my 1095/15N20 combination. Once we get into high layer count and alloy migration - about anything can happen
And does.
That's cool.
WOW!!! holy moly, that's a short sword not a knife!
way to go, lin - GORGEOUS WORK!!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Incredible Lin!!!!
Jay
Lin, I don't think you should show that knife anymore, it's really not up to your normal quality. Just send it over to OK, or I'll even just drive over & pick it up from you so you don't have to worry.
Just trying to be helpful.
:readit:
No, really, as usual that is exquisite!
Well I started back on this knife. I forged the guard from 416 stainless.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7489/16001633960_61f36314d2_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/qo1yhG)
Then I started rough grinding it to shape checking often to see if it was with the drawing.
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8675/16001635180_b20d8c4972_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/qo1yDJ)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7501/16188964955_2b45375377_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/qEyFgr)
This where the real time consuming work begins.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7477/16020968780_92f33f722b_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/qpHDRE)
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8664/15588335873_c1ec6756e4_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/pKuiaB)
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8595/16020832040_bc8146f8a6_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/qpGXd5)
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8592/15588337103_972c85d7c8_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/pKuiwP)
So very cool and original Lin!
OOOH AAAH :campfire:
Artist work...congrats Lin beautifull
You have your own unique take on fittings Lin..... it's neat watching your style evolve.
You heat treat the 416 stainless fittings correct? Could you maybe elaborate on that a bit? I am considering using 416 stainless for a fighter/bowie I am working on. I'll be engraving them, not forging, but I think they need heat treated to kick the stainless qualities into gear if I read correctly.
Darcy :campfire:
Thanks fellers. :campfire:
Darcy, I don't know if this is what you're looking for but here goes.
I forge the 416 at a high heat never letting it get below red while hammering. High orange is just right but the range of safe working is narrow.
After every forging, tweaking, or high heat cycle, I subcritical anneal. For instance, after forging the piece to shape as in the first picture, I annealed. Then a couple of times after I checked it to the drawing I had to heat it back up and change the angle of the balls or curve or something. I then annealed again. This stuff tends to get hard spots from air hardening I presume.
If any air hardening at all takes place it would be right where the narrow points are and that might lead to a break or at least make it hard to file. The main thing is that I want to normalize the piece so there is not inconsistencies, which is generally a bad thing in this context. Another reason is that this piece is a challenge to hold while working on it so any aggressive attempts to grip it in the vise might lead to a broken guard.
I worked 2-1/2 days on the guard alone. So, you can see why I was compelled to take such careful measures.
As for engraving, the softer and more consistent
it is through the piece the easier the engraving. No hard spots.
Your question has me wondering if you mean something pertaining to the stain resistance. Is that what you mean?
I was meaning, do you heat treat after forging(and what is the "recipe" for that if you do). I had heard that 416 needs to be hardened and tempered to take full advantage of stain resistance.
Thanks for the reply about the forging.......2 and a half days on the guard.......wow! Looking worth the effort though......really cool guard.
I just noticed that both the lugs are angled forward and not "S" shaped. I was planning that for my next one as well........although I will use mild steel for the guard and stainless for the spacer and butt cap.
I'll engrave the stainless in the annealed state it is in from the supplier, but wondered if I should heat treat them afterwords.
Thanks again Lin. :)
Darcy :campfire:
Darcy, I really don't know if that is the case or not. Even if that is the case, I don't know if its worth the risk of breakage. That's just me. I would like to hear more on that if you find out something.
OK. If I find any info I'll post it here.
Darcy :campfire:
Just found this. http://www.speedymetals.com/information/Material50.html
It claims maximum corrosion resistance is obtained by hardening and polishing......although probably not necessary for this application??
Darcy
Thanks Darcy.
I'm off this knife for a couple more days. I have to be able to give it my full attention to do things right. More pictures over the weekend.
:campfire:
Thanks Lin,
Found some more info. Basically for what you are doing, and what I have planned, annealed is probably the most practical.........so you had it nailed down already......and I was overthinking it........why am I not surprised :D
Here's the info.
http://www.schmolz-bickenbach.ca/fileadmin/user_upload/_SCHULUNG_/USA/Ugitech/416.pdf
And another.......this one states annealed is not usually recommended for corrosion resistance.........best is clean and smooth, and free of any coatings.......and exposed to open air. I though this part was interesting.
"It is most important that oxygen is always allowed to circulate freely on all stainless steel surfaces to ensure that a chrome oxide film is always present to protect it. If this is not the case, rusting will occur as with other types of non stainless steels."
http://www.interlloy.com.au/our-products/stainless-steel/416-martensitic-stainless-steel-bar/
Darcy :campfire:
Darcy, Very interesting.
If I understand this, in the context of our application, it means that basically it (416) should not sit on a wet surface for prolonged time periods or leave debris stuck to it for months or there might be some tarnishing. Again if I understand it, the direct contact with other material for long periods allows the corrosion to bridge through the oxides that should/would otherwise be there in the form of a protective layer under open air environment. The result being rust spots.
That's about how I read it. And it tends to be brittle if tempered in the wrong range, and is not noted for serious impact strenght in the higher hardness levels......so clean and annealed should be as tough and corrosion resistant as we can expect.......within reason. So probably not the best choice for fittings on your carbon Damascus saltwater diving knife :smileystooges:
The high sulphur content is to make it easy to machine.......so it should engrave OK.
Sorry for the thread hijack. Looking forward to the rest of your pics on this.
Darcy :campfire:
I'm glad to hear it in this thread Darcy. It certainly relates to this knife.
I finished this knife last evening. I think it turned out well. Pictures coming soon.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7294/15763018243_cc4813c229_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/q1VA9B)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7408/15763019693_22942f52e4_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/q1VAzB)
Lin That is Purty!!!Thanks for posting!
Gonna have a hard time outdoing that one, Lin.
She's a stunner.
Man-o-Man what a beauty!!
:clapper:
Another masterpiece. You made another one of a kind knife that is a true work of art.
Lin
Your mistress is indeed Stunning :thumbsup:
Thanks guys. :campfire:
Here is the pro photo
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7326/16365648016_037e7b80d1_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/qWbdZ7)
Looks like enough blade to behead a wildebeest! I like that!
Got a question for you Lin. How is the ball finial attached at the butt? I assume threaded on, but how did you grip it for final assembly if that's the case?
Darcy :campfire:
Lin,
OUTSTANDING!!
Sarge
Thanks
Darcy, the ball started as a cube from a larger bar of 416 into which I drilled a hole about 1/4 inch deep. The threaded rod fit snug but not tight down into the hole. I hard soldered it with some high temp silver solder. After turning the ball round and texturing it I established the length necessary and cut the machine screw. The machine screw threads into a coupling nut attached to the tang by splitting the nut half of its length and pinning it. This was dry fit several times to make sure it would work smoothly before applying the acraglas. When I was ready, I taped the butt cap dome area. I used water pump pliers with a leather piece in the jaws lapping down onto the butt cap. The acraglass acts as a lubricant to some degree so I have to be aware of the point of actual contact and just tighten it down a half turn or so beyond that. There was no leaking of the acraglas after it was snugged down.
All of the real work should be in the fit and the mechanics to be sure there is no problems while the adhesive is being applied. I do a two stage glue up on a handle like this. Sometimes three.
Thanks for the detailed reply Lin. Makes sense and helps me understand the connection(no pun intended) between the earlier pics of the tang with no threads and the ball at the end.
Most people cannot comprehend the amount of work in a project like this.......
Thanks again for posting your work here.
Darcy :campfire: