This section you will find little pieces of information, like, "Ahh!! Thats how that is done" type of thing or if I am posting for comments. It will be things on general practice.
My personal Rifle that I engraved. #1
This will NOT be shown on the public Micro show link that everyone sees. I wanted this piece to be available for yall if possible.
This is a Winchester High Wall in 7mm WSM caliber. It is the first of three guns that I plan on engraving. The other two will be for Dakota Firearms company. One of the Dakotas will be for open bid to the highest bidder. One of them will be mine, which is why I decided to sell this one. I have engraved on this gun, my first, for two years off an on, I tried to do at least an hour a week sometimes it was more. It did not take long to find out that guns are different than knives.... Arrrgg. I have no idea of the amount of hours that it took.
I am taking it tomorrow to have it hot blued along with rebluing the rest of the gun so it will match and it will look different than my hand polishing the tops so that the engraving is smooth. This photo is so yall can get a rough idea of what it looks like. I will post up a finshed photo after the bluing.
It is engraved with what is supposed to be a Kudo, though I thought it looked like a Holsten Cow that got ran over by the Fedex delivery truck, ok, maybe. Both sides match except for the banner that holds my name.
This gun is unfired and comes with a box of shells. I plan on trying to make a Walnut handled Carbon steel Hunting knife to go with this gun.
Comments on The Mother Of Pearl Sendero.
Pictured on the regular Micro show button
I named it "Your daughters Sendero" for a reason. It could have been just as likely named "Your Wife's Sendero". What I am aiming for here is for guys that wants their wives or daughters to experience knife collecting as you see it. A lot of women would not care for a large manly type handle or set up though they can and do appreciate your interest. By getting them a knife of their own that is scaled down they would be able to also have a collection or a larger interest in your collection. I personally think knife collecting can be a family hobby or family interest. Any woman at time does need to cut things be it paper, threads, bags or packages from those much appreciated shopping trips that she goes on. This one can have a sheath made for it that would safely fit into a purse if she wanted to carry it.
Now, all of this is to say that the knife is well made, strongly built and would serve well on a hiking trip as well for any guy. I was just scaling it down for lighter weight and shorter handle.
Again, yall let me know what you think of this ideal as well you email in.
Work In progress Threads
In this section you will learn step by step how a particular knife was made.
The board
Here is were I write down my daily or weekly [or weakly] activity. What I have written now are steps to get to where I want to go. If I do not do this and running two billets of damascus at a time I can cross pollinate which is not good.
This is to show you how hot this place gets around here. The billet is in the fire that is running about 3000 F. Fans are blowing but it does not keep me from getting too hot. About two hours at a time is it for me anymore before I get hotted up. Thats a good southern word, Hotted up.
Work In Progress
Arkansas Toothpick
Ok, we begin. I have a stack of 11 pieces. 6 of them are 1084 carbon steel and 5 of them are of 15N20 steel. I put them in the forge and bring them up to about 2300F
Here I am welding under the new Hyd press. In this photo I had just squeezed the weld and am flipping it on its side to make sure it remains flat as I go.
Here I am drawing out the length of the billet under the power hammer. so I can get 5 equal pieces in its length.
Bob took this picture from AFAR. Now it will depend upon where you live in this country if you wonder if that was the Far in the Forge or from a distance.
Anyway, here I am hand hammering it straight so that when I restack it there will be no wandering around. It will have one more stack. This will be for a twist pattern so the Damascus will be welded again drawn out next time to about 3/8 inch square. At this photo the billet measures a rectangle, about 1 3/4 inch wide and a bit over 1/2 inch thick and however long it is.
Board #2 for Toothpick
Do not pay any attention to the basket weave section it is addressed in its part. On the Toothpick you can see now what we are going to do. The reserved 11 layer piece will be the center core of the Pick, it will be straight lines of an 11 count. The others will be 55 layer ct. A maker has to balance the layer count with how many twists he puts in. I have done twist with as few as 20 layers and as many as 80 though I think that it too many. There is a long ways to go with this billet of damascus so stay tuned.
Pic 5
Twisting the bars. Ok, I have drew the bar stock out to measure 1/2 inch square by 46 inches long. I cut two pieces 10 inches long.
I heated them up in the forge to nearly welding temp. then put
just the first 1/2 inch of the end under the hyd press to hold it then begin to twist. Now, a person needs to know their limitatation so I ALWAYS twist my left hand one first or sure as shooting I will have two right hand twists. I have done it a bunch of times before I learn to out think myself. So the picture above is doing the left hand twisting. I am twisting it pretty dang tight.
I have decided that what I am going to do is a 3 bar RH and LH twist with the center bar being straight. The two outside ones have 55 layers the center one 11 layers.
WIP Basketweave Damascus pattern
You will not see this pattern from me a lot and below is the reason why.
Here I am starting out with 11 pcs, like on the toothpick.
At this point it is welded up like normal.
Here is were it starts getting different. Instead of keeping rectangle I put it under "squaring" dies. These dies form a square when they come togther. I start out with a 2 inch square die, then choke it down to 1 1/2 inch square die then finally down to 1 inch square dies. This takes awhile, for instance I was 2 hours after welding just to get it drawn down to the one inch square die.
Here is a good photo of going from 1 1/2 inch square and choking it down to the one inch size.
You will notice as I choke down to the one inch the billet start to get longer. However since it is welded and drawn from all 4 sides at once it keeps its pattern without distortions. You can also see I have it proballly to about 1 1/4 inch square as there is still some billet showing. You have to be really careful and not over squeeze as it will "pinch" it and screw it up. Little at time, reheat, do it again and again.
The billet started out as 11 pieces that measured 1 1/2 inch wide by 2 3/4 inch tall by 6 inches long. We now have it at one inch square and however long that is. Once it cools I grind it clean and start the next step, man, you gotta see this so this next step is where it all starts.
Board #2 for Basket Weave
On the basketweave section you can figure out I hope of where we are headed with this. We are a long ways from making our pattern. We had our 11 layers and have now brought it to I think 14 1/2 inch in length and one inch square.
Picture 6
We are now ready to make weld #2. You can slightly see were I have layed out to were the layers go in opposite directions from each other on all 4 cornors. [See Board #2]. I will weld these up and draw them to one inch square then cut it into 4 equal lengths and layout the weave again but it will be that much smaller. Repeat as shown on the board till we get our fourth weld.
To get to the point of what the board says on both the Pick and the Weave will take a good 7 days maybe as much as 10 days. Then both will go their own directions. Both will be still a long ways out from being ready to grind. For instance even after the approx 10 days on the Weave thats just to get the pattern. Remember on Mosaics the pattern is in the center of the bar, not on the sides for you to see it for nearly all of them. That is were the rub comes in, getting it inverted to were you can see it. Don't change that channel more exciting is coming.
I have one more weld to do after this photo.
I thought I would show what is a progress of what the pattern is doing. Please remember these are end cuts so there is some distortion that will not be in the blade. Who ever picks this piece up can have these with it if you want.
On the left hand side is the orginal layers, the middle block is it drawn out to 1 inch square and its first weave. The right hand piece shows it having been 4 wayed a second time. I want to do it one more time. You have to remember or guess how for you will draw it out because in the drawing out of the length the pattern will stretch or get larger about 1 to 2 times as big. Even at that, our originial block that measured 1 1/2inch by 2 3/4 inch will only be about 1/8 inch square if I have it figured out right. You will still be able to count each of the layers in the block when we are finished.
Once this weld is done I will draw it out a bit longer then start trying to pull the pattern from the center out to the side. I hope yall will learn more when we start that part.
I am having to watch the heat close. Our actual temp has been over 100 for weeks and been up over 107 for days and has went up to as high as 113 so my time in the forge is limited.