Thread: forge tang/blade transition

Originally Posted by spazola

Thanks for the replies and the video, I will keep trying. The part of the video that intrigues me starts at 1:10. I wonder if I should make a fuller tool of some sorts. I have a hard time trying to hit the exact same spot repeatedly. I can draw the metal out, but I cannot make a proper L shape transition. I finally broke down and used the file to get more of an inside corner.

Thanks

Charlie

Charlie,

My approach is to hang the blade portion of the steel off the edge of the anvil. I use the corner of the anvil face to establish the step-down while hammering flat on the spine. It's actually easier to get a good transition on a razor than it is on a knife, which needs an even step-down on both sides.

It's very difficult to hold the blade edge up and then try to hammer in the same spot over and over to create the step-down.

Other than that, it's what Mike said--working both dimensions alternately. Make sure you're getting a high enough heat for the heavy-duty metal moving, then work at a lower temp to keep things from getting all mushy on you.

Josh

I do not have a real anvil. I am using a round piece of metal about 4” round by 24” its ends have a large chamfers I will grind a square edge on a portion and try what all of you have suggested this weekend.

Thanks

Charlie

You don't need a sharp corner, exactly. A 90-degree angle with a 1/4" radius works well. A lot of older anvils have broken-down corners, so you wind up with the same situation by default.

If you think you'll stick with this, a real anvil is hard to beat. Keep an eye on craigslist.com. Around here they pop up every couple of months or so.

Josh

I am getting closer to making a corner. The method of using a corner to hammer over did the trick.

It is funny you mentioned Craig’s List I have been checking it on a regular basis to look for an anvil.

I have had fun trying my hand at forging. There is something therapeutic about hitting something with a large hammer.

Thanks for everybody’s help.

Charlie

Originally Posted by spazola

There is something therapeutic about hitting something with a large hammer.

So true... I ran out of coworkers and thus turned to forging.

That corner is nice and sharp--good work. Be careful with sharp edges, as they can cut into the steel a bit.

Also, if you haven't learned about cold shuts yet, now's a good time. Basically they are deep wrinkles that occur when you try to move steel too much in a particular direction without working the opposite dimension. If you set a piece of steel edgewise on your anvil and start hammering, the steel pushes down into itself, but it also mushrooms out at the top and bottom. If you keep hammering on the top and bottom without working the sides, the mushroomed areas will fold over and close up, but they won't actually weld together. You end up with a nasty flaw in the steel that will run deep into the bar.

Whenever you're trying to move a lot of steel, keep turning the bar.

Josh

Very good sharp corner. And yes, it is an excellent way to stress relieve the smith.

And the next thought to temper your enthusiasm is to discuss stress risers, before you start breaking blades in the heat treatment process.

Sharp angles are places where cracks and fractures are more likely during the hardening portion of heat treatment. During that rapid cooling down, there is a lot of movement at the molecular-crystalline level. You will break less blades if you leave even the smallest smooth radius in that corner. If it has to be sharp, you can file it down after hardening and tempering.

Not that having such things happen won't help your learning curve, just trying to save you some heartbreak when you're in the early groove and feeling (well earned BTW) good about what you're doing.

I was in a hammering frenzy. I was excited that the process was actually working and put little thought into the product. I will break the corners and put a radius on the inside corner before HT.

Like most learned things, the process will get better over time. (I hope!)

I need to modify my tools a little bit and practice even more.

Thanks

having fun in TX

Charlie