Thread: First Chef and First Hamon

Made this somewhat experimental blade to get a bit of practice with chef knives and hamons. Had trouble getting the whole blade evenly heated in my small forge chamber, which I believe is responsible for the undefined area of the hamon near the heel. This is 1095, and I used satanite clay for the hamon line, heated in propane forge, quenched in parks 50. Did a quick etch with slightly diluted ferric chloride, followed by a short vinegar bath and a bit of lemon juice. Not a lot of detail in this hamon. I have some W2 now for my next attempt and just got my heat treat oven delivered today, so I'm excited to make some good improvements on the next attempt. Learned a lot and had some fun.

Is it still hard near that one spot near the heal when you honed the blade? Good looking blade...

Edge seems good. You can't tell very well on the photos, but that big blob doesn't quite run all the way to the edge, just much closer than the rest. Haven't used it yet, but time will tell if that area will stand up to use. Either way, this was a good learning experience!

Originally Posted by ne0nblakk

Made this somewhat experimental blade to get a bit of practice with chef knives and hamons. Had trouble getting the whole blade evenly heated in my small forge chamber, which I believe is responsible for the undefined area of the hamon near the heel. This is 1095, and I used satanite clay for the hamon line, heated in propane forge, quenched in parks 50. Did a quick etch with slightly diluted ferric chloride, followed by a short vinegar bath and a bit of lemon juice. Not a lot of detail in this hamon. I have some W2 now for my next attempt and just got my heat treat oven delivered today, so I'm excited to make some good improvements on the next attempt. Learned a lot and had some fun.

Very nice, the handle material is very fetching. What is it kirinite?

NeOn,
I live in Rochester but still have a house in Iowa City where I may be moving back to soon. I would love to visit you and your toys so that I can learn from you while you are learning.

That's a nice knife!