Thread: Another newbie

Hi all,

Just wanted to post a few pictures of my first attempts using O1 tool steel and some really basic tools.

I bought a bar of 1/4" x 2" O1 steel and set about tracing my beloved W&B Irish/oblique point for a first attempt.


Man, that steel is hard already (and I am conscious of not overheating, although have shown yellow/blue marks at a few 'oops' points).

I found a 1x42 belt grinder for $50 and have worn out two belts... which is good, actually, as I have learned how they cut at different points in their lives. The triangular AlSi or whatever it is cuts like magic, but makes a nice mellow belt when it's old. I went through two bits to drill that one little hole! I have a drill press coming next week for another $50.



My grinding skill isn't great (and the grinder has a hard plastic contact wheel), but they are shaping up ok so far. If anyone has suggestions for how to blend better, please let me know. The rounded blade was done purely by belt sander (except for initial shaping by angle grinder and hacksaw, and maybe a bit on the bench grinder).

As for the cleaver/square point, even though I intended to take the mirror image cutaway from the other blade and work it, I like the simple shape so far. I may add some embellishment to the handle or cut it away to resemble a Lewis one-piece (thanks for sharing your pics and videos, BTW!). It was hollowed purely on the 8" bench grinder with grey wheels (two grits) as a learning experience. I'm pretty satisfied with the progress... it's uniform at least, but it heats really fast.

Next will be some additional cleanup and then I have to tackle the heat treat. That's got me worried... will see if I can double the bbq and pencil torch, or maybe build something. There may be other makers nearby, but I'm already buying machines and consumables... this could get expensive!

One question: can you forge O1? I don't think so, but thought I'd ask.

Ok, thanks for looking. As I say, I'm a total newbie, so any suggestions are welcome.

Cheers,
Atchbo