Search results

I have always thought similarly about hamons, especially if done by edge quenching. If "agitation" in the quench media is so important (I always do it), then you really aren't getting that benefit in an edge quench, are you? I guess if you had some sort of circulation pump working in your tank...

Thanks for the explanation. I own a custom knife with a hamon and it doesn't cut better than any other knife that I own. I'll probably never try to see if it will bend 90. One thing that I will say is that it looks nice, if one is into that. Thanks for your opinion on the woods. They say that...

Doug, Just out of curiosity sake, can you expand a little on the hamon & stabilized wood issue. I have read a lot of opinions about stabilized wood. Thanks

Thanks for all the input. I will probably lay off the soft back draw unless someone asks specifically for a rugged use knife. I was only doing it since I thought it made a knife that was a touch better. Anytime I sell a knife though, I always think that there is a possibility that someone will...

Thanks Kevin. Do you think the soft back draw does much for toughening, adding flex or any other added benefit. Currently I am doing this on thinner blades (1/8") that might see rougher use. I read about it in Goddard's book and do it often, but I always think that the heat might run further...

I nailed the HT on an O-1 blade yesterday. But this morning I was doing a soft back draw on the spine (I already tempered the whole blade in the oven right after the quench) and got the tip too hot. What is the correct procedure for re-heat treating? Do I need to anneal, etc? What do I need to...

I did check out his site. I am somewhat familiar with hamons, at least I have an understanding of them. So I guess etching has no place for a blade that is neither edge quenched or clay coated? I typically quench the whole blade, homogenously temper, then come back and "draw" the spine with a...

A question about blade finishes. I have read, I think, in Ed Fowler's book that he etches his blades to check out something with the heat treatment. Is that the finish that he leaves on them (or anyone else that uses this method)? If so, what is the procedure for this. -Hand finish to a...

I have only done two up until the other day. They were both in O-1, and only 1.5 inches wide. I didn't think they were that bad. Just the other day though, I ground the same design in CPM 154 and I will say that sucked. It was my first experience with stainless and it didn't grind anywhere as...

I wish I had the opportunity to put it in a seperate room (outside), but my "shop" is just a small partitioned area (with canvas drapes) in the storage area of our basement. If I put the unit in my area, or right outside my partitioning drapes, then it sounds like it would just emit dust into...

Ed, thanks for the input. I do wear a respirator at the grinder. I just wanted to cut down on dust that accumulates everywhere in the shop. If it isn't there, then I thought it couldn't be stirred up and inhaled while doing other things in the shop (when not wearing a respirator). I figured a...

I am looking into getting a dust collection unit. I read the post earlier about setting up a dust collector, but my question is about a specific unit. Right now I have the window fan with a furnace filter taped to it, but it only does so much. I have it right beside my grinder, but it doesn't...

James, I would assume that it has the mill scale on it. I buy my O-1 precision ground, and it is much smoother/shinier. The CPM 154 is grey in color and is pitted in a sense.

I just started grinding the bevels on a knife I cut out of CPM 154. This is the first stainless experience for me. Most everything up until now has been O-1, 1095 and my Damascus. Am I wrong, or is there just not comparison in the way it grinds! I first noticed things when I was cutting it with...

Thank you both for your help. I recently finished two knives using the new bit (F) and the pins don't show much in the way of an epoxy line. After reading Doug's response, I looked in the Jantz catalog and found the metric bit that was tighter than the F. I will probably order it the next time I...

I have read on other threads about the need to get the correct size bits for certain holes, such as the 1/8" pin won't fit in an 1/8" hole. After reading this, I realized this might be my trouble with my 1/4" pins and holes, so I ordered a letter F bit (.2570) to see if it helped. I found...

Thanks for the replies guys. I do have a bench model tester and was asking out of experience. I will now admit, after looking more closely at my blade, that I do not think this one is a crack. I am pretty sure what I was seeing was a very light scribe when I was fitting bolster holes. I did...

So I think I have read in different threads that people are getting X amount of hardness out of the quench and X amount after their temper. Does everyone who has a tester test their blades after the quench. I thought it was best practice to get the blade into the tempering oven as soon as...

Be interested in seeing it when done. I try and do the method of grind as you described. I usually do the one pass and flip on all my blades. On the other hand, I usually go thinner on the edge before HT. I am scared to go back to the grinder once I have HT'd a blade. I am sure I can get...

That is a good question, along with all the other different styles of knives. It seems like what I call one thing, everyone else calls another. I guess it is all in the eyes of the beholder. Then again, I don't claim to know a whole lot about knife designs, I just like to draw things up and...