I figured out a way of making spirograph damascus with 2 forge welds.
I can’t believe I did not think of doing it in this way…it’s actually so simple, quick and easy.
The steel is a combo of 2 old files and L6.
Spirograph Damascus
January 17th, 2012Butterfly and cable damascus
January 10th, 2012Norman an I made this piece of damascus from L6 and steel cable with a piece of 5160 for the edge weld.
You can’t see the cable so clearly yet because it is still only on 300 grit and was only quickly dunked into the ferric chloride.
We cut in X’s and drilled some shallow holes in between to get the pattern.
New switch for the Power Hammer
January 6th, 2012When the switch on the power hammers’ pedal broke for the third time it was obvious that car door light switches just weren’t quite robust enough for the power hammer.
I made the switch with some scrap wood, copper pate, a small coil spring, two washers and 8 screws.
It works perfectly and it comes apart easily.
My Makers Mark and Knifemakers Directory Listing
January 5th, 2012I have listed myself on the Knifemakers Directory and you can access my listing by clicking the following link: http://www.knifemakersdirectory.com/Listing.asp?ListingID=67
If you ever wondered what my Makers Mark look like you can simply check the logo on my blades.
It looks like this…
Terracotta is not a good idea!
January 2nd, 2012Note to self and other forge makers:
Using terracotta tiles in a gas forge is a stupid and dangerous idea.
I do not even know why I thought it would work in the first place.
I made a cement plug with a terracotta tile stuck to the front of it for my Hot-tentot forge in order to plug off the front chamber when only using that part.
About 5 – 10 min into the process of testing the plug, the terracotta tile exploded just as I openend the door of the forge. Luckily I had my safety goggles on or I would be busy removing tile fragments from my eyes now.
The bigger pieces of the tile is still in the forge and I have substituted the tile for ceramic fibre blanket as you can see in the photos below.
Thirsty Hunter
December 31st, 2011It has been a while since I made a hunting knife and since I only had a couple of leave days left it was the perfect chance to make one.
The damascus was made a while back and it has a butterfly type pattern and is a mix of 3 different steels O1, L6 and W2.
I first wanted to file the back in a decorative pattern but then decided to make it more functional by adding a bottle opener. This is why I call it the “thisty hunter”…because it will suit a thisty hunter :p
The guard and pin is brass while the handle is Wild Olive with a Black Ivory inlay.
Post Box Forge Upgrade
December 27th, 2011After completing the Hot-tentot forge I was inspired enough to upgrade my Post Box Forge too.
I upgraded the top lid so that I could open and close it easily and added the adjustable gadget for holding long pieces of steel or a billet with a handle.
The reasoning behind opening the lid is so that the forge can double up as a brass or copper melting furnace.
Hot-tentot Forge
December 25th, 2011My old welding forge built in 2006 was in a bad shape and it was not worth fixing up anymore.
Since I was on leave and needed a new forge for welding, there simply was no better time to build the one I had in the back of my head for more than a year now. Here is a video: Hot-tentot Forge
It is my first forge with two burners and also two chambers…somthing that I have not seen before. The two chambers will allow me to work in only half the forge or both chambers if I wanted too.
A nice edition is the doors at the front of the forge that opens and closes by the pull or push of a lever. It also has a door at the back end like the old forge did.
The burners is 1 inch pipe with flameholders and a tap to close off the one burner if so required.
All painted black with high heat spray paint.
I am still waiting for the refractory cement to cure but I am litterally burning to use it.
Croc Fighter
December 4th, 2011I made a nice big knife for a change.
The blade is made from 5160 high carbon leaf spring. Forged, grinded, hardened, polished and “blackenised”.
The handle is of 3 piece construction with two pieces of dark hardwood on the outsides and a slender piece of whiter hardwood for the core. I wanted a real snug grip for the handle to stop the blade from slipping from the hand when it’s chopped about through the air.
The sheath is a combination of cow and croc with brass for the belt loops which I think gives it an interresting look.
Flower Power Forge
November 23rd, 2011So the gas ran out again and my old charcoal/coal forges are all in a pretty sad state so I decided to build a quick one.
I had the perfect pieces of steel just lying around the workshop, and had my eye on a thick concave piece of steel and an old grinder stand. They fit together like peanut butter and jelly if that makes any sense.
I also made a kind of airflow valve for adjusting air power to the forge and added a thinner pipe on the side of the main airflow pipe where the blower attaches. It was a real quick build…and you might bethinking “damn but it looks old and rusted”…well it just because it was made with rusty steel.
I call it “Flower Power” as it looks like a flower and works better than any other charcoal/coal forge I have built in the past.
