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Post by Matt993f.o.d on May 21, 2008 20:30:47 GMT
I started my letter opener project, using a piece of 1/2" round stock and it was going so well...
The forging was going well. No hammer marks or scale indentations, no thick sections, no nasty out-of-shape bits. I had forged the blade, bent it downwards and was hammering in the bevels and then the bloody edge burned off!
I normally can't get steel hot enough to burn in my forge. It doesnt normally exceed bright orange sort of heat. I spark tested the bar of steel I was using and it gave more complex sparks than a piece of mild steel, and more complex sparks than a leaf spring I tested as well! Perhaps I was using a higher carbon steel by mistake! I had only wanted to use mild steel. I know that carbon steel burns at a lower temperature than mild steel, so perhaps that is why it burned.
What do you think?
I will post a picture of the burned blade I was forging at some point. It looked so good as well... Now it is all pitted and melted looking, and has gone ultra soft. The spine of the blade has also gone ripply.
I've started another one, by the way. It looks better than the first. I've also been careful to heat more gently, this time!
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Post by Brendan Olszowy on May 22, 2008 0:54:43 GMT
I dont know? If you were watching it shoudn't have suddenly gone. Did you pop out for a cuppa?
Maybe it was your inner self telling you to stop mucking around with a letter opener and just make a high carbon Bowie or some other big knife. Either way it was for the best.
Any news of some high carbon spring steel coming in?
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Post by Matt993f.o.d on May 22, 2008 20:09:53 GMT
Got loads of it. Turned out the stuff I was using for my latest project was 45 point carbon steel. About the same as a railroad spike.
As for the bowie, you just watch this space...
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