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Hello all,
You guys needed a photo in the album so take a look and tell me what you think. It's all handmade on a coal forge.
Matt
You guys needed a photo in the album so take a look and tell me what you think. It's all handmade on a coal forge.
Matt
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Re: Dagger
11/04Looks nice, though I'm not sure I would find the hilt comfortable to hold. Can you post a close-up picture of the blade? -
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Re: Dagger
11/05I haven't used it enough to make a comment about the comfort. You may be right on that. The inelegance of the furniture has been bugging me more.
The bubbly texture on the blade happens when I quench bright high carbon steel in soy bean oil. I'm having a hard time getting a good close up picture of it. I liked the look of it so I just buffed the temper colors off and left it like that.
I've been wrestling with the problem of how hand made should I leave things looking. If you grind all the hammer marks and imperfections out completely, what's to differentiate it from something spit out of a CNC?
Matt -
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Re: Dagger
11/05I would have to check, but doesn't soy bean oil smoke at a low temperature (smoking oil is decomposing oil that can no longer absorb more heat)? If so and you don't like the bubbly texture, try an oil that smokes at a higher temperature or even water. Though I like the look of the blade, I would be concerned that it hasn't been hardened uniformly.
So long as hammer marks are not so deep that they make cleaning the blade difficult or increase the likelihood of it rusting, whether or not to leave the hammer marks is an ascetic choice. -
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Re: Dagger
11/06The bubbly look is organic and not deep enough to worry about extra finishing time if I wanted a high polish. I need to borrow a better camera to get a close up of it. The oil was simply the cheapest I could find.
The oil creating a poor temper is a concern though. I've made a few small springs that haven't seen much use and a square drift that I forgot to temper snapped off on me so I assumed things were getting properly hardened. I'll have to do some more homework.
I appreciate the comments!
Matt -
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Re: Dagger
11/09What kind of steel did you use? Handmade doesn't have to look handmade. Smiths and Cutlers took great pains to remove all blemishes. Remember they were "Craftsmen" for which every piece that was made was a resume. Your work was your proof of skill.
Magnus -
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Re: Dagger
11/12It's leafspring steel. I found 1/2" square stock is a good size for a dagger like that. There is one hammermark on the blade I'd have to grind too heavily to bring it line with the rest, but other than that I could put a mirror polish on it. I could see spending a half-lifetime learning how to do it perfectly and another half learning how to do the furniture...
Matthias
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