So I wanna be like some of the other cool kids around here & have an ongoing my stuff thread. So here's my Damascus  stuff  (pattern welded) thread. Some of this I sell (here & elsewhere) & some I finish into blades. Just as the mood takes me, or who's paying. I dont particularly do much mosaic work, but from time to time. Can't post past stuff. Something about a ball pien & a cell phone dont mix. Who knew?

1095 & 15n20 random.


1084 & 15n20 low layer random. 30 ish I think.


1095 & 15n20. First I did with a power hammer


1075 & 15n20 low layer multi bar twist. This ones gonna get finished into a hunter / skinner for a machinist I did some horse trading with.


1074 & 15n20 random ish rain drop. Hundred something  layer. Should have used a smaller drill bit. Not particularly happy with the pattern. But I've been on my ass for weeks now with an infection, so it's nice to do something again.


Mores to come.

Looking good! It's an addicting hobby to get into.

That's as true a statement as I've heard lately. Heck, I traded or sold off every gun but a couple in the quest for better equipment and tools for this.

Now I need a bigger shop. I can't fit everything in the current shed.

Yesterday's project. Sgain dubh work in progress. Gonna have a spalted maple handle & probably a mokume gane  cap. Maybe...

ford bronco spare tire carrier? 1978-1979? nice Damascus too

Good eye. It's a 79 & the other giant pain in my ass right now. Putting a 3/4 ton or 1 ton suspension under it.

post a pic. not trying to derail

With the amount of body work as he needs, metal work forum could be a good place. Whole lotta rust.

This is the only picture I've got on the phone.  

Someday, mine will be that purdy. Gots a nice motor, everything else just looks like shit.

Thank ya.

I like rain drop but it's not my favorite. That award goes to feather pattern. Which I struggle to do well, but looks good when it clicks. Might have to start a stack for that tonight, I've got a bunch of material cut up already.

Nice pattern on the steel. And that's a proper truck. You sir, you have excellent taste.

Figured I'd try to do some canister under the power hammer.  Done it by hand before, & it truly f'ing sucks. This wasnt bad though. Didnt come out great, but I'm not unhappy with it.

Made the twist bar yesterday. It's the result of a failed pattern & I didnt wanna waste good metal. 150 something layers of 15n20 and 1095. Drawn down to 3/8" square. Then cut to 3" sections placed in the corners the can (probably a poor choice). I paint the inside of my cans with el cheapo liquid paper as a release (titanium dioxide prevents welding). Pt a section of 15n20 in the middle for some contrast (thinking I should have made a cross of 15n20 for the middle instead). Filled the space with powdered 1084, popped it in the fire & went to town.

If you've never done canister before, it's a real guessing game if it's up to heat or not. I've dicked it up before & got powder back out of a can. It's fun though. I do wish I owned a press with squaring dies for doing these. I've never had thick enough material  to really do an accordion cut to show off the end pattern.














On a side note. I've got a bunch of pattern welded bars with the waterjet guy at work getting cut soon. So soon I may have some blades done to post. Also have some W-1 / stainless steel san mai in the works, I hope. I've truly dicked up every stainless san mai I've ever tried. I'm blatantly copying another guys process after he told me it was ok.

Stainless san mai isn't hard if you do it dry.  Weld all the way around the entire seam so it's air tight.  2200F and under the hammer you go.

For canister, I don't even bother peeling the can off any more.  Just make your can, no white out, draw your billet and forge your knife.  By time your done the can will be nearly gone and grinds away in the normal process of finishing the blade.  Especially if you use the cheap 11 ga wall thickness stuff.

The stainless San mai  is just one of those things which has eluded me for whatever reason. Not that I've been at it for long, still annoying non the less. But I shall succeed with it. Soon......

I peel the can since what I'm using is so heavy. 7ga 2" x 2" square tube. Guy at a steel shop I go to for work gave me a bunch of drop pieces, & who am I to say no to around 30' of free square tube. When I run through that I'll be using lighter stuff & not sick with peeling the can off.

Makes sense

Almost the current state of the above bar. Got it rough ground & started to hand file.

I've forgotten how much I hate doing damascus choppers. Oh so many little obnoxious spots to file & sand.  The rustic  / blacksmith choppers are so much simpler to pump out the door. But this will look good in the end. I hope.....

Been busy with other stuff, but took some time to grind this out & a trip to the acid.

Haven't done much of anything lately, as the shop rivals Vulcan's forge in terms of temperature during the summer months.  Did get the surface grinder up & running.  Which is  AMAZING!!!! If y'all ever have the chance to get a real surface grinder, do it. Worlds better than belt attachment I've seen or used.

I have started a folder for a feller. I've never done a locking folder before, so I'm happy to have someone who's paying me to test subject.  I've exactly 0 idea what the pattern is. I made the bar a year or so back when I was going nuts making damascus bars. Took it to the surface grinder and  got precise .250 thickness in a 2" x 10" bar. The liners are 18ga carbon steel.  Scales are  blue dyed birdseye maple. Bolsters will be either bronze or mokume gane. Gots to see how much nickel & copper I've got on hand to make the mokume gane.







The pattern for the blade is a straight up slightly modified version of Steve Culver's  design. His book is on Amazon. Tons & tons of help as this lock blade stuff is new to me.

Are you hammering these out by hand?  Or are you using a power hammer?

I've found blacksmithing really interesting and would love to one day learn.  Got too many hobbies at the moment though.

Both by hand & power hammer.  I've got the power hammer sold though. As most of my smithing has become blade work, I'd rather have a good forge press.  Better for things like canister.

I prefer to hammer things out by hand, but it can get time consuming.

I bet.  If I dive into this realm I'm going to be forced to invest in powered tools if the hobby sticks. I'm an orthopedic mess from the Army

Hey, OP, would you mind elaborating on your forge setup? Your forge looks really similar to the one I'm building. I've never forged anything, but I've been wanting to try it so I'm building a $100 propane, single burner, firebrick forge. Will I need to add more insulation to reach Damascus forging temperatures? Obviously I'll be starting out with simpler projects, but I'd like to try making Damascus some day.

Thanks!

My little giant is painted the same color!

I have been holding off on doing canister until I can fab up some dies for the LG.  Maybe I should just try smashing one.

I'd put some kind of soft insulation behind the firebrick. Flux is some nasty stuff. Will eat brick & insulation eventually.  I'm just about at the point where I need to reline my forge.  

Could use koa wool & refractory motor. Look over at iforgeiron.com There's a metric butt ton of info there. But be sure to use the search button before asking questions.  The curmudgeony old farts will bit you head off as soon as answer questions somedays.


Sold the power hammer. Been working on a hydraulic forge press.

Thanks! I will check that out!

Very nice Matt! What part of the state are you in?

The blackhole known as Springfield.

When redoing the kiln look at this site for backer insulation for the fire brick. I use it to back up my brick in my maple arch (boiler).
Temps easily reach over 2000*f  in the fire box. the insulation protects the exterior metal of the arch/kiln.

I called a few years ago and they cut some to length I needed so I didn't need to purchase a whole roll.

Anyway look them over

EBR