It's About Liberty: A Conservative Forum

Topics => Hobbies & Crafts => Topic started by: fordguy_85 on May 17, 2016, 08:03:19 PM

Title: A New Hobby
Post by: fordguy_85 on May 17, 2016, 08:03:19 PM
So, having decided that I lacked a sufficient number of hobbies to consume all my time, i.e. Reloading, long range shooting, fishing, painting lures, etc. I decided I should take up blacksmithing and bladesmithing. And naturally, leatherwork and woodwork for the knives and sheaths...

So anyway, here is a pic of a blade I forged from a ball bearing outer race that I'm almost ready for heat treating that has about a 4" blade. Also pictured is my concept drawing. I plan for copper spacers, and both walnut and maple handle materials...

Any of you guys do any 'smithing?
Title: Re: A New Hobby
Post by: Weisshaupt on May 17, 2016, 08:18:57 PM
So, having decided that I lacked a sufficient number of hobbies to consume all my time, i.e. Reloading, long range shooting, fishing, painting lures, etc. I decided I should take up blacksmithing and bladesmithing. And naturally, leatherwork and woodwork for the knives and sheaths...

So anyway, here is a pic of a blade I forged from a ball bearing outer race that I'm almost ready for heat treating that has about a 4" blade. Also pictured is my concept drawing. I plan for copper spacers, and both walnut and maple handle materials...

Any of you guys do any 'smithing?

I tried it once. Like all things done with my hands, I can get a serviceable and ugly result.
What are you using as a forge?
Title: Re: A New Hobby
Post by: fordguy_85 on May 17, 2016, 08:32:25 PM
I have a forge I built from a brake drum, but a coworker has a largish portable forge with hand crank blower that he is going to give me... Also don't have an actual "anvil" as far as a London pattern anvil goes, but a hefty block of 4150 chromoly steel that seems to do quite well so far.

Here's a pic of the anvil with a bottle opener/grilling fork I forged when I first got started...
Title: Re: A New Hobby
Post by: IronDioPriest on May 17, 2016, 11:44:30 PM
Wow, I'm impressed. Man-card well-played!
Title: Re: A New Hobby
Post by: Libertas on May 18, 2016, 06:54:07 AM
Being able to make useful stuff is a good skill to have and if you enjoy it then you've hit the sweet spot.  I expect I'll be more serious about it the closer I get to retirement if not sooner.  I considered smithing, it's still on my list.  I'll be interested in following your methods, materials and creations.
 ::thumbsup::
Title: Re: A New Hobby
Post by: fordguy_85 on May 18, 2016, 07:59:35 AM
Thanks guys. One drawback to this hobby and most others, I suspect, is that Mrs. Fordguy is on Pinterest. Which means that she also has approximately 15,000 projects that she'd like done lol.
Title: Re: A New Hobby
Post by: AlanS on May 18, 2016, 08:22:18 AM
Uncle Fester, you've got some serious artistic talent. As one who is artistically impaired, I hate you. ::hysterical::
Title: Re: A New Hobby
Post by: fordguy_85 on May 18, 2016, 12:30:52 PM
Haha, thanks Alan. Trust me, I'm still nowhere near the level that others have attained in knifemaking...
Title: Re: A New Hobby
Post by: Septugenarian on May 18, 2016, 08:51:15 PM
When I was in Grade 10 we had an Ag class which also included a little black smithing.  There happened to be a complete black smith shop in the boiler room of the grade school.  We did the exercises of tempering and annealing and did end up making a knife out of a file.  Then, during the next couple of years I did some work with my uncle who had a working black smith shop.  After reworking skidding tongs and related logging hardware, we acquired a box of broken torsion bars from the Plymouth dealer and made a few wrecking bars, etc.  I finally parted with my share of that output three years ago when I sold my island place.  Should have kept them anyway.  Yep, I'm in my 70s now.
Title: Re: A New Hobby
Post by: fordguy_85 on May 29, 2016, 09:32:32 AM
Finally finished this thing up this morning...

Title: Re: A New Hobby
Post by: Septugenarian on May 29, 2016, 01:27:53 PM
Looking good, nice fitting !!  ::thumbsup::  My fine skills are not so fine.  I make a good rough carpenter, not a finisher.
Title: Re: A New Hobby
Post by: fordguy_85 on May 29, 2016, 01:45:21 PM
Thanks! It isn't perfect, and the pictures help hide many of the flaws. But this is my first woodworking project pretty much ever, so I'm pleased with the result.
Title: Re: A New Hobby
Post by: John Florida on May 30, 2016, 07:19:51 PM
Thanks! It isn't perfect, and the pictures help hide many of the flaws. But this is my first woodworking project pretty much ever, so I'm pleased with the result.

    You should be proud of that job.    ::thumbsup::
Title: Re: A New Hobby
Post by: AlanS on May 30, 2016, 07:22:17 PM
Which means you'll only get better. Keep up the good work.
Title: Re: A New Hobby
Post by: Libertas on May 30, 2016, 09:10:44 PM
Like anything the more practice you get the more you learn how and how not to do things.  Good job, keep at it!  ::thumbsup::
Title: Re: A New Hobby
Post by: fordguy_85 on May 31, 2016, 06:43:10 AM
Thanks everyone! I'm glad to have this one finished. Hopefully having made my way through some portion of the learning curve, the next will be both better and more quickly finished.
Title: Re: A New Hobby
Post by: Libertas on May 31, 2016, 07:08:11 AM
While on the subject of knives...

I bought that Ken Onion Work Sharp Knife...it is about what I expected, gets all kinds of blades nice and sharp...but the belts (especially the finer grain ones, which makes sense) wear quickly so you have to buy a sh*tload of them.  But I don't think my filet knives have ever been so sharp...even the old ones have a nice edge...

Now, if only I catch a fish worth cleaning!   ::gaah::  (Not that I've had much opportunity...) 

Do you use some sort of belt system to sharpen your creations or are you wheel grinding...or something else?
Title: Re: A New Hobby
Post by: fordguy_85 on May 31, 2016, 07:52:11 AM
Thus far I'm using my belt grinder with a 120-grit belt for establish the micro-bevel, or edge. Then using successively finer grits of sandpaper on a flat block of steel with the same motions as sharpening in a stone. Then finally, I do the final edge with a waterstone. Then strip on some leather with polishing compound rubbed into it.
Title: Re: A New Hobby
Post by: Libertas on May 31, 2016, 07:55:53 AM
A nice graduated process, I like it.  Sometimes with my smaller blades I like to break out the wetstone, easy to control the angle with a smaller blade...can do a bigger blade but takes more time and patience...I don't mind the time but the patience thing has never been my strong suit.
 :D

Looks like a standard working angle on that guy, better for general purpose fieldwork than anything specialized, which is what you must have been aiming for.  It's always about the metal, the angle and the purpose.

The chrome in the metal should help make it stainless...how did you fix the handle to the blade?

Title: Re: A New Hobby
Post by: fordguy_85 on May 31, 2016, 07:59:51 AM
Patience has never been a strong suit for me, either. I had to fight my impatience for this whole build. Else, it would have ended up looking like something that the 5th grade made on a field trip to a woodshop...  ::facepalm::