do you ever just have a bad day?

[theunluckyhunter]

first, i start cutting an antler and i apparently wasnt paying attention and cut it short, then im cutting a stick tang on a blade i ground from a file and using an angler grinder it starts vibrating and snaps in half. i'm about ready to start throwing crap.

grrr

[Ray Hammond]

oh yeah.

[robtattoo]

Sounds like most days in The Workcave to be honest!

Keep smiling & start again  

[theunluckyhunter]

ohh yeah its definately fun, but im too poor to go around ruining materials especially on gifts lol.

oh well i'll take it as practice

[Ray Hammond]

9 inch 154cpm blank 'ruint' last night, trying to get a master bevel even on both sides, is now a SKANDI grind 1/2 the size of the original planned blade.

I'm going to home depot and buying some mild steel bar stock to use as 'practice' prior to grinding anything for real, until I get much better at this stuff.

[theunluckyhunter]

i didnt work on anything last night so i dont have any report of something that i messed up lol. unless i have been working on several i will usually do a little bractice on some plywood

[Ray Hammond]

I think I agree. Seems when I do blades in batches they turn out better than if I try to do one at a time.

[Kevin Evans]

Slow down guys!!!
I got tired of fixing mistakes (one mistake lead to another)after my first mistake now I sit down .When I go back and fix ,its seems to go smother from then on.
Ray I don't have any luck in batches seems I get in a hurry do do the whole batch,One at a time I seem to focas better.But I'm certainly not as exspernced as you yet.
Wow I love this stuff!!!

[Jeremy]

I go slow (agonizingly slow if you're waiting for a knife from me, huh Kevin?   )  I tend to make fewer mistakes just working on one knife at a time, but for convenience (when using my miniforge anyway) I normally have 2-3 going: work on one blade while the other is in the fire or cooling off.
If you're forging it's a good idea to make some practice blows before you start forging and after you're finished on some thin pine.  You'll be able to see how the hammer hits and it can help you fix any control issues you may have.  Mark an "X" on the board every inch of two and hit them one after another.

[theunluckyhunter]

not necessarily batches, i work on one knife at a time for the most part, but when i have the chance to work on them for several days in a row instead of 4 hours a week i think i kinda stay in the "zone" lol

[theunluckyhunter]

oh yea, anybosy that forges and reads this please pm me i want to trade SOMETHING for a forged knife........i cant exactly justify buying knives anymore but i have never owned a forged blade....

[Lin Rhea]

Kevin (Rooster1) and I were talking on the phone about mistakes that are made. I go in spells of everything being fine and then I cant touch a blade without cracking it or it warping or SOMETHING!    

I forged and ground a 10 inch blade this past week and Monday cracked it in the quench. Kind of turns your stomach a little. I did successfully quench two hunters, but was sure counting on that big blade.

I'll probably get out there Saturday and forge two or three 10 incher's and work them all up together. It seems to me like I can do better in batches IF they are the same size blades.

One thing that may cause a problem when quenching a bunch of blades is that you might not give each blade enough individual attention and let the heat get a little too high or something. Also, I think the temperature of the oil climbs with each quench causing more risk on the ones later in the group.

I know the reason why the 10 inch blade cracked. My fault. I had a small hammer mark on the edge of the choil that I was planning to get out in the finishing grind and it caused a stress riser and cracked about a half inch into the blade. It pays to get the edge smooth and rounded to about 220 grit before quenching. I never had one crack in the choil till now. If one cracks, it's usually in the sweet spot about 1/3 in from the tip.

Sorry to ramble. Were operating by generator and my inner clock is messed up. Trees down on powerlines.  :rolleyes:    
                                Lin  

[Wampus]

I must have a lucky gnome in the shop or something.  It's happened to all my buds but I've never had one crack in the quench and I've been doing this off and on since '91.  I always stress relieve the blade by heating to just non-magnetic and air cooling till the glow is gone a couple of times before the final heat and quench.

 

Originally posted by Ray Hammond:
9 inch 154cpm blank 'ruint' last night, trying to get a master bevel even on both sides, is now a SKANDI grind 1/2 the size of the original planned blade.
 

Ouch!  That stuff ain't cheap!  My favorite stainless these days though.

I'm more likely to lose some layers of skin off a couple of knuckles with my grinder or burn a nice hole in my leg welding in shorts.  My wife says I should just keep all the first aid stuff out in the shop to save trips back and forth to the bathroom.

[Ray Hammond]

Wampus,
I saw a pic of a guy on another website- he was forging - serious forging- wearing SANDALS!!!!!

I'd have lost my toes in the first five minutes.

Lin,
I hope you guys don't have too long to wait to get your power back on, brother.

[Lin Rhea]

It looks like it will be off till Sunday, at least. I sure was needin to get some work done this weekend.

I guess I'll have to shoot some arrows instead.    
                Lin

[OconeeDan]

Lin, hope things get back to normal quickly.

I have a lot of things that ended up in the garbage can, knife blades, bow limbs, etc.  Every one was a cusser but a learning experience for me.
Dan