Couple Questions For You Experienced Guys

[gudspelr]

I'm just getting started in all this thanks to some great folks from this forum.  As such, I've been thinking a LOT about all the stuff I'd like to get, but most likely will be slowly acquiring.  So, I had a few questions for you guys that have been doing this a while...

-What hammer did you start with and what weight?

-What kind of anvil (and weight) did you start with?  I went to a steel place this week thinking about making a post anvil, but found that their cutoffs were EXPENSIVE.

In my spare time I've been watching whatever videos I can find online and have seen some pretty neat ones about forging.  I've seen smiths holding their hammer with their thumb on the back pointing towards the head.  Others just wrap their thumb around it.  Some said you "had" to put your thumb on the back and others said that was bound to give you carpel tunnel.  Does it cause problems or is it just preference?  I imagine it's like most things-more than one way to get the same result?

-How important is hammering in a distal taper?

-Saw one guy who discussed the shape of a hidden tang.  He said making square shoulders (from the spine and blade sides, straight up to the narrower tang) is very bad.  He said the transition should be rounded and is stronger than the more squared off way of doing it.  Is that really the case?

Anyway, thought I might get some good guidance from you all.  Thanks

Jeremy

[gudspelr]

ttt

[DANA HOLMAN]

Jeremy, I started with a 1000 gram from uncle Al's. This is what I use mostly with a 16 oz. Ball ping hammer. I have a cheep anvil, it a 100 lb Vulcan my dad bought at a garage sale for 10.00 it's not the best but it works for now hope this helps
Dana

[Lin Rhea]

Here is something I would recommend. Let me axplain. Bladesmiths are using a lot of the equipment and techniques of Blacksmiths. I would subscribe to a GOOD blacksmith online magazine or newsletter such as this one:
  web page
Artistblacksmith.com

David Robertson will take you through a lot of basics, including hammer holding etc. I would get this learning process going first and learn all you can while you are tailoring it and it's information to bladesmithing.

I use a 2 lb hammer most of the time, but have a 3 for some uses.

Distall taper is necessary in a lot of applications. Fly rods, antennas, etc. It helps the side to side flex ditribute throughout the length of the blade and not apply too much stress on any one point along the length. I believe it to be one of the most misunderstood point in blade making. Study it and apply it.

[gudspelr]

Thanks for the information guys, I appreciate it.  I actually stumbled onto that website before, Lin-I think I'll sign up for the newsletter now.  Thanks for your thoughts on distal taper, as well.  Have a great week.


Jeremy

[Cody D Works]

youtube is a great source for learning as well!

[Ragnarok Forge]

Jeremy.  I just picked up an $8 2 lb sledge at Harbor Freight.  I dressed both faces and polished them after rounding the edges.  Any 2 lb ball peen will work too.  Glad to see you moving forward on your blacksmithing.  Got your package.  Thanks a bunch for the channel locks and Blue loves the balls.  With the wife in college I have to save cash.  The really nice hammers will be purchased in a year or so after she gets out of school.

I have heard the theory on the rounded shoulder at the tang.  While it may make that part of the knife stonger, I really don't think it matters.  I find a squared shoulder makes for a lot easier guard fit.  I have knives in the hands of Marines and Soldiers and many of them have been used in less than friendly environments and situations.  None of them have broken.  Perhaps some of the local pros will weight in on this one.

I still need to send you those soft fire bricks.

[Lin Rhea]

In my opinion, the theory about rounded shoulders is based on fact. The real question, to me, is whether this is a factor in real life. With that in mind I try to prepare each, yes even the small hunting knives, for tough use. I make the tang as large as possible as it transitions from the ricasso to the tang and taper the tang sometimes drastically down into the handle.

Even if the tang is radiused into the ricasso, I dare say most will have file marks and deep scrathes perpendicular to the blade, which negates the radius by introducing stress risers. Not all makers will polish the radius and remove the scratches.

I am somewhere in between and take a little different approach. I set a limit as to how small I make the tang transition. I want my tang size to be no smaller than 5/8 to 3/4 the size of the ricasso. The more shock the knife is likely to recieve, the more I increase the size in relation to the ricasso. Here is a drawing of the ricasso area of a full tang and a hidden tang I did a while back.
   

[gudspelr]

Cody-
Yup, been spending a fair amount of time on youtube-some really cool videos there.

Clay-
Thanks for the info-like you, I'm in the cheap times of life for the time being   .  Oh, and glad Blue liked the balls-hope the channel locks serve you a little better than the other pair.

Lin-
Thanks for the drawing and explanation of your tang size as well as the e-mails.

It's a lot of fun learning from you all.


Jeremy