^^^^ Soooooo cool.... I have a "thing" with how etched wrought looks. And you do it really well, Karl
. Have you ever done wrought/high carbon San Mai? I've seen some really nice looking blades with that combo. But as with most things, that combo seems to also have some inherent difficulties, including the differing expansion/contraction rates. I saw a post once where there was a long shearing crack after the quench....
Interesting to hear your approach including heat treat foil, Karl. I've heard/read of guys doing it in a can as already described. I also watched a demo where the stainless sides were mig welded to a carbon core, all the way around. Then after about a 30 minute soak in the forge, it was put in the press. On that one, I don't believe there was any pin hole, wd-40, or combustible material inside.
Karl, do you find the stainless sides harden at all during the cycles? Do you do any particular annealing process after forging, other than the "typical" type that most do after forging carbon steel?
Thanks for sharing your knives and processes. I always enjoy seeing what you're up to.
Jeremy