Returned from ABS "Intro" Course

[Steve Nuckels]

I just returned from the two week ABS "Introduction to Bladesmithing" course hosted by the Haywood Community Collage in Clyde NC!
What a great experience!  I had never forged before and came home with eight blades in various stages of compleation. We also were able to make and test a "preformance Test" blade, 10" minimum.  

The instruction was top notch, week one was taught by MS Greg Neeley, and week two by MS Burt foster.  Two Local Journymen Smiths also helped out JS Bill Wiggins & JS Ronnie Boydston.

The last day of the school MS Jason Knight and MS Jimmy Chin stopped in.

The facilities were excellent!

If you get the chance to attend, do it!

Here are a few of the almost three hundred pictures I took!

 
MS Greg Neeley

 
MS Burt Foster

 
Performance test rope cut.

 
one of two 2x4 chop.

 
bend test, back up provided by JS Bill Wiggins.

 
no chips or cracks.

 
performance test blade 15"OAL

 
Some of the knives I forged.


I had a great time and can't wait to get busy and finish all my knives!

[skullworks]

Nice! Sounds like a blast!

[Steve Nuckels]

More Pictures...


 
forging another one

 
the forge we used to heat for the quench.

 
one I completed with cord wraped handle.

 
quenching my performance test blade.

[DANA HOLMAN]

Way to go steve, i really like all the blades you forged. looks like you had a blast
dana      

[Lin Rhea]

Beautiful job on that test blade! It looks like it worked perfectly! I know your fired up about the school and we want to hear all about it. Greg was one of my first teachers in intro too. I'm happy for you. Lin

[Kevin Evans]

Way to go Buddy!!!            
I am not to busy to look at more pics

[kbaknife]

What a line-up of Instructors!!
It's easy to see you had a blast.
I also very much like the amount of return you got after the bend test.
That's what it's all about right there, friend.
Of course, I hope you realize you're just gonna go out of control now.
There won't be any stopping you.
And that's a good thing!
Congratulations.

[LONGBOWKID]

Steve,

 Congrats my friend! Top notch work there buddy.

P.S. MORE PICTURES!

Kid

[Steve Nuckels]

Test blade In the Parks AAA

 
JS Bill Wiggins tweeking the blade right out of the oil.

 

 

 

[Steve Nuckels]

Yep, Karl all is lost!  I was planning to paint the house this summer, oh well!

Thanks Lin!

My cord wrapped blade was ment to be rough looking with the forging scale and rough grind!  It was loads of fun!

I will have tons of questions!

[LONGBOWKID]

I tried tweaking one of my blades once. Snap!

What did he do that I didnt? Anything special?


Looks like a good time was had by all Steve.

[kbaknife]

He was tweaking that blade at around 400 degrees.
This is done around 8-10 seconds after quenching.
It is still easily moved at that temp.
Then, they probably went back into the quench.
If you let your blade come all the way down to the temp of the oil and then tried to bend it, you end up with two blades.

[LONGBOWKID]

Gotcha Karl, Thanks!

Kid

[Steve Nuckels]

Yes sir thats exactly how it happened Karl!  Bill Wiggins quickly wiped the oil/scale off the blade and we checked the blade for straghtness!  As I recall that blade did not warp at all.

However one of my smaller blades did warp, and Burt Foster used the same approach.  The smaller blade warped a fair amount and we reheated and straighened and quenched again.

Lin and Karl,  one of my blades I quenched but time did not allow me to temper, in the future should the blade go right to the tempering cycles after I clean up the blade from the quench?  Or can you wait several days after to temper?

Also the two MS instructors explained two different methods to temper!  Greg showed us tempering with a Oxy/acce tourch and Burt showed us the cook oven method.  

Burt also explained the torch mentod would be best used for the performance blade application.  

And is the % of retained austinite less with one tempering method over the next?

Steve

[Steve Nuckels]

Skullworks, Dana, Kevin & Brandon thanks for the comments!  

It has been said the ABS courses take years off the trial & error learning curve, and I have to beleive that is true!

It was loads of fun and more information was givin than I could retain.  My note taking was lacking, but this site will continue to help me, and the MS instructors encouraged us to email with questions.

Fun stuff for sure!!!!

[prarieboy]

Steve thanks for sharing. Your livin my dream!

[imskippy]

Just awesome, thats all I can say. If you don't mind me asking what does that course run? Where can I find info? Thanks  Skippy

[kbaknife]

"And is the % of retained austinite less with one tempering method over the next?"


I almost sat down and decided to answer your question the best I could.
Then I decided I just couldn't do it.
I have no idea how to answer it.
There is such an incredibly vast array of variables in this arena, that people's entire lives and careers have been devoted to steels, metallurgy, and the methods used.
Tempering depends upon the end desired use of the knife and is solely successful and dependant upon the austenization and subsequent transformation to martensite precipitated by a successful quench.
What steel was used, how it was austenized and how it was quenched will determine the tempering method/times/temps.
The amount of retained austenite can only be determined by aaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllll of the predeeding steps and their degree of completion.
There's an old blacksmith saying that I refer to from time to time, "in the forging of steels, the most a blacksmith can ever hope for is to end up with as good a piece of steel as the one he started with".
In other words, we have far more opportunities to completely destroy a perfectly good piece of steel than we do to improve it.
Seems like every knife I make is just one more step on a path of discovery. And as I look down that path into the distance, all I see is just a myriad of questions and variables and possibilities.
You've done this course now so it has become sort of your responsibility to head to your shop and start learning and FAILING!
And then learn from your failures like the rest of us.
If I sat there with you and watched what you did to a knife from the beginning forging all the way to the end, then I MIGHT have an idea as to the answer to your question.
Sitting right here I have no idea as to the % of retained austenite.
I don't know what austenizing methods or times or temps used.
Or how the steel was set up prior to austenizing.
Etc., etc.
A zillion questions and so few answers.
I know how it feels.

[Lin Rhea]

Take your time,..............but hurry up.


A lot of times I see guys that wait till they get the steel hot or bring it out of the fire before trying to figure out what they will do next. While they're thinking or asking the steel gets cold outside or too hot inside the forge.

Take your time,...but hurry up. Plan ahead, wait till it's time and when it is time, do it. Dont fiddle around. Timing. I believe this is where a lot of folks mess up their steel.

I'm not saying this is what you did. But I see this a lot. Lin

[TxMoon]

You know I have learned so much from Lin and Karl by just reading the answers to the questions there asked. I have changed the way I look at a knife all together. One thing I have learned and that is there is a HELL of a lot more to knife making than I would have ever thought and that goes for most of the general public. Lin and Karl have forgot more about how to treat steel than most could learn in a life time. That is how they got that knowledge is from hands on. Its like grandma how much salt you put in your receipe  she would say oh about that much a pinch.. Its a feel its something that comes with experience.

Am I right Len Karl or close ? if not here is a site that might help you like it has me some to understand what there saying....

 http://home.flash.net/~dwwilson/ntba/knives2.pdf