A couple of laminated blades....

[Scott Roush]

I apologize for the two posts today but I wasn't sure what I was going to get finished.....

The first is another of my 'bowie-inspired skinners' in wrought iron/nickel/1080 san mai. The wrought iron is salvage from an old grain elevator built by Norwegian immigrants back in the 1800s.. in Northern, Wisconsin. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before.. but for those not in the know... that nickel layer prevents carbon migration from the 1080 into the wrought iron. This can get bad enough to actually prevent the core from fully hardening. The nickel stops it dead.

Total length is 10" with 5" of that being handle. So this thing feels good to hold. I left weld from my wirefeed on the spine. Might as well not waste good blades steel :-)...

Curly Claro walnut?

 

 

The second represents my first test billet of 416 stainless and 1080. I just did 2 layers to see how the weld would go.. and why not make a kiridashi? After grinding and heat treating it the first time, I had to throw it back in the forge to hammer some character into the weld line and to get some carbon migration pattern! Pretty boring without the hammer!

Anyway... This will now become a new medium for me (in full size knives)...

 

[Steve Nuckels]

Excellent work Scott!  I beleive you were born for this work!

Have fun at the Blade Show!

Steve
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Potomac Forge

[gudspelr]

Cool looking knives.  Looking forward to what you come up with in the way of your stainless/1080...  Also, in your San Mai-is it because your outer layers are wrought iron that you need the nickel?  In other words, if you used a different outer layer, would that change the carbon migration problem?


Jeremy

[Scott Roush]

Yes Jeremy.. Something high carbon on the outside wouldn't suck it out. Think 'diffusion'....

Stainless does it too.. you can see it on a small scale in that little kiridashi... see where the stainless has darkened along the weld line?  It is something you don't want too much of.. but with the stainless, as well as the cools stuff Karl is doing, it can add a lot of character and contrast to otherwise boring jacket material...

The other day I was searching stainless stuff and came across one of Burt Foster's early stainless san mai blades. He put nickel in there as a carbon migration inhibitor! Very boring compared to what he does now... No contrast.

[Scott Roush]

Thanks Steve... you should come out!

[gudspelr]

Ok, just looked up Burt Foster-WOW...  He mentioned one of the other S.S.'s naturally inhibits the carbon migration-did you put the nickel in there as well?  I'm with you, I really like the contrast created.

I'm assuming there's a different forge welding process for stainless (I think I heard something about not using Borax somewhere...)?  Seeing all that stainless laminated steel is like looking at a whole new world of possibilites.

Jeremy

[Steve Nuckels]

Scott, what exactly do you mean when you say...
     
     "you should come out!"


BTW... my wonderful wife gave me a BF "Dark Side" Laminate for my Birthday!  What a beauty it is.  Also when I went to TN last month Burt invited me to stop by his shop on the way down!  I did!  He is a great talent and nice guy too!

Steve
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Potomac Forge