What do yall think.

[Tyler2045]

So these are old tiller tines for troy built. The first picture is how they are when I get them. The second is what happens to one when they are water quenched, and hit on the anvil. The third is three that I am trying to figure out how to get the big curve out of it so I can make knives out of or to cut down and use as bits in hawks. Any ideas how to get the big curve out.

 
 
 

[gables]

You have heat and an anvil, so heat the curve to bright orange, place it on anvil with the curve up and whack the arc down to the anvil. Keep heating and banging it straight, arc up, smacking the arc down.

There have been a ton of posts you can search about known steel and "mystery steel." There is the allure to make a blade from a found object. I think it's fine when starting out but you should value the journey rather than the finished product. As you gain experience and learn what a well executed and technically sound hand made knife can do, then you may begin to precisely control variables to produce optimum and repeatable results.

Have fun, enjoy the process and continually learn. This site is a tremendous research tool. You can search by keyword but I like to search all the threads of particular makers on this site.

[Tyler2045]

I have tried doing exactly as you said as I have seen Lin do this to a blade, but this are so long that start to crack when I beat them straight. These are about 12 to 14 inches with the bend in them and straight I think they will be 16 to 18 inches.

[madness522]

You need to get the whole arc up to temp before you hit it. If you can't get the whole arc up to temp work from one end to the other and work straight from beginning to end of the arc.

[gudspelr]

One thing that may help (..?) if you're continually having problems with them cracking is to try and anneal them before attempting to straighten them. If they're really hard and the heat isn't up high enough, that might make them more prone to breaking while forging. Do you know what steel they are?  Any particular reason (sentimental, etc) you're wanting to use them?  I, like many, started out with scrap yard steels. Nothing necessarily wrong with it and a useable knife can come from them, but you don't have a lot of the problems if you start with known steels. Either way, good luck and hope it works out for you.

Jeremy

[Tyler2045]

I finally got one to straighten out tonight after work, after it is fairly straight they are 10 1/2 inches and almost a 1/4 inch thick. I am hoping to see how they work out into knife steel soon.