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Starting with an 8 inch piece of 3/4 inch diameter high carbon steel... |
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a taper is forged on the end to be the blade, beginning what will be the lengthwise taper to the blade... |
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flattening is started... |
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the whole piece can't be flattened together because the tongs have to grip it somewhere... |
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so the piece was put back in the forge with the other end, and spreading continued... |
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a little more spreading... |
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when the steel has been spread to about a third of its final width, the shoulder for the handle is set... |
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many of the steps are not shown here, this is one of the many straightening heats - just
a little refining to help keep everything right - it is actually quite crucial to keep on top of the 'little' things
during the whole process... |
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a bit more spreading of the handle... |
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the real work starts - spreading the blade... |
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tapering the blade widthwise, while keeping a gradual taper lengthwise... |
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many heats are taken, with careful checking for uniform tapers... |
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the tapers must also be symetrical... |
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care must be taken the entire time to hit each side of the blade the same amount as the other,
so that stresses are even on each side of the blade - thus helping to prevent the blade from warping during
final heat treating (I actually loose some blades because of this) |
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several heats are usually needed to painstakingly tweek the blade into final flatness and uniformity... |
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finishing with blade having a uniform, straight taper the whole width, for the entire
length - and ending up with the edge being very thin and uniform thickness throughout is a challenge even for a toolsmith
with over thirty years experience. I guess that is why I still like it! |
