When it gets really cold, there just isn’t enough vapor pressure off the propane to get metal hot. Since that also coincides with how cold I want to put up with while standing on a concrete slab for a couple of hours, there’s no reason to switch fuels. But it was above 30 degrees the past couple of days, and with social distancing keeping me home, I got a chance to beat some steel!
Four of these are exercises in brut de forge work. I was really taken with a statement Jason Knight made about blades that are forged right to finished dimensions. He said all the skill of the smith is on display when your finished surface is as it left the anvil. I’m an avid hobbyist, not a pro. But I like to leave at least some of the texture there. With the four BdF blades, there will be an absolute minimum of grinding in order to showcase my skills or lack thereof. Finished pics will happen when the knives are done.
The top two, I was aiming for a particular shape and really didn’t get it. In the middle, a couple of small sax blades. And a pair of puukkos at the bottom.
This is right after heat treat.
All are forged from round bar salvaged from large garage door springs. I’m not positive, but I may decide to break the top one to get a look at the grain. If so, I’ll post a picture (if I can get decent focus with a phone camera).
Patrick
