Ask me about Metalworking

[Seraphic8X]

For the do-it-yourselfers out there I may be able to answer any questions you may have with regards to Metalworking and the Industry in general. For example: Basic hand-tool work The correct use for Filing, hacksaws, taps and dies, hand reamers, lapping, etc. Layout and Measurement Micrometers, Vernier calipers, sine blocks, square sets etc. Standard Machine work Lathes, Milling, drilling, shaping etc. And some general but vague knowledge with welding, and hydraulics. I am by no means a master at the craft, It is a lifetime of learning and I still have a while to go yet but I'm getting there.

[Man of Steel]

Ever make any knives, by chance?

[[SomeGuy]]

How about long, metal tubes?

[Seraphic8X]

Yea, I've made some smaller and simple switch-blade style blades, mainly because its hard to acquire the proper material, mostly high-carbon steel and what little I could get I tried to spare. The only hard part about making a knife is making a keen edge, everything else is pretty rudimentary like drilling the holes in the tang for a hilt and handle. You can also make some very nice designs for the blade if you had a milling machine, but they are pretty expensive. And ya... long metal tubes are my specialty.

[[SomeGuy]]

Sweet! I don't know why, but i really am fascinated by those.

[Man of Steel]

Yea, I've made some smaller and simple switch-blade style blades, mainly because its hard to acquire the proper material, mostly high-carbon steel and what little I could get I tried to spare. The only hard part about making a knife is making a keen edge, everything else is pretty rudimentary like drilling the holes in the tang for a hilt and handle. You can also make some very nice designs for the blade if you had a milling machine, but they are pretty expensive. And ya... long metal tubes are my specialty. Pretty cool. I design knives, see.

[[SomeGuy]]

Knives are prety cool too. I used to be really into them, but then I moved on.

[Seraphic8X]

Nice, If I had all the things I needed at home.... and if I didn't have a job or life.. I'd just make knives all day. I suppose if I got my hand on a nice block of steel I could make a claymore, but the ornamental artwork carved into it is way outa my league, it would be strictly bare-bone haha.

[Vance]

Related to steel: Whenever I see historical swords recreated, I would definitely like to see a good beaten sword. Not all chrome/shiny/waxy/polished sword. Those don't even look sharp. They look more like plastic. I am talking about the slightly grainy darker steel swords that still have the slight hammer marks down the blade, and a full tang with a one-piece pommel that has not been through a lathe. Sorry for the off-topic.

[Seraphic8X]

Related to steel: Whenever I see historical swords recreated, I would definitely like to see a good beaten sword. Not all chrome/shiny/waxy/polished sword. Those don't even look sharp. They look more like plastic. I am talking about the slightly grainy darker steel swords that still have the slight hammer marks down the blade, and a full tang with a one-piece pommel that has not been through a lathe. Sorry for the off-topic. That, actually wouldn't be too hard to recreate. A good material choice to get that 'worn and battered' look would be hot-rolled steel. Since it has a heavy scale on the outside, one would only need to file down a small layer and expose some of the metal underneath, leaving small bumps, grains and other features. For a worn-looking edge, you'd probably just have to rough down a cutting edge and smack it against random stuff for a while, then sharpen it slightly.

[Vance]

Well most swords today are made out of carbon steel, and I am guessing that would not be possible...

[Man of Steel]

That, actually wouldn't be too hard to recreate. A good material choice to get that 'worn and battered' look would be hot-rolled steel. Since it has a heavy scale on the outside, one would only need to file down a small layer and expose some of the metal underneath, leaving small bumps, grains and other features. For a worn-looking edge, you'd probably just have to rough down a cutting edge and smack it against random stuff for a while, then sharpen it slightly. Please, please, do not speak of this sort of shameful desecration in my presence. A sword is meant to be made in a forge. On an anvil. With a nice 4lb cross-pein. Out of good sturdy steel stock. You don't take a bar of hot-rolled steel and file it down a bit. That heavy scale is hell on the strength and well-being of the blade. Rough down a cutting edge and smack it against random stuff for a while?! Have you no shame, man? A sword should be sharp! Start with a full-size coal forge, good high-carbon round stock, and a swordsmith's anvil. Draw the steel out, shape the bevels, the distal taper, the tang. Then fashion the guard, shape it as much as possible on the anvil and apply some simple filework afterward. Draw-file the blade down to clean steel, finish with sandpaper down to the finest grit finish you desire. Clean up the tang in the same fashion, and forge-weld on a threaded bolt by which to fasten the hilt cap (not necessarily in that order, but you get the idea). Heat treat the blade, perhaps to 56-58 Rockwell, I'm not sure what would be desirable in a claymore. Temper accordingly. Attach the guard, carefully soldering the joints at the shoulders (rounded, as they should be so as to not make for stress risers, of course) and such, and filing afterward to clean up the joints. Use a hardwood core for the hilt, wrapped in leather and wire for grip. Affix a weighted pommel via the aforementioned threaded tang, perhaps a nice decahedron of sorts. Again by draw-filing, set an edge bevel on each edge of the blade. Perhaps 30-32 degrees included or so, for such an weapon. Possibly thicker toward the sweet spot and thinner toward the hilt. Finish with waterstones, decreasing in grit until the desired degree of sharpness is reached. That, my friend, is how you make a sword. Only the very basics, yes, but nevertheless the way it is done. I'm more of a knife guy myself, but it's just not right to make a sword the way you suggested, and I can't let that go unaddressed.

[Seraphic8X]

Haha, very well then. But please understand that I was only considering trying to get a basic Hang-on-your-wall-never-to-be-used sword, with an overly used historical -feel- to it. But I do applaud your knowledge on the subject of blacksmithing. My main focus on the sword would be the blade, of coarse, but you should be very careful in heat-treating it as well. The higher the carbon content the more a metal will harden when heat treated, and for a claymore that may not be a good idea since it is a weapon based off of initial striking power which could be crippling to the crystal structure, I think I would choose medium-carbon for longer life. Also, if you harden the blade too much it will make it very brittle and susceptible to cracking and chipping making it impossible to repair after prolonged use. As for the edge, I would like to make a double edge blade with a double-step edge angle, the first angle roughed down from the middle of the blade to about 1/8 inch thickness on the edges, then a sharper angle applied to the edge. Everything else you've basically covered in great detail, more than what I know about crafting swords at least. But I guess thats what happens when you work in a machine shop rather than a smithy.

[Man of Steel]

Haha, very well then. But please understand that I was only considering trying to get a basic Hang-on-your-wall-never-to-be-used sword, with an overly used historical -feel- to it. But I do applaud your knowledge on the subject of blacksmithing. My main focus on the sword would be the blade, of coarse, but you should be very careful in heat-treating it as well. The higher the carbon content the more a metal will harden when heat treated, and for a claymore that may not be a good idea since it is a weapon based off of initial striking power which could be crippling to the crystal structure, I think I would choose medium-carbon for longer life. Also, if you harden the blade too much it will make it very brittle and susceptible to cracking and chipping making it impossible to repair after prolonged use. As for the edge, I would like to make a double edge blade with a double-step edge angle, the first angle roughed down from the middle of the blade to about 1/8 inch thickness on the edges, then a sharper angle applied to the edge. Everything else you've basically covered in great detail, more than what I know about crafting swords at least. But I guess thats what happens when you work in a machine shop rather than a smithy. Ah, I understand, I just have a deep-seated distaste for that sort of thing. Blades are meant to cut things, not hang on walls looking rustic. I can't wait until I finally get my forge set up, I've had the stuff to do it for months now but haven't had the opportunity. After a little research, it seems that a carbon content of about 0.6%-0.8% or so is desirable for swordmaking, though I know some makers that use 1086 (that's 0.86% carbon) with great success. 5160, too. (0.6% carbon) As far as hardening, differential tempering would be the way to go I believe, leaving the center of the blade considerably softer than the edges. I honestly know little about making swords, though I had the great pleasure of talking to a truly masterful swordsmith at this years Blade Show for some time. Michael McRae, he's made some amazing and spectacular examples of Scottish broadswords, along with dirks and Sgian Dubhs. Great guy, too. Knows a ton about the history behind every aspect of the weaponry. Spent ten minutes explaining the difference between two period dirks, and how they came to be. Why, as well. All while I held them in my hand and marveled at the craftsmanship. But I suppose we're straying from the original intent of this topic, aye? Ever make any small fixed blades by stock removal?

[Seraphic8X]

That "differential tempering" technique sounds a lot like case or induction hardening, usually seen on chrome shafts. Its actually so hard that carbides can't cut it without failing very fast. You have to grind out a 1/4 of an inch to be able to cut it with a bandsaw, or take a torch and heat the shaft to cherry red to sort of on-the-spot annealing. That technique would also be useful to help maintain a springing action so that the blade doesn't fail under heavy strikes. And by small fixed blades, do you mean like one-piece knives, kinda like buck knives? If so then yes, me and my uncle made a fairly nice one in his garage back home. I was a bit younger but he put me in charge of shaping a rough blade (for him to perfect after I was done), and he worked on a very nice, multi-step plastic handle, something that looks like the handle on this, but black. After I finished the blade, he smoothed out the contours, sharpened the blade, then shined it all up. Looked just like an army knife, cut like one to. haha

[Vance]

Would arrow-smithing (different from fletching) be challenging? What would you do to make an arrowhead? Just a cast? What would you need to do it and how hard is it? How much experience do you need to do this?

[Seraphic8X]

To tell you the truth, I am not all the sure on the topic, I know that the accuracy of the head (in terms of symmetry) shouldn't be a big issue. The material, however, would be. The weight of the arrow head will have a profound effect on the flight of the arrow, so you wouldn't want to make it out of aluminum because I think you would need a certain degree of weight in order to counteract the "lifting" action of an arrow in flight. I think if I were to try and make the "perfect" arrow head I would do a bit of research on the general weight of the heads, more specifically I would research high-quality brands of arrows. Then I would choose my material based on the data I've collected. As for actually making the head, I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I would take it over to the milling machine for symmetrical accuracy of about .0005". Then I'd weigh the head on a digital scale and if I needed to get rid of more weight, I'd put in some fancy slots in it or something until I got it down to the right weight, then I would sharpen, harden, then temper. (Not sure what kind of tempering to use, perhaps spring tempering?)

[Man of Steel]

Ah, the good old Ka-Bar. I used to have one, before I gave it to my uncle, who promptly lost it. Oh, just a note, you'd want to harden, temper, then sharpen. Otherwise the edge would wind up incredibly brittle and basically useless. Much larger chance of it warping or simply cracking as well.

[Seraphic8X]

Ah, the good old Ka-Bar. I used to have one, before I gave it to my uncle, who promptly lost it. Oh, just a note, you'd want to harden, temper, then sharpen. Otherwise the edge would wind up incredibly brittle and basically useless. Much larger chance of it warping or simply cracking as well. Touché But ya... i've always wanted a genuine Ka-Bar, or Glock combat knife, both are pretty much the coolest.

[Man of Steel]

Indeed. Neither are that expensive, go get you one!