Blade smiths shop visit vol.2

Last year when I decided to learn how to make knives I had visited a very talented maker here in Australia named Keith Fludder . I have had posted that visit and the petty we made at the knife forums .
It was that trip when I caught the knifemaking bug and never fully healed , actually gotten worse
Since then we kept in touch and I picked his brains for grinding , heat treatment etc and I have tried to explain him the features I like in kitchen knives . At Sydney Knife Show I asked him to show me how to forge and this past couple days worked out to be the best time for it and I headed to his workshop .
Keith makes awesome bowies, hunters , fighters and his Damascus
http://s905.photobucket.com/user/keithf_photo/media/_MG_3283_zps0659b80f.jpg.html?sort=6&o=5
But forging a very thin gyuto to final shape was new to him and also to me
We have choosen 52100 and to our luck due to the storms we had , the powerhammer didn't want to work and we had to switch to old school hammer and anvil for the first knives
Forge lid



It's getting hot



Making that pointy bit with hammer



And yes , power hammer decided to play nice



These are the two gyutos we have forged and profiled and heat treated

This is a flatter one that Keith has done



This is the one I made



I have started on forging a small end of crushed w twist pattern billet to line knife but we didn't have time to finish it



I have hand forged another gyuto but didn't had time to clean up or heat treat it , I doubt I can do anything with my right arm for couple days

Overall it has been a great experience , I have learned not to hit like a girl with the hammer ( no offense to female smiths)
left with aching hands and body but no signs of curing my knife bug . I need a bigger shop .. Bigger anvil ... Maybe powerhammer .. Yes hydraulic press too ..
If you think collecting knives is an expensive hobby wait till you try making them and especially buying the required machinery for it .
Kudos to all craftsmen who make mokumes, Damascus ,knives ,handles , sayas for living, thanks for looking
Mert

 

Looks like you had a great time, Mert.

 

It was great Chanop but I could use couple days off and some pain killers...

 

you forgot to mention blisters... i always get tons of those when hand forging

 

You are right Jon , they are not as bad as my right arm but they are there they reminded me their presence when I was plating up

 

Awesome stuff, Mert. Thanks for the WIP and get some ointment and tiger balm on those sore areas.

Al

 

cool!

 

Thank you Al , I will post pictures of the final knife too

 

I'm addicted as well. Haven't forged a knife to shape yet though. I've only hand forged some nails, hooks, and leaves at this point. Learning how to control the steel to make it do what you want has been an interesting and fun experience though. I can only hammer for about three hours though before my arm goes out. Thankfully, no blisters or sore arm the next day yet! I'm guessing he isn't too close for you just to use his shop as a forge until you can get the rest of the stuff you need? I understand the cost completely though, as just the few tools I have are more expensive than anything else I own, not counting my car (though in a few years it will probably be worth less than the equipment). I love seeing your updates Mert! Looking forward to seeing and hearing more from you!

 

Thank you Taylor , I will keep updating as much as my time allowing. He lives 3 hours away , otherwise I would be in his shop everyday until he kicks me out
I have forged few knives but realised I wasn't efficient and still having to trim bit from the billet . Last gyuto I hand forged with him took 1hours and 15 minutes , but as with everything it is muscle memory that requires repetition . I work on knives only once a week for 5 hours and that's not enough if I have to divide the time between thermal cycles, grinding, sanding and forging when possible .

 

Loving the work, keep at it, brother!

 

Some update on this thread as promised , here me trying to make the steel pointy



And yes , don't hold the hammer like that , there is a reason it's called hammer grip , if you hold it like me you will be cramping



Some cleaning after initial forging

After this it has been normalised , heat treated , tempered , ground , nothing fun to see...
But during the grinding it almost killed me, maybe I was rushing and careless, the blade snapped the belt , belt grabbed the knife and threw it in the air, knife slit the cord of the grinder and the live cord went into the bucket of water in front of me... Dust , sparks , screaming , I am lucky to be alive and one piece.

Yesterday after a double shift I decided to finish hand sanding the knife and mount the handle..
Here it is the first blade of 2015 , which almost killed me and hurt me pretty bad during hand sanding
A teaser picture













Have a safe 2015 everyone

 

It must have been quite a bit of experience.
The knives look pretty badass too. Especially the tall gyuto.
Bit jealous now.
Lookin' forward to the review of your own knives.

 

Damn, Mert, off the hook "Uber Sexy"!!! Loving the D-shaped Wa handles.

 

Thanks Al,, d style for me from now on

 

Thank you , I made the tall gyuto for myself , it cuts and releases food really well

 

Great looking knives!!
That blade getting thrown through the air and the live wire in the bucket must have been mega scary Good to see you are still in one piece and didn't get injured

 

Great thread, thanks for sharing!

 

Wow! Wish that one was mine. I love what you're doing Mert. It's been lots of fun seeing you chase the rabbit/dragon down the hole.

 

Tom , I am not the only one going after that deep hole right
I am not planing on any passaround but will send you a western handled gyuto to try , the other knife I mentioned on Instagram is sold, thank you all again for your encouragements