Second switchblade project

Post by **Bill DeShivs** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 10:59 pm

TR
Beautiful, precise work.
This may help on the spring- you can make a one-piece by sawing out the same profile as the 2 part in the closed position, then just bend the leaf into position and heat treat. For pocketknife blades & springs, a satisfactory forge can be assembled with 4 fire bricks and a propane torch. Treating larger blades does take more heating time, but I have found that you can treat high carbon small blades quickly and easily this way.
Vagrant- ceramic kilns are sold as heat treating ovens, now! It costs quite a bit in electricity to operate them, as the come up to temperature slowly. You can get accurate results with a kiln, though.
Bill

Vagrant · Post by **Vagrant** » Sun Feb 22, 2004 2:48 am

Bill DeShivs wrote:TR
Beautiful, precise work.
This may help on the spring- you can make a one-piece by sawing out the same profile as the 2 part in the closed position, then just bend the leaf into position and heat treat. For pocketknife blades & springs, a satisfactory forge can be assembled with 4 fire bricks and a propane torch. Treating larger blades does take more heating time, but I have found that you can treat high carbon small blades quickly and easily this way.
Vagrant- ceramic kilns are sold as heat treating ovens, now! It costs quite a bit in electricity to operate them, as the come up to temperature slowly. You can get accurate results with a kiln, though.
Bill

I asked about kilns when my Girlfriend was taking Ceramic lessons. They had about the same temp. ranges as heat treating ovens and cost $200-$400 less and generally were large enough to take a dozen [or more] of anything I ever made. Some stainless steels require "soaks" at two different temps with no heat-up time in between, [for ideal results] someone could purchase two kilns for the same price as one heat treat oven, and set them to different temps for an instant change in soak temps.

Post by **Bill DeShivs** » Sun Feb 22, 2004 6:36 am

I should have said "carbon steel" blades. I forgot about stainless, as I seldom use it!
Thanks.
Bill

Vagrant · Post by **Vagrant** » Sun Feb 22, 2004 9:27 am

Bill DeShivs wrote:I should have said "carbon steel" blades. I forgot about stainless, as I seldom use it!
Thanks.
Bill

I haven't made a knife in four years but I always used carbon steel. Usually Starret O-1, I bought a over a hundred pounds at a supply place that wanted to discontinue it and I got it for 85% off! I only have a couple pieces left since I used it for EVERYTHING. A friend who broke a bracket on a trolling motor three times had me make one - O-1 tempered at about 50 rockwell. He sold it with the boat when he got a bigger boat.

the spotlight kid · Post by **the spotlight kid** » Sun Feb 22, 2004 11:55 am

BEAUTIFUL, excellent design!

Cheers the spotlight kid.

missaman · Post by **missaman** » Tue Feb 24, 2004 4:50 am

BTB maybe tr will consider one of his for the next pass around knife.
I hope

Missaman

Post by **tr4252** » Thu Feb 26, 2004 1:31 am

Plastered,

If you're still watching, here's the photo of the
bearing you were asking about. It's held up
pretty well; after hundreds of flicks it's OK. I
wondered if the radial load would destroy it, I
guess not. The blade wasn't so lucky as you can
see, I made the mistake of putting the knife together
and trying it out before all the steel parts were heat
treated. Ugly, but it doesn't seem to have affected
the knifes performance.

And you suggested nickel silver this time, so guess what?
The 3rd knife, the one I'm just starting on, is laid out on a
bar of NS I got from from TK Supply. I'm not ready to
work with horn just yet, don't want the cat licking the belt
sander. But I've got some ebony, that should look OK. Also
got a primo grade rosewood fretboard blank I was going to
use on a guitar neck, maybe that.

Thanks for all the questions and suggestions

TR