Elemental Forge LLC
Hi - my name's Michael Kemp - and I am taking my interest in bladesmithing to the next level. Below are my progress notes - oldest at the bottom, newest on top. Sooner or later I'll get a "real" web site set up.
Dan took a bunch of photos at the May 2009 American Bladesmith Society "Intro to Bladesmithing" class - I've made a short photo gallery of them here.
June 2009 - getting back in stride - - - before I left for 2 weeks of bladesmith training in Arkansas I worked up a couple of blades to try some heat treat variations on 5160. I did not get the blades finished before I left - here they are rough ground, hardened, and tempered - one was given a "clay back" treatment:
Arkansas was a kick - maybe I'll post some photos - suffice it to say I learned lots and sweated like a roasting hog! Here's a few of the blades I made while there:
The top one passed the ABS Journeyman's test (though I won't be qualified to take it for real for another 18 months or so). Cut through a 2x4 twice and still sharp enough to shave hair. Sliced through a free-hanging 1" rope with a single slice. Bent 90 degrees without breaking - it's the top one in the photo below.
The second from the top was my 2nd attempt. I took a lot of grief for trying a second time after succeeding the first time. Let's just say that the sanity of Oregonians was put in question. But I wanted to see if I could do the same trick twice. NOPE: it broke!!!
But when I got home I used what I'd learned to "draw a soft back" on the blade I'd made before I left that was just edge quenched.
So the two bottom blades are my finished and tested blades that I'd started before going to Arkansas. The 3rd from the top is the one I "drew a soft back" on - and it passed the cutting and bending tests with flying colors. The bottom blade is the one that I did a clay back on - and it also passed - but seemed a little TOO bendable to my mind.
At any rate - I'm ready to build a couple of knives that are nicely finished - not meant to be tested-to-destruction!
More soon.
April 2009 - I certainly hope to get faster at this - but here's my latest: a chef's knife made from the following parts:
Which went together into the finished knife below. It takes a good edge (the 1" manila rope was cut - free hanging - with a single swipe). The real test will be how well it holds an edge over time. And how well the home-stabilizing process on the apple wood handle stands up to kitchen use. The knife has some blatant "beginner" flaws. Thick glue lines. Sloppy soldering. Ripples in the blade. But I'm still very pleased with it.
Next project: see if I can get 1 or 2 journeyman test knives built and destroyed before going to bladesmithing school in May.
December 26, 2008 - I put my latest knife to the test this afternoon. It did great cutting the free-hanging 1" rope - sliced clean through the rope three times with a single stroke each time! I hacked 1/3 of the way through a 2x4 - but either I'm a total wuss or this knife is just not heavy enough to chop a 2x4. It still shaved hair afterward, but when I put it in a vice and bent it I only got a little past 45 degrees before it snapped. There were some visible flaws in the steel at the break point - but I think the real problem was my heat treatment did not keep the back soft enough to make the 90 degree bend test. Here's the photos - the coins are there just to give you a size comparison.
December 2008 - no big site update yet - but here's a few photos...
This is a knife I make in 2000 or 2001 - on the coal forge without any grinding tools. It lives in our kitchen knife drawer and gets occasional use. I made it from a rototiller blade, if memory serves.
Below is the first (very ugly) knife I made in with the propane forge and grinding equipment. Lots of hammer dings. I didn't bother finishing the handle because I was going to try to destroy it by bending it in a vice to 90 degrees after testing it's rope-cutting ability. I never could bend the *!$# thing. When I put it in the vice and pulled hard the whole work table came up in the air. I'm going to have to figure out a better bend-testing setup!
The next photo is me hacking at 1" manila rope with the knife shown above. In the American Bladesmith Society you can test for Journeyman status 2 years after you join the ABS and start making knives. The test involves using one of your knives to:
So I figure I'll need to practice up:
I've made a slightly nicer looking knife - and this time I put a straight cutting edge on it. This is another knife for the rope cutting and 90 degree bend test - but it is not heavy enough for 2x4 cutting.
I contoured the handle a little more for the cutting grip - and used the sort of lines that my Dad used to use when making furniture. Remember, the straight side is the sharp side. I got frustrated doing the rope cutting (above) with the curved blade letting the rope slide off the tip.
I'll post a photo of what happens when I try this one on rope and then bend it 90 degrees (tomorrow?).
Check back soon for more info and photos of some of my knives!
I'm hoping to have something to show you by December 2008 - even if it's only some "test knives"...
Michael
