Broke one...

[Guest Broomhead]

It's taken me a week to work up the courage, humility maybe, to post my royal screw up.

I was working on a farrier's rasp knife. It was a good sized knife with a nice chisel grind. I was dang proud of it, too. I had it machine finished to ~600grit and I was ready to heat treat it.

Through several re-heatings of two large pieces of scrap metal I finally got my canola oil from 41* to 130*. That took forever. I threw my knife in the forge, well placed gently, edge up and away from the flame to try and prevent over heating it. Got it to a nice cherry red and then a little further and check for magnetism, none. I let it soak for a few minutes. Then, I quenched it quickly in my nice warm oil.

After it had cooled down to where I could touch it, I took a file to it. It bit...dang. Back in the forge, back to critical, no magnetism, let it soak for a few. Then back in the oil that was a little warmer than 130*, about 150*. Let it cool to the touch, took a file to it again...it bit...DANG!

Now bear with me, I was getting mad and not thinking straight. We have a salt water pool. I thought, hey BRINE! I put the knife back in the forge and repeated everything, except this time I quenched it in a bucket of 40* salt water. Took a file to it...it appeared to bite...DANG IT ALL TO HELL!! Lol. Decided to temper it anyway, maybe it'll work after all.

After, I got inside I realized it was warped, towards the side of the chisel grind. GREAT!! That's wonderful. Now, here's more screwed up thinking, the water had cooled it to ice cold, I decided to clamp it during the first temper cycle. Clamped it too hard and it snapped right at the choil. dang, again. Thought, hey I could gently regrind the blade portion into a two- or three-finger knife after I temper it. I very, very gently clamped it just flat, nothing to over bend it like pennies. No crack!! I threw it the oven at 450*. After five minutes I heard a loud pop. My heart sank. It snapped again right in the middle of the blade.

Well, it was definitely hard, had a very fine grain, and was very brittle. After examining the remnants, I took a file to it to see why it didn't skate the file. It did...after I got through the decarb layer that is. Dang, I am an idiot. I had forgotten about that part. So, the oil probably did harden it the first go round, and I'm just an idiot.

Well, here are the remnants.

Edited March 29, 2013 by Broomhead

[East_TN_Patriot]

Live and learn. I am absolutely positive even professional knife makers have days like that.

[VERO1]

You can always sell it as a custom knife "kit"!

[RichardR]

Duct-tape can fix that .... duct-tape can fix anything!

[Lumber_Jack]

Well I know it's probably discouraging and frustrating to put so much work into something and ruin it, but that was a good looking blade. Live and learn. The next one will be awesome.

[Major Kong]

Yep, live and learn says it all I think. It looked like it was going to be an awesome blade.

[UncleJak]

I've messed up as many as i have made.  Spots told me it is normal.....

[Guest Broomhead]

Well, I've finished two and ruined three. So I'm 2:3.

[MacGyver]

If it's any consolation, your grinds really seem to be coming along well.

[Spots]

I've thrown more knife shaped objects away than I care to admit. That sucks about the decarb layer. I was wondering why they weren't hardening, mine hardened well. Sorry to hear about it, but mistakes leave lasting lessons.

Sent from the backwoods of Nowhere

[bigbabysweets]

It happens brother. Some days I can do no wrong in the shop, some days I can do no right..... I wish I knew what kind of day it was gonna be before I get out there!

If it were me, I'd sand those broken pieces down so they weren't jagged and use them for "educational" pieces. I teach people how to do this, so I'd use them as examples for tapers, grind styles, add a hammon to it.... Etc.

[Guest Broomhead]

That's a good idea Sweets. I was thinking I could possibly make a tiny utility knife out of the middle piece for leather work and such. At least for practicing my post-HT grinding. I'm also working on a DIY electric etcher so I can experiment on them with that.

 

Something that chaps my hide, though, I already had handles cut and drilled. I wasted two pieces of good cherry. At least I can reuse the pins.

Edited March 29, 2013 by Broomhead

[willis68]

I am sure your next one will be great

[Guest Broomhead]

Thanks for the kind words guys. I was royally pissed that night to be sure. I'm not going to waste the handle scales, they will go on another knife, whether the same shape handle or one where I can use the front pin hole and chop off the excess.

[bigbabysweets]

Put the pieces together, trace them for a pattern, reuse the wood! I thought about making a DIY etcher- I'm interested on how yours turns out. I just didn't trust myself enough. Lol

[G27]

Hey, I'm amazed at guys like you that forge your own blades. Some day I'll do this, I hope, but the fact your even doing it would be satisfaction to me. Thanks for sharing, I don't fully understand everything that happened, but I do get the frustration - experience is not easy to gain.

[Guest Broomhead]

Well, I don't forge...yet. :) All of mine so far have been stock removal, I grind away everything that isn't a knife.

[G27]

Well, I don't forge...yet. :) All of mine so far have been stock removal, I grind away everything that isn't a knife.

Hey, I'm still buying from knifekits.com, so you're way beyond me. Thanks for sharing - things like this are good to recall when we screw up while learning.

[Guest Broomhead]

Hey, I'm still buying from knifekits.com, so you're way beyond me. Thanks for sharing - things like this are good to recall when we screw up while learning.

 

There's nothing wrong with knife kits, everybody has to start somewhere. Maybe once I finally get the shop set up the way I want it you can come over and grind one out.

[Spots]

Well, I don't forge...yet. :) All of mine so far have been stock removal, I grind away everything that isn't a knife.

You've done a decent amount of forging at my place.

Sent from the backwoods of Nowhere

[G27]

There's nothing wrong with knife kits, everybody has to start somewhere. Maybe once I finally get the shop set up the way I want it you can come over and grind one out.

You're too kind - that would rule. Thanks.

[Guest Broomhead]

You are very welcome. I'll let you know when I finally get everything set up. Right now I'm just work out of my covered patio.

 

Spots, you're right. However, I want to start forging here at home. I've been collecting hammers.

[gunwhatgun]

Dude, that was a good looking knife. Just clear your head and cut another one. Your shapes are really nice. At least you ruined it trying to make it right.The ones I have royally screwed up were in an attempt to make them look good and ended up making a piece of steel shit.

[Capbyrd]

I wish I had the equipment to get into stock removal.  But the truth is, nothing I make would ever be something that I wanted to keep as much as some of the custom makers out there.  

[bigbabysweets]

I hadn't broke one in a while until tonight! I was rushing and didn't heat the oil enough. It felt warm, but it must have been colder on the bottom. As soon as I heard the "pop" I instantly thought of you.... Lol

At least my hammon was coming through... I hear it doesn't show well on 1095....