jasonprom

Hammer’n at the Cabin

We packed up the anvil and forge and headed up the the cabin “Gods Country” for some R&R, beer and forging! This is my first attempt at being a blacksmith (something I’ve always wanted to do) and things turned out all right. One thing is certain, I have a new appreciation for blacksmiths as thatContinue reading “Hammer’n at the Cabin”

One ugly knife to be

I thought it would be cool to twist the metal for a handle and I will be trying my hand at forging steel on the anvil this weekend at the cabin. I figured if I got the hang of it now, this weekend would be a breeze. Boy was I wrong. This thing is ugly,Continue reading “One ugly knife to be”

The knife that started it all

In 1992 I read a book from the library on how to make your own smoker, how to tan hides, make snow shoes from PVC pipe (I still have those in the garage) and how to make knives among other things. This got my interest, I found some metal in the garage and got filing. Continue reading “The knife that started it all”

This is what 1500 degrees looks like

Here are a couple blades that have been heated to 1500 degrees. Once they are no longer attracted to a magnet, it’s time to quench. Into the vegetable oil these are going! This is the best part of knife making!

Box O’ Bricks

I had the most generous gift the other day. These kiln bricks are exactly what I was supposed to be using for heat treating versus the hard fire bricks I have been using. Who knew? These work so much better and life is really good now. Thank you so much Kyle and Marshall!

Blacksmith knife

Around 1998 or 1999 I got a quick tutorial from the Rice Blacksmith shop on knife making. I left with a better understanding of heat treating and a nice thick piece of steel from a large saw blade used at sawmills. This was my first attempt at heat treating a blade and I used theContinue reading “Blacksmith knife”

Ground blades ready for the sander

The knife that almost ended it all!

My uncle was generous enough to give me some stainless steel he had. I spent so many hours on this thing partially because I didn’t know what I was doing and partially because this stainless is so hard. I ended up making another identical one for my uncle who gave me the steel, but didn’tContinue reading “The knife that almost ended it all!”

Sparks are flying!

Here’s the first step in turning a lawn mower blade into a use-able knife; cutting to shape. I use “Big Red” the Milwaukee 9″ angle grinder with my super sophisticated clamping system (“Stumpy”). This is the best set up I can think of aside from an oxy-Acetylene torch or plasma cutter (both of which IContinue reading “Sparks are flying!”

Proof that what I am doing works

I’ve read a number of books on heat treating steel, but how do I know if it really is working with my lawn mower blades? I field tested some small pieces off of one blade and here is the proof. The steel on the top picture was annealed (softened) on one end and heat treatedContinue reading “Proof that what I am doing works”