San Mai White Iron Hunter

[kbaknife]

Something I just had to get done for a fellow, in spite of almost living in my shop right now preparing for the Blade Show.
This knife is one I've made quite a few of and was inspired by a mid-1800s knife I saw at an antique firearm collector's show in Novi, Michigan about 8 years ago.
This is a 4 1/2" San Mai blade of 1095 tool steel core and 416 stainless wrap.
The guard is a hot-blued mild steel affair matched up to a piece of my 100+ year old Bakelite.
Should make a comfortable "friend".

 

[DANA HOLMAN]

Sweet little knife Karl, can a guy buy any of that bakelite anywhere? Kind of looks like aged Osage.

[kbaknife]

Might find some on ****.

[David Yukon]

looking great!!

[Lin Rhea]

Sweet looking knife Karl.

[kbaknife]

(I made one little verbal slip when mentioning the handle material in the very beginning by mis-naming it "Micarta". From then on I did refer to it correctly as "Bakelite".)

Video:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2pFdmLMqUk

[2treks]

So Cool,

CTT

[Bodork]

Very sweet!!!

[Doug Campbell]

Oh yea, nice! I think my wife still has a piece of that very bakelite somewhere...  

[akaboomer]

Looks great Karl. Your laminated blades are turning out great.

Chris

[mater]

I like those blued guards.

[jonathan creason]

That is amazing.

[Izzy]

Dang Karl, thats one of my favorites of yours.

[kbaknife]

Me, too.      

Originally posted by mater:
I like those blued guards.

[Ray Hammond]

Karl

I really like your style! The contrast is very neat

[Bobby Urban]

Are you welding the complete san mai closed before welding?  Will the stainless stick to 1080 or is 1095 a beter choice?  I failed misserable with attempts at that pre-press but I am thinking of trying again now that I have it.  Any tips or description of what you are doing to get the stainless to weld to carbon steel?

Awesome knife by the way.  really like that one!

Bob Urban

[kbaknife]

Here's the deal - it MUST!! be an oxygen free weld, and there can be absolutely NO oxidation/coloring on the steel.
Even if you have a slight little bluing from heat - it won't weld in that spot.
What I'm saying is, a person might be able to weld up a "can" with the right welder, but I only have a stick welder, which means that you'd get the billet so hot and discolored, that you wouldn't get it welded. Make sense?
So, I just go around the perimeter with a 3/32 rod and make random little tiny weld 'dots' here and there to hold it together.
Then it goes in a double layer wrap of high temp stainless steel heat treat foil, into which has been placed some paper to eat up any oxygen while it's getting hot.
It soaks at welding heat - around 2200 - for 20 minutes.
Then into the press with big dies so it hits the entire billet in one press.
Hold 10 seconds.
Back in the forge to 2200 and soak 10 minutes.
Back into the press dies for a 10 second squeeze.
Then remove foil - which is a pain.
Grind edges until any un-welded areas are removed.
Draw out and then thermal cycle billet before making knife.

[Ric O'Shay]

Karl -

All I can say is    

[blackpenny]

Great work. Very clean and appealing.

[smokin joe]

That's a beautiful knife.