Another day in the smithy;-)

 On Tuseday I went to Volker´s place to have our argument;-) and to solve some problems, and got the opportunity to at last do some projects of my own... and I came across some new goodies by Viktor and Volker. The hearts and the snails and snakes are Volker´s work, the knives are by Viktor, out of mild steel, DOH! He just made them to tutor Volker how to do it, so no harm done, really, for I know what he´s capable of doing normally;-).

 I made a leaf-handled Birka knife and a BBQ fork with a ram´s head as a gift for my other boss;-). Also I tempered the seax knife up front. The knives are made from spring steel with a carbon content of about 0,75%. I find I use this steel more and more. I could do something more fancy, but always return to this kind of steel for various reasons. It takes a good and serviceable temper of about 58-61 degrees Rockwell, is very tough and easy to work with, which is good when you want to do some more complex decorations such as leaves, ram´s or dragon heads and the like.

 The knife is not ground at all. When it´s done, it will see less than 1 % stock removal. This minimizes adverse effects from heat buildup when grinding, leaves a protective layer of ferrum oxide on the blade and gives a no-frills appearance. Also I find that the steel is refined by doing more forging.The blade is tempered selectively, the handle is coated with oil and the oil burnt while annealing.

The fork has a ram´s head. I made it from mild steel, which is work-hardened in the tips. No grinding whatsoever, nor power tools involved other than the ventilation on the forge. The handle of the knife also has a countertorsion I even like for a change;-).