I forged a titanium knife

On a crafts fair ages ago I had forged a knife from titanium, an old piece of material from a  prothetics corporation, 6AL4,5V.  Fact is, I had heard it were impossible to forge a knife from it with an open coal forge, so I did. Fact is, there is a reason why we use steel for blades. Titanium is of course a finicky bstd to work with and to forge.  I would not make something that really needs to hold up repeated flex stress from it with an open coal forge. I used borax to minimize contamination, but it is of course suboptimal.  On the other hand, what you want to prevent in a setting where you deliver constant flexibility stress to the workpiece, might actually be a good thing for edge retention. Hydrogen buildup and oxide buildup make it brittle, but also harder. So I tried to keep that out during most of the forging process, cold- forged the edge and then slammed it full- tilt into the Ventilation stream of the forge, cold forged some more, put it back in and forged it far too hot on a wet anvil, but only the outer edge.  

 It actually gets a lousy edge, but keeps it forever. It is surprisingly well suited for feathersticking, though, and cuts surprisingly well. Getting it up to shaving sharpness is a bit tricky, but possible. It loses that hair-popping sharpness quite fast, to a point where it actually does shave, but only with some effort, but stays that way for a long time.  

As for lateral strength, in spite of the somewhat crazy forging method, it maintained well enough strength to stand up to some equally crazy stress tests.  

So, is Titanium actually suited for a bushcraft knife? 

Well, there is still a reason we use steel.  For carving, you know my stance on Moras, and that hasn't changed a bit. I would use the knife for digging up roots or breaking apart stuff, like in the video, harvesting herbs and mushrooms.  To be honest, a Mora or similar knife can do all this, too.  But remember, that thing was forged with an utterly punk method, in next to no time, on an event, between forging with kids. There could be more potential to the material with a bit more effort and a more controlled environment.  But that would actually no longer be anything resource- efficient. With high tech equipment, you could get a better result. 

The advantages of Titanium might be lighter weight, extreme corrosion resistance, tensile strength and antimagnetic properties.  If you want to pokeydeepoke at a landmine, a Titanium knife might be the way to go. But then I do not want to poke at landmines at all. 

It looks cool, though, and maybe I will make myself a golden sickle from it. Its edge holding capabilities are a bit comparable to good cutlery bronze. So, maybe that will be a thing in the future.  

Thanks for looking, and take care! 

Solingen Knifemaker´s Fair 2014-II- meeting old friends and opening leaden boxes.

 There was a lot to see at Solingen this year. I had already lost Willi, but was quite confident where to find him-for outside, in the beautiful yard of the museum, overshadowed by majestic old trees it was where Achim, Norbert, Gunnar and our old master and tutor, Matthias Zwissler, had their booth.

 So outside I went, and there was some smithing going on as well, and by the great grandmaster of Germany, Fred Schmalz, in the bargain. Mr. Schmalz is well over 65 years old, and is still going stronger than ever, and you can feel he is fed by the fire . There was a lot of tech talk going on, on a very high level, and you could learn a lot about bladesmithing and making damascus by simply standing there and looking. Also, it kindled the flame in myself again.

 But there had been enough morale;-) off to the feeding! I had some sandwiches, some meat balls, a lot of coffee... and whom did I meet at the coffee  booth? Willi, of course, for the blood level in his caffeine was rising and he had to do something against it. Then some cake and a goulash soup, and I was feeling human again... we met Rolf, and Stefan, and a lot of folks from Münster Knifemaking Club, sat under an old tree, had some great food and enjoyed a chat, some weird jokes and Rolf poked me in the ribs with his knife;-) perfect.

 Then we were off to Achim´s booth. Achim has but an email-adress, but I daresay he is one of the most accomplished knifesmiths and metallurgists in Germany, maybe in Europe, but he is very down-to-earth. Here is a batoning test with one of his more simple knives. Here you can find something that is frankly insane from a metzallurgical point of view and requires a lot of knowledge: Stainless Pulad.

The knives he had on display were just plain beuatiful. It is quite a feature to make a Seax with a clean pattern like this. It is certainly not my style, for it is a bit too clean for my liking, and I prefer a more ornamental design. But I have seen him whacking this Seax into a rod of high-carbon steel with not so much of an afterthought and no damage to the blade.

 Top is a Persian javelin, a Leuku, and a dagger. The latter aappeals to me mostly because of the delicate pattern on the blade, but, again, the design´s not my piece of cake.

 This Wootz blade, however,

 just made me want to have it... Above is a big camp knife out of mono steel. What I like best is the versatility of this guy. He can do a lot of styles, and the quality of his blades is legendary.

 Another Seax by Achim.

 Next to Achim was Norbert, another Lord of Metal. And as we came by, he did THIS (Apologies again for messing up the perspective, I promise I will learn it some day):

MAD!!!! These are the results:

 Top is one of his kitchen knives. Below is a knife out of Pakistani damascus.

 Now, this is the "Amilas" test which is not considered very polite amongst bladesmiths, but plagiarism is not polite either;-) and I guess the point is made by this edge;-).

 Then there was a sabre demonstration going on. There were demos the whole day, from Iai-Do to Ken-Do, to Kyu-Do, European Martial Arts (Long sword, short sword and buckler, sabre, rapier, sword and shield), and, of course, the smelting by the guys and the forging by Fred Schmalz.

 They had an Aristotle furnace going...

 As well as a more traditional smelting furnace. To the left there´s Matthias who managed to take a day off from his strenueous life to come to Solingen, and I hope he will be well... but that´s another story and the internet is no place for it.

 This is how the air flow is achieved, just a simple garden hose does the job.

At the forge of Mr. Schmalz I came across a novel kind of flux (at least to me). He mixrd Borax with rust to provide a better cleaning effect on the metal´s surface and a metal reduction effect, as I guess.

So, the visit to the yard was certainly inspiring. Of course, when I went upstairs, my camera did decide my time was out, but I did not agree. I met with Mr. Fazekas, who had his great works of art on display, not much new, but great no less. At the booth of Wolf Borger I got some material to work with the newly-kindled fire..., 1.2842 steel and red G-10 fibre. I met with Gerhard Wieland, and Daniel Boll. But the most intensive encounter I have had since many years was yet to come at the booth of Peter Johnsson. Now Peter was herding ;-) the Arctic fire folks in 2013. Visit their website for the most interesting quest that has given the magic troll and myself quite something to think about for some months, and it turns out the troll was quite close to a winning guess... So I came across one of my biggest idols in the bladesmithing world, and before I knew it, we were hotly engaged in a most inspiring conversation about sword physics and medieval design theories. Peter has a most intriguing theory concerning the architectural design of medieval swords which I find both plausible and inspiring, even if I to date do not comprehend it completely still. Here he treats the proportional design of the Soborg sword, which can stand as an example for many others of the type, and he is currently doing statistical research on the proportions of swords from the early medieval age to high medieval times. What struck him as very peculiar is that the design principles of those artifacts where the same as those applied to medieval churches, cathedrals and cloisters, and bearing similarities to sacral architecture. He gave me a tour-de-force view of medieval architecture of swords and buildings alike, and in no time we were deeply engaged in a philosophical conversation. Now this all might not seem so peculiar, and I am personally accustomed to the feel of a well - made sword in my hand. But there was a bunch of friendly folks around also partaking in the conversation, amongst whom there was a girl. She was beautiful, but you could tell she was a bit withdrawn. Then Peter handed her one of his swords, a Gothic hand-and-a-half sword, one very similar to this one. At that moment it was as if a veil was removed from a shining light. Her eyes sparkled with fire, and Peter just said: "You feel it, do you?". It was beautiful, both to see the girl suddenly radiating, and Peter´s plain and simple reaction. Then we were again deeply engaged in some philosophical discussion, and soon we were nearing spiritual topics, as is not so far-off, considering his theory. Anyway, I saw at that moment something that is often quoted and seldom seen: That which we love to call "the power of the sword". I understood a whole lot of things in this moment, too many to explain in a humble post on a blog in the internet. I understood that there is a deity that is not easy to agnize, and I understood that there are methods to feel it. And that these methods are nothing new, but a secret jealously kept by keepers generally not apt to the task. And that the steel keeps the secret much better than any human master, but that there is a force behind the steel that is greater still. The design principles that Peter loves to relate to are just that: Design principles. But they serve a much bigger purpose. And, what I find most beautiful about this swordsmith is not that he makes great blades. There are others around doing that too. There were a great many lot of them on the Knifemaker´s fair, and a great many very great individuals and characters, too. But I have seen the locks of iron, copper and silver open in the way he talks about agnition, just a tiny bit, but it gave me a lot of hope.

Now I will not take up swordsmithing because of meeting with Peter Johnsson. I will not study the principles of sword design because of it. But what I realized is that I have never stopped on that way, and that it was there the whole time. And it isn´t about the tools or the weapons.

Who knows need not ask, who asks, will get no answer. But I opened a leaden casket to see the locks of iron, copper and silver undone. Those are my very own words, and readers of my blog know that. Peter found some very similar. I hope to stay in contact to him. Period.

There are many more impressions. I could tell you how we sat in the yard again, the Iaido  and Kyudo show with their meditational atmosphere, or the plain recreational violence;-) of European Martial arts. Of great food, of steel and chatting, of seeing new works not only by the masters, but also by my friends and aquaintances. Of how it was all a very friendly, peaceful meeting of educated, even academical people. But I can only suggest to get down here and pay this fair a visit. You´ll see a whole lot of weapons and a whole lot of peaceful atmosphere.

 

Synchronical and diachronical etymology of the term "Knopmes" / "Knopmetz"

So, as I said, the hunt is on, and I like to circle the topic by etymology first. I learned the variant  "Knopmes" is still used in the Netherlands today, and it refers to a gardening or pocket knife. To etymologically translate the term, however, we must keep in mind that its semantics might have changed in history. Thusly, I also follow the diachronical approach, meaning, comparing the modern use of the word to the (postulated) historical use. Knopmes / Knopmetz is a composite word constituted by the words Knop- and -mes / -metz. In medieval high and nether German (Continental Saxon) the word "mez" referred to a knife that often was used to part coins. A quarter was originally exactly that: a quartered coin. the medieval high German term "des mezzes" (Gen.) meant "of certain measure" or "measure". This is similar to the Anglo-Saxon "meohtes", and reminds of the Anglo - Saxon "meohte-seax", a small knife for eating and utility tasks, which might be identical to the "hadseax" or *hadasax. The variant "metz" is due to dialectical reasons and the variants differ in the ending of the word, depending on the region. The term "Knop" is originally a continental Saxon word, due to the not realized change in the p -> f  (skip / (Engl. ship) -> modern German "Schiff") change during the documented period, and thusly a dialect spoken North of the Benrath language frontier in Germany. Hypothetically realizing the second stage of historical sound alteration would result in a translation of knop->*kno-f / *kno-ff / or into *kno-pf. Note: The asterisk is used to mark the reconstrucive, hypothetical translation in this case and executed by myself and does not stand for a reconstructed Indo-European word. In modern German, a "Knopf" is a button, and *knof could be referred to modern German "Knauf" (pommel) or modern English "knob". The modern Dutch term "Knop" also refers to the *knof / modern English "knob", if I am not entirely mistaken, for in gardening, the Dutch "knopmes" is used to cultivate trees.

[edit] The magic troll wants me to mention that the term "Nubsi" also is coherent with the term "Knop" or English "knob". It is a teenie-weenie itsy-bitsy version of a knob. *ggg*

This results in a hypothesis that the "Knopmetz" might have been a knife, not a dagger, and thusly with only one edge. It would have been short, for the documents state that, and the juristic and trade documents may indicate that, while it also was presented to princes, it was widely carried by many social classes and would have been available in several qualities. The handle would have had a pommel, a knob or disc. Also, it can be stated, that presumeably the "dehhen", "deken", "degen" was an entirely different breed, as it is well documented throughout history that the "degen" more often than not meant a dagger with two edges, often a narrow triangular blade and even a triangular cross-section.

What the two "Brackerfelders" had in common, however, was the steel. Juristic documents of that time indicate a quarrell between traders from Cologne delivering "faux" Breckerfelder steel, which was actually from the Siegerland region. It is also indicated that the steel was marked as "Brackerfelder" or "Breckerfelder". Now the steel from the Siegerland region had an excellent reputation. If there was a quarrell about the Breckerfelder steel being used as a label, I ask myself, how much better would that quality be? That it had to be better, seems obvious by the documents, but was it actually, and if, why was that so? More questions, and the hunt for my personal "knopmetz" goes on!

Current projects[edit]

 Birka knife blade [edit: This is not a Birka find, but a Scandinavian iron age design], spring steel, selectively tempered.65x4mm blade.

 Birka knife blade  [edit: This is not a Birka find, but a Scandinavian iron age design], , crucible steel from the woods, selectively tempered, with a countertorsion on the handle, 100x3mm blade.

 Torsion work on the small knife. In the back there is another blade I made as an experiment to incorporate the lines of a sgian dhú into a stury bushcraft knife. I would prefer to call it an "Iscian".

 And the one on the big knife.

 Spine on the iscian knife.

 And the lanyard loop.

No stock removal, when it´s done it will see less than 3 % of it.... I´ll keep you informed!;-)

New bushcraft knife

 I made a new bushcraft knife. Ilkka Seikku has inspired me a lot, but I did not simply want to copy, but wanted a knife as rugged as his with the look of my own style. I am quite fond of a slight recurve and added a finger hold. It is made from selectively tempered spring steel with less than 1 % stock removal.

 I also made a sheath with a wooden (oak) inlay. Here it is not tanned yet and I also added some stitches.

The blade is 115 mm long and has a 6mm spine. The handle is elk antler. I tried out to do some balancing and thusly drilled out the hind part of the tang with 8mm holes. The centre of balance is on the first hollow rivet, on the index finger notch. It feels light and nimble for that. The blade has no secondary edge bevel.

I tested it already, and it does the job. I will document that with some photos, no worries;-). It is not as hard as Ilkka´s knives, some 58 HRC or so, but flexible enough. Chopping mild steel rods inflicted some dents on the blade, carving was a cinch, and it even stropped a Mora Triflex blade. Guess it will accompagny me personally, and I will work on perfecting the design.

Another day in the smithy-some musings on steel qualities and how to forge a Tai - Goo - style bush knife..

 On Tuesday, Istopped by the Bethaus smithy do do some projects for myself. First and foremostly, I had that urge again to do another bush knife;-), but I also tempered the leaf handled Kopis knife I made on Sunday, and a Nessmuk design knife with a flat tang. Then I took the uppermost piece of spring steel and set out to forge a hollow tang bush knife after Tai Goo.

 First I forged the blade part and set it to be about half the width of the handle part. A tip was then forged.

 Then the tang part was flattened, and, with the help of a hardy device, rolled onto itself. You can also use a vice with the jaws slightly apart. Use the peen of the hammer to do the preform. Then you can use the anvil´s surface to roll it onto itself. Be careful to execute the same number of blows on both sides.

 Then the blade was forged, and at the end of the handle a hook was formed to prevent a wrapping from sliding off, the handle being not conical. The blade itself was forged to edge. This knife was already ready to use after forging with no stock removal, and no, I am NOT going to tell you how I did it;-). There was clay involved, so much I can say;-).

The knife will get a ground edge surface, though, to enhance the geometry and get rid of some irregularities in the edge line, though. The blade has a selective temper.

Now to the steel: I find I use spring steel ever more often, in fact, I realize that there is all you need in this steel for bushcraft and hard use applications. It simply works. I have thought about that. The spring steel I use ranges from a carbon content between 0,55-0,80%, with manganese and slicium in the alloy, making it tougher, and maybe one or the other Chromium atom. It´s nothing compared to highly alloyed steels that are all the rage in the knifemaking world. D2 is an example I love to use to illustrate the fact. Known in Germany under the material cipher 1.2379, it is most commonly referred to as "tool steel", and most commonly used for stamping tools and cold and warm chisel tools. As the saying goes for knives out of that material, "they take a lousy edge but hold it forever". The high degree of alloy in this steel makes for vast carbides, nearly visible to the naked eye and resulting in a more coarse edge, almost like micro - serrations. For a hunting knife, this might even be an advantage, but for a bushcraft knife you want a fine edge. Woodcarving requires a polished edge surface to make controlled, powerful cuts manageable in a better way.

Spring steel, which is alloyed with Silicium, which, generally spoken, delivers a higher ductile strength and a higher flexibility, and manganese, which is also responsible for a higher flexibility and contributes to even out the carbides in the steel, is, while offering a tempering potential up to 61 degrees Rockwell after annealing, higly flexible, and makes, when treated the right way, for quite a tough blade. Plus, it is dead cheap and widely available. I really put my blades through their paces, and I hope one day they might pass the ABA test. I have worked with some fancy materials, and I get them to work quite often, even tested hard. But in an equation, I tend to return to spring steel more often than not, for, honestly, a knife has to be reliable and serviceable, especially in the woods.

For that, I have come to love those bush knives. They are dead simple, and that means little can go awry with them. No scales to come loose, no handle either, and you can even cover them up with makeshift cordage. They are widely used by indigenous cultures for a reason. You can use them for knife throwing or fit a stick into the hollow handle to make a spear. I have even harvested wild apples and plums and maple blossom that way. I already tested the knife some, for I was being curious, and it supports my weight when stuck in a wooden pole, and that´s a feat;-). A think a thorough test will follow soon...*ggg*
Try that with a 64 HRC D2 blade*ggg*.

Sometimes you have to make a decision;-)-Pimp my Nessie...

 I made a Nessmuk some months ago. It really, really felt good, the tempering was on the spot, but something always felt awkward. I could not quite put my finger on what was so awkward, until I made a balance test and realized that the stag antler crown, which was really beautiful, compromised the handling. I eventually stopped using it for that reason. But a knife you don´t use is of no use. And since it felt good otherwise, I had to make a decision that involved a hacksaw. I turned it over and over in my hand, and finally got my resolve, and simply got on with it. I contemplated fitting a copper buttcap, but took a pair of wild pig´s teeth I had found in the woods instead.

What can I say... it feels completely right now, and even if I could have done it a bit more cleanly, I like the new look. The stag antler crown, however, will not be wasted, as will the rune disc amulet. Watch this space. I have now used the knife thoroughly, and enjoy it. I found out that the balance point for me should be on the ferrule or bolster for a knife up to 12 cm blade length.

One day in the smithy with three lunatics;-)

 On Sunday it was a  hammer-in again at the Industriemuseum Ennepetal.

 Daniel was already there when I arrived, and had the privilege to light the forge this time.

 Willi, making mischief as usual;-). I like this guy a lot for being absolutely insane. And for keeping me down to earth and knowing every material number the Gods of normation have invented on this planet... I have learned a lot from him, and since I know he now reads this blog (stealthily;-), people would talk.... and then it will be "they´re coming to take me away, hih, they´re coming to take me away, haha, they´re coming to take me away, haha, hoho, hihi..." for him*g), I thought I´d let him know. 

 Daniel mounting and unmounting the forge. A forge that is not constantly changed every fifteen minutes and with different setups and constructional details gets boring quick, and forging gets boring, too, without the challenge to adapt to these changes on top of forging damascus or any such apprentice work*g.  Willi was looking on and not approving. But then Willi seldom approves to anything*g, which makes him the "difficult co - worker"*g he is...

 I, for one, can approve of this hatchet Willi made with a handle out of a wood my tiny mind could not remember the name of*g. Something out of a dense and deep jungle, and I find this material very fascinating, FOOOOOOR,

 This handle is NOT oiled. The wood has a shine to it as if treated with shellac or resin... naturally. Nice long grain, too. I like the thin, nimble and sharp blade, too.

 Rolf dropped by, and as usual he brought a truckload of tools, good manners and an air of high spirits with him. It´s always cool to have him around.

 There was a presentation of die-casting and forming for kids, too, and the kids could even do a die-cast themselves.

 Those are some blades by Rolf. I especially like the skinner designs to the left.

 Drilling a tang....

 The forge a-roaring. We had a length of higher-diametre steel in it, for a demonstratio of t5he infamous "sledge dance"*g.

 Fimbulyourstrulydidsomething...Forging the handle of another knife. How might it look in the outcome? I am wondering myself.*g

 And a Celtic leaf blade. Now let me explain this. I am not one for swords in general, but there has been changing something only but recently in my attitude towards them. Towards mythology, towards male and female, and towards life in general and its meaning...

In diesem Post hat unser Zeichner wieder ein weiteres unglaubwürdiges  Kompliment versteckt... Können Sie es finden? *g

 Willi DOING IT AGAIN!He has done it again.

LUNATIC*g!!!!

 Proper man food...;-) WURST!!!! FLAISCH!!!!!
SCHNAAAAAAAAPSSSS!!!! In Finnish: BRATWÜRST!!!! MEAD!!!!;-) (Sorry, bro, but thought you´d like it...;-))

 Rolf doing what he did most of the time: Smile.

Oh, and he also did a tiny bit of forging, grinding, instructing clumsy Fimbulmyrks, tempering, spreading an air of high spirits and dirty jokes by the cartload;-).

 Willi telling the kids that one should not test the sharpness of these blades ALONG the thumb... no really, they did. Fortunately, nothing awkward did happen....

 The blade getting longer ever so slowly but steadily, and taking shape. It just struck me, making a leaf blade. At first it should have been a "Langes Messer". But then there were two impulses occuring to me:

Why the [insert any dirty word of your choice] should I obstain from making a proper sword which I always wanted, when some politician sells tanks to whoever without not so much as a single blink of an eye, and when I set my mind on making a sword, why not do the bigger challenge? If you draw a sword, there can be no compromises any more. Why should there be  when you make one? I´ll post about this decisison in a separate post, for it would take too long now, but I am resolved now. Many things are now getting clear. I am still a pacifist. A pacifist with a sword?

I strongly suspect that one without one would be not credible in my book...;-)

 Rolf actually at work...and not smiling, for once...*g

Willi, also at work, and not smiling, too.*g But then, you know it´s gonna hurt if he starts to smile, his humour is illegal in many countries...*g

 Daniel progressively getting better.

 Steel at rest. I annealed it by heating to tempering temperature and letting it cool on top of the forge, twelve times.

 Kinda dusty in the smithy...;-)

 Daniel grinding, tempering and polishing an old ball - peen from the junkyard. I like this very much.

 A hot chisel Daniel made.

 My Ruis leaf with a Hamón on, which I tempered encore un fois after testing it and finding it barely adequate.... sorry for the bad pic.

 Did I mention Willi is  a lunatic?*g

 He is a lunatic.*g

 No really, he is.*g Tempered, and sharp.

 Daniel´s hammer up close.

 The hot chisel.

 My Ruis Kopis leaf handle design. It was fun to make it, and it works. Next time I have to work on the balance, for it´s kind of rear-heavy (that the expression, when its weight´s towards the handle?:-)).

 One of Rolf´s hammers. He is quite an accomplished allround craftsman, too, working with leather, steel, wood, and all the other materials of knifemaking. His leather bags and pouches are a sight to behold, too.

 There was an oldtimer expo at the museum, too, and, since I could not lift the hammer any more for cramps, I took time off to take some pics.Ford Granada...

 Borgward.

 Lancia.

 BMW.

 ???

 An ancient Mercedes Unimog tractor.

 A Fendt tractor from the 1950´s or so.

 Ford. Model T.

 Oh, and the proper man food was courtesy of the Kritzler family. They own a bakery on the countryside around Breckerfeld. They bake after old recipes, too, and with an ancient charcoal oven.

 Plus, they are nice people, and I enjoy having a chat with them every time we meet.

 Mrs. Kritzler should have come first, but Blogger and my incapability wouldn´t do that.

 Then I went into the café to have some proper Fimbulmyrk food myself... psssssst, don´t tell the others*g! We got the cake and coffee free of charge, and that´s quite nice, for it´s all homemade and tasty to boot.

 And a REAL cup with good, strong coffee....

By the way, people looked at me as if I were some kind of Martian again... can´t put the finger on it, but might have to do something with the fact that I was all black from the grinding dust, which I realized later...

 The sword after a quick and dirty grind. I tempered it three times, each time tempering the "sweet spot" in the centre of percussion in water damp, then putting the tip (one third length of blade) in a shallow oil tub until the rest was cherry red, then I put the next third in the tub, and as the colour was barely visible, I briefly quenched the last third, but taking it out again instantly. Then I raised the tip and let the colour draw towards it from the rest of heat in the tang, blue in the middle, golden at the tip.

Will perform a cutting test with the sword and hope it will do...*g. 

 Daniel had the idea of forging a sledge with a tiny gas forge and by hand. We had no tongs whatsoever for it and no time whatsoever. I did not approve, but I have to appreciate the brute force and skill...

As seen here. Please NOTE: Don´t try this at home. The tongs do not fit, the metal is way too big, and it flips all over the place.

Insane.*g

Enjoy!*g










More photos you can find here.