OOPS!

[hotfxr]

Throughout my adult life I have adamantly maintained two things. First and foremost, I am just not all that smart. The more I do know is far, far outweighed by what I don't know.   Second, what I do know is learned mostly from trial and error. Lot's of trial, lot's and lot's of error. Today was one of those days that reminds me of both of these tenets. I will try to make this long story short.

After deciding that my "Big Bowie" project was not going to work as hoped, I took the remaining two blanks and cut 2" off the length and recut the tip profile. This made a more balanced looking blade. Lot's of grinding later I had a decent, still slightly convex cutting edge good overall look. Made brass guards and drilled a few holes in the handle. Made wood scales for one and gave it to my Bowie buddy so he could work the wood down to where he wanted it. Mine, I made up my usual leather and hemp cord handle and was ready to harden it back to it's 5160 spring steel self. Fired up the forge (yes I got it to work, thank you shop vac) and heated it up once and quenched it.       Boom, just like Beowulf said, went back to it's original leaf spring curve.      No problem my impulsive, get it done self said, I'll just clamp it flat and heat it up again. So clamping it between a length of angle iron and a smaller piece of straight steel I heated it all up red hot and plunged it it into the water. In amongst the boiling water sounds came a sharp crack.      I knew without looking what happened.       So with tears in my eyes over the (too many to count) hours I had into it, I unclamped it and it fell to the ground in two pieces.



My biggest mistake? Thinking I knew what I was doing and treating 5160 spring steel like the carbon steel I had worked with in the past. I was warned, but in too much of a hurry to get these done to research what spring steel requires. You can fool me once, twice, maybe 5 or 6 times, but eventually the fog clears and I follow instructions. Well, sometimes I do.   

[hotfxr]

This learning thing has it's merits. I looked up treating 5160 steel and, lo and behold, one thing you NEVER do is quench it in water. Ooops, who knew? Well now I do.

[Hanshi]

A Golden Truth:  Success teaches one NOTHING; failure does all the teaching.

[hotfxr]

Well, it's done, kinda. I thought cutting out some more blanks to start over, but then said nah. What am I going to do with more Bowie's that just sit around gathering dust until I take them out to dazzle someone? So I welded this one back together, along with the 5 or 6 other cracks and finished it off. It's about as sharp as I can get a convex grind edge.




The specifics;

Total length:        17"

Blade length:       12"

Weight:                1 lb. 12 oz

So I am done with Bowie knives for awhile. Hopefully my metal guy finds the throwing knife blanks he says he cut out for me (two years ago) and i will make some more of those and a few tomahawks. Gonna try and drum up more interest with the groups I shoot with.

[Dogshirt]

This learning thing has it's merits. I looked up treating 5160 steel and, lo and behold, one thing you NEVER do is quench it in water. Ooops, who knew? Well now I do.

My knife making friend does his quenching in ATF. He says it flares less than oil. I on the other hand, prefer
to do MY quenching with IPA. It tastes MUCH better. 

[Hanshi]

[/quote]
to do MY quenching with IPA. It tastes MUCH better. 
[/quote]



I don't think "thirst quenching" was precisely the type of quenching he was referring to. 

[Hanshi]

Also, hotfxr. Is a blade welded back together as you did with the Bowie any more prone to breaking than one that is not?  Just curious.

[hotfxr]

Also, hotfxr. Is a blade welded back together as you did with the Bowie any more prone to breaking than one that is not?  Just curious.

Ironically welds, not unlike scare tissue and glued wood joints, are stronger than the metal that has been welded, although the weld is usually brittle. In this case though, there are many many cracks that you can only see with a magnifying glass. Although I annealed it after welding and now the metal is not brittle, there are so many cracks that I am sure if it was dropped on the ground, hit with a hammer, or shot with a 50 caliber PRB it would shatter into many pieces. For now it is a wall hanger and conversation piece. If it does wind up being shot, expect a video.

[beowulf]

well ! if nothing else , you have produced a pretty decent wall hanger !  if you try again , take that bevel back a good bit further , it is a knife afterall and not a canoe paddle  , still looks better than my first one