dao and fighter blades with hamon, playing with 1075 and W1

[kevin - the professor]

Hello Dogs,
I have been playing with creating hamons lately. I have fallen in love with Aldo's low manganese 1075 and also had good luck with W1.

I can't take pics very well, so these really under-represent the actual vividness of these blades. The different structures in the steel are so pronounced that the hardened portion actually stood "proud" above the softer portion. I have had this happen with blades that had a steel edge and a wrought iron spine, but this is the first time the transition from soft to hard steel has been so drastic that I could actually see the larger volume of the hardened steel relative to the softer steel (due to those wonderful carbon atoms that are trapped in the matrix of the hard martensite).

The dao has been bought as a bare blade for someone who wants to fit it out. I love selling bare blades, as I am very good at making blades and just "ok" at making handles and fittings. 12" working length.

The fighter (7" working length) will be fitted out in a traditional U.S. western style and either sold or given to a cousin. This little blade has the most beautiful hamon I have ever created.

Now, I need to learn more about how to polish these.

thanks for looking,

comments are encouraged. If you don't say it, I won't know it.

Kevin

 

[murphda2]

Beautifull

 

[Pieter]

Looks great.

 

[Tomo]

Playing? I see serious steel...Thanks for sharing

 

[kevin - the professor]

thanks guys - now I have to learn to do a "presentation polish" which means learn to make the hamon look a little "milky" or "frosty" while getting the back of the blade to be darker and mirror-like.

I don't really know how to do this, I have some ideas. I have been playing with this for days. I have these two and 4 other knives with hamons, and I am systematically trying to vary the polishing techniques to get different effects. What I am finding is that even knives made from the same steel and in the same style and with the same clay and ht can have hamons that respond best to slightly different finishing techniques. I still need to learn a lot more...

kc

 

[bubba-san]

Looking good Kevin. I have been polishing blades ( japanese style) for a few years , had some formal training in japan during vietnam war . Have you tried using real waterstones ? Most folks dont understand how the japanese get thier Hamon to stand out ? Its the alkalinity of certain types of stones . Most japanese stones are high in limestone !! thats where the etch comes from . They also use small fingerstones to polish hamon . They are called hazuya and Jizuya. One is used for shinogi ( side of blade) and one is for hamon . All these can be purchased online but, it takes some practice to get proficient at it . I would buy a good video tutorial , there are some very good ones available. good luck Bubba

 

[Raymond Richard]

Looking good Kevin. I have been polishing blades ( japanese style) for a few years , had some formal training in japan during vietnam war . Have you tried using real waterstones ? Most folks dont understand how the japanese get thier Hamon to stand out ? Its the alkalinity of certain types of stones . Most japanese stones are high in limestone !! thats where the etch comes from . They also use small fingerstones to polish hamon . They are called hazuya and Jizuya. One is used for shinogi ( side of blade) and one is for hamon . All these can be purchased online but, it takes some practice to get proficient at it . I would buy a good video tutorial , there are some very good ones available. good luck Bubba

Bubba, Thanks for the information. Never knew that about the Japanese stones.

Kevin, I think you need to assemble the knives. You will get better at it in time.

 

[kevin - the professor]

Thanks Bubba. Thats good info/advice.

Ray, I let the scientist in me get the best of me, so I have been workign with 3 pairs of blades. 2 w1, 2 low manganse 1075, and 2 from the same old nicholson file, plus the dao.

I need to assemble a lot of knives.

The funny thing is that I am planning to imitate your style with two or three of them. Not exactly, but the same general type of knife (not the pukko type you did for awhile), sort of a mixture between what you do and what Scott Roush has been doing (but not as well as either of you).

take care,
kc