Q's for Alvin- HSS Blades
Will
posted here: http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/Will5a.jpg ), and I've been
thinking of freeing up some time to make another- possibly out of HSS. I
had emailed David MacDonald almost a year ago, but at the time he was trying
to sell blades in larger batches than I was intereseted in buying. So my
question for Alvin is, what number of blades did you have to order to get a
reasonable price, and how was shipping?
Of course I realize I could just e-maill David, but I also had a few
questions and I haven't posted here in a long time so I figured this would
give me a good reason.
I'm sure this has been answered before, but is it M2 that is the ideal
material? And what about a recommendation for thickness? I understand this
will vary greatly with the style of knife and intended use, but is there
anything about a HSS knife that would make you want it to be a different
thickness that any other knife used for the same thing? I was thinking along
the lines of "because HSS is brittle, make it thicker than usual" or
"because HSS holds such a good edge, make it thinner than usual" or "your
thinking way too hard, use whatever you want..."
And one other question, Alvin. Have you made any through-tang or hidden tang
(or whatever it's called) HSS knives? I was wondering if it would be easier
since you would do more grinding and less drilling.
Thanks,
Will
alv...@xx.com
> It's been almost a year since I made my last knife (which I think
> is still posted here: http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/Will5a.jpg ),
> and I've been thinking of freeing up some time to make another-
> possibly out of HSS.
Cool. :)
> I had emailed David MacDonald almost a year ago, but at the time
> he was trying to sell blades in larger batches than I was
> intereseted in buying. So my question... is, what number of blades
> did you have to order to get a reasonable price, and how was
> shipping?
a) I don't know. :/
b) I don't remember. :/
I do know that I just got done buying a big .100" thick Starrett
from MSC for $65!
> Of course I realize I could just e-maill David, but I also had a
> few questions and I haven't posted here in a long time so I
> figured this would give me a good reason.
Yeah, seems like someone cross-posted his ad over here from
rec.crafts.metalworking... and David seems like someone we can
trust ...and that's about it.
Good post tho, Will. :)
> I'm sure this has been answered before, but is it M2 that is the
> ideal material?
Industry thinks so :) but they always weigh in real-heavy-like on
costs.
So it's the ideal material for full-hard power hacksaw blades.
Bi-metal is the ideal material for un-breakable power hacksaw
blades, I guess.
For "tough knives" M2 could be beat pretty easy I figure (but don't
know nuthin about no tough knives!).
Also what I don't know yet, is what the back of a bi-metal hacksaw
blade is made of.
Soon I'm going to have a friggin pile of used .100"x 25" bimetal
hacksaw blades. Got to work with it and see what it can do.
Oh heck, I've got only two more metallurgy classes, better heat
treat some and see how hard it can get, at least, huh? :/
> And what about a recommendation for thickness? I understand this
> will vary greatly with the style of knife and intended use, but is
> there anything about a HSS knife that would make you want it to be
> a different thickness that any other knife used for the same thing?
Hmmm... Uh... I think you're way ahead of me on this idea! :)
> I was thinking along the lines of "because HSS is brittle, make it
> thicker than usual" or "because HSS holds such a good edge, make
> it thinner than usual" or "your thinking way too hard, use whatever
> you want..."
Hmmm... in the past I've been making HSS blades from thin stock
because that's what I had to work with. Always with one eye toward
making the blade thin down near the edge for good cutting on meat
etc.
> Have you made any through-tang or hidden tang (or whatever it's
> called) HSS knives? I was wondering if it would be easier since
> you would do more grinding and less drilling.
> Thanks,
> Will
My very first knife and for several after that, I did hidden tang
handles because I didn't know how to get a hole in it (without a
torch and sure as heck didn't want to use a torch on 'em)
I ground some holes in a couple of them with a dremel using little
"mounted stones" from Brownell's and used cutler's rivets.
Man do I ever hate cutler's rivets! :#
Went back to hidden tang handles until I learned how to drill holes
in the dangged stuff so I could use pins to hold everything
together. :) "slab handle" or whatever you want to call Old
Hickorys with a full tang or half+tappered tang with pins is my
favorite style. YMMV
http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/hth4hss.jpg
"hidden tang handle slabs for HSS" knives.
They were made using a router and a 3/4" square groove bit.
My first one I used a big-old Bridgeport horizontal milling machine
with a 3/4" wide milling cutter in the System Signal Shop in
Sacramento. :)
Scratched my head for a while how to do that in Hayden Jct. AZ the
boss gave me an old junk router and I mounted a "fence" on it.
http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/failedHSS.jpg
That one failed after >20 years and it was glued together with 5
minute epoxy and the surface of the black paper micarta or tang were
not prepared to help it stick, as an experiment. Figured it'd fall
apart in a couple months. :)
You can see where it'd already been re-ground once after putting it
together.
http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/2HSS.jpg
Re-re-ground ;) re-fitted/shifted so the blade points "up" more and
glued together with 2-ton epoxy and freshly finished with 80 grit
sand paper, just how the owner likes it. :)
That's my fifth(?) knife the lower knife is mine and I made it
right after the other one. '80 '81?
That's my version of a Buck 119 handle and a shape-copy of a Robeson
steak knife blade I bought at a yard sale.
If or when you get into drilling holes and using pins or (ick;)
cutler's rivets...
http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/boltholes.jpg
One is a steel nut pressed into the hole with a vise then
finish-hammered into place. Middle, a slice of O1 drill rod and
of course the brass nut, done the same way as the steel nut.
http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/6375-C1.jpg
Pocket knife blades can be made using the fact that the ends of the
blades are soft. Recent testing has shown it's not a real sudden
hardness change and it's farther into the blade on the big ones than
on the little ones.
That stuff is from a big one. ;) So with confidence I drilled a
pivot pin hole and proceded to make a pocket knife blade. :) The
black X is some of the soft stuff I should have had in the tang
instead of the blade! :) And its replacement blade.
Asked the guy that got the "screwed up" blade (after he lived with
it for a couple months) what he thought of that blade. Said "great!
:)" After some discussion "Only use this much of the blade so I
never noticed" (holding his fingers 2" apart at the most). :)
That screwed-up blade is in a "skeleton knife" nothing but brass
liners and a spring from a factory electricians knife. One liner is
factory and .050" thick and locks the blade ( screwdriver-blade in
an electrician's knife) and one homemade liner since I wanted it to
be as thick.
Alvin in AZ