knife making

[Mortblanc]

Pete, fire welding is a trick best learned in the old way, standing across the anvil from an experienced smith.

It is one of those "black arts" of the blacksmith where the metal, the flux, the fire and the air source must be in balance. A little too much and you burn your steel away, not quite enough and you will not get a weld. On top of that in most cases you only get one try. It works or it does not.

I learned it that way, from an experienced smith. It was one of those things where you get in with both hands and the smith is saying "See that color? That is what you want, no don't reduce the air hold steady. Everything in place? Do yo have your hammer ready? Now when it throws its first spark get it out and on the anvil! A second longer and it is burned."

Can you imagine welding 6 foot tall wagon rims like that? And getting then precise the first time.

At any rate, he had me welding damascas from the steel used for the nose cones of rockets before long. He got that stuff from where he worked and I have no idea what it was, except it was HARD!

I did know that he worked as metallurgist in a facility that had produced many of the engine parts for the SR73 Blackbird so when he sad "Don't ask" he actually did mean that he could not tell you.

Not only was he a technical wizard, he also had the knack for the old skills and liver working simple projects in the fire. He eventually met some crazy woman and moved half way across the country and I lost track of him.

I still have one of those blades and have never finished it into a working knife. I should put it into the etching solution and do that.