Yeah it works :-)

My daughter has a sore throat today, so I've had to spend a large portion of the day looking after her.

I did manage to do a little so I can update you re the experiments.

Chilla wrote:

More grinding to do.

Finished the metal work, definitely looks weird.

Still to do

Still to do

The steel in the nails is bright steel so it does stand out against the spring.

Regards Charles

I can't picture how you're doing these - I'm guessing that a USAian spring washer doesn't look like an UKian one?

any chance of some pics?

Or an Ozian one for that matter ;-)

Sure, I'll send them to you in a jiffy.

Hope that's your email address ;-)

Regards Charles

Well that didn't work, send me an email and I'll return post.

Regards Charles

I assume you mean Helical lock washer; the kind that look like one coil of an extension spring. They usually have a rectagular if not square cross section. The ones we used to handle by the millions were often SAE 1060 or 1070. I'd think the ones you are using would have to be sized for some pretty big bolts--- at least 1" diameter shanks?

Anywhere close?

Pete Stanaitis

----------------

Chilla wrote:

Different country, different region, different name... same thing.

Square section, and yes they look like one rotation from a spring... well that's how they're made.

It's mystery until I contact the manufacturer, count be one of a number of spring alloys.

It does forge weld nicely though.

1"? Keep going ;-)

Regards Charles

I got the pics.

I missed the obvious step that you straightened the washer!

I visuallised the nails threaded through the washer, and couldn't work out how it was an "insta knife", unless it was some kind of guard.

thanks for the pics BTW.

My mistake, I thought it was obvious.

The point is using very easy to obtain materials, with a no-fail forge weld. These materials seem to be just the ticket.

This way you can practice on those new designs without having to fork out eleventy-billion dollars for exotic and/or expensive steels.

Even with the cheapness of the materials a functional knife can be made.

I've come down with the latest bug floating around here in Australia (not the swine flu), so am feeling a tad poorly. THe next experiment will have to wait a little.

The next experiment is to twist the billet very tightly, square it up and twist again, and repeat until I go bonkers. I intend this knife to be a working knife, so I'll split the edge and forge weld in a "spare" spring washer (or whatever you like to call it ;-) ).

Regards Charles P.S. I have shared this information so that anyone that wants to can play too ;-)

I was picturing the same sort of thing big egg was at first :-D. Would you mind, though, sending me the pics as well? Thanks a bunch!

address: snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com

Hello Charles

Please send the pics my way as well.

Thanks, Geoff

Chilla wrote in news:4a24d76c$0$12666 $ snipped-for-privacy@news.optusnet.com.au:

I'll host them on my website, with Chilla's permission...

You have it :-) Regards Charles

Either send me the pictures or have bigegg tell me the name of his website.

Well I tried to send it to DanG, but your emails address returned a transcript, so can you provide me with another address.

I use mine on this newsgroup, so I can send a return reply, if you send me an initial one.

Regards Charles

Chilla wrote:

Pics now available at:

I tried this with one washer and nail just to make sure that my two brick forge with 3/4 inch propane burner will get to welding temperature. Twisted the two together and folded twice. So that is four layers. I then cooled it and ground off the edges and the one face to check the integrity of the weld. Mostly good welds. Very easy to do and the first forge weld I have managed at home. I'll try a bigger billet next.

Now for the interesting part. Once I have polished to 220 grit and etched I noticed the interface between layers and the two different metals had a light line almost as if I had put some nickel in there. The washer etched darker than the nail. So now I am wondering what causes the difference and the lighter line?

Is the line because of decarborisation? Is the darker area because of higher carbon or because of the alloying elements. I read that carbon migrates really fast.

I don't think that is the key reason for the lines. SO what else could it be?

Thanks Charles for the nice idea. The wife wants a kitchen knife with patterns in it now. So I need to find two steels that will weld easily and give a good contrast and also make a usable knife. I am sure they exist. I was thinking of spring steel 5160 and saw blade steel L-6. I have some of both to try after I have done more of the nail & washer type for fun.

Geoff

Chilla wrote in news:4a2c7c7e$0$7111 $ snipped-for-privacy@news.optusnet.com.au: