Blacksmithing has long been considered the privilege of real men. This process fascinates with its beauty and mystery, and the secrets of some masters of this matter are still puzzles and are kept in strict confidence. This is especially true for the manufacture of edged weapons, which had previously been produced in closed forges under guard.
Today, forging a knife at home has become available to almost everyone, although this process itself will require some skill and the availability of a tool. Such work can be carried out on the balcony, where there is access to open air and the ability to freely forge.
At home, forging a knife suggests the possibility of heating the metal on a gas stove or in the oven, but you can use small muffle furnaces or even burners. You will also need a file, sandpaper, a drill with a drill, pincers, an emery stone and two hammers of different weights. You should also stock up on metal. For a good forged knife, spring steel or a flat file is suitable.
You will have to work with a workpiece heated to 900 degrees, so all necessary safety measures should be taken. It is also recommended to use an anvil or metal blank, otherwise forging the knife will be impossible.
To get started, take a billet of metal and heat it to red. It will be approximately 900 degrees. Then, using a large hammer, we begin to process it, so that a bar of metal is obtained, equal in length to the future knife, and in thickness - several millimeters thicker than it. Then again we subject the workpiece to heat.
Forging a knife usually begins with the part where its handle will be. This will help keep the forging in the future. With a large hammer, we strike to give the knife the desired look, and with a small hammer we align the workpiece in a plane and relieve tension. You can not let it cool down very much, because then there is a danger of delamination or the appearance of chips.
It should also be remembered that such forging of a knife does not imply the destruction of the crystal lattice of the material, which means that it is necessary to give it a shape that is closest to the final product. This involves the formation of all elements of the descent of the blade and a clear manufacture of the nose.
After this treatment, the knife is finished with a file or on an emery wheel, but not sharpened. He needs to undergo oil quenching, which at home must be done very carefully. The part is heated to a bright red color and placed in a working hole, where it is located until it cools completely.
The next step is the manufacture of a knife sheath, a handle extension and sharpening. Here everyone shows their talents and abilities. In the simplest version, the handle is made of thick rope, wrapping it around, and the scabbard is sewn from rough leather. In this case, they often use not threads, but copper or aluminum rivets. Sharpening is done on emery or with a file.
Such manufacture of a knife by forging can be considered the simplest and most affordable at home.