# WIP - The tusk



## jessf

If i called it "the tooth", then i might call it the deba, but that would be confusing as it's going to be a gyuto. I like gandknife but i want to get to the next level in finish, which calls for a next level in material. Picked up some mammoth tusk for this project. i need to find some materials for mokume gane. Unlike my last projects, this one will be slower.


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## Matus

The stakes are high, let's see what you've got!


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## jessf

Ping ping ping goes the 1084.


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## Mucho Bocho

Jess, just bad ass. I like your style. Wish you were me neighbors. More please...


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## jessf

It's just an excuse to drink beer while i shake my arm out. It pays to be ambidextrous. My neighbours probably think im nuts.


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## daveb

When you're done with knives for the day, you can do pizza! The neighbors would probably be more receptive...:cool2:


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## jessf

I got the Easy Bake Oven for that but ran out of light bulbs. LED bulbs take longer to heat up.



daveb said:


> When you're done with knives for the day, you can do pizza! The neighbors would probably be more receptive...:cool2:


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## milkbaby

Your forge is awesome. I can't wait to see how this turns out, looks epic!!! :doublethumbsup:


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## jessf

The plan is to make this a hammer finish which brings with it certain challenges. I need to bang out the cross section and distal taper as close to the finished profile as i can before grinding in the primary bevel. I've come as far as making my mark. I need to pick up some more fire bricks as my last one finally fell apart and i need to make a slightly larger forge for the heat treat.

Before the wire brush





After some brushing




I've also been collecting all the metals needed for the bolster.


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## Matus

I find it really cool what you manage to pull off with really not that much tools. That forge 1000 deg. hot sitting on a wooden floor ... be careful


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## malexthekid

Jessf, how long does it take you to do a knife from start to finish? Typical of course


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## jessf

If I'm not counting glue time and stuff like that. Average time behind the grinder or anvil from steel to finished knife ranges from 10-16 hours. Fastest one was like 8 hours as the handle was a wa style with no spacers and less work to make.



malexthekid said:


> Jessf, how long does it take you to do a knife from start to finish? Typical of course


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## milkbaby

Thanks for sharing! Very inspiring to me, it definitely makes me want to try some forging myself. What type of torches do you use and how do you control the temperature?


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## jessf

MAP torches and you just position them where you want more heat, take one out if you want less heat. I usually blow both in the front door and the heat builds up at the back for heat treating.



milkbaby said:


> Thanks for sharing! Very inspiring to me, it definitely makes me want to try some forging myself. What type of torches do you use and how do you control the temperature?


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## jessf

Bought 4 new bricks and was able to make a much nicer heat treating forge. Longer to accommodate the longer blade and more insulated to keep the temp more even. 









Brought the blade up to temp then into the brine then into the oil. She didn't crack and warped only a little. Into the oven for an hour of tempering


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## Matus

Jess, if I find myself with a propane burner, hammer and piece of rail somewhere on some abandoned parking lot next summer, than you will be the one to blame  I love what you manage to pull off here - you are a true motivation for many others. I am wondering how long it will take until you will find yourself in one room with a bing spring hammer


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## jessf

You were painting a pleasant picture until you said abandon parking lot so now im not sure if you're making knives or killing stray cats next summer. Lol kidding of course. thanks thought!



Matus said:


> Jess, if I find myself with a propane burner, hammer and piece of rail somewhere on some abandoned parking lot next summer, than you will be the one to blame  I love what you manage to pull off here - you are a true motivation for many others. I am wondering how long it will take until you will find yourself in one room with a bing spring hammer


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## jessf




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## Matus

You got me there wth those cat 

Now tell us - how do you manage to to weld those coins to the clamp, but to weld them to each other!


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## jessf

The nickel in the coins has a lower melting temp than the steel in the clamp. So, the coins fuse together sooner than they might to the clamp. the nickel it self doesn't seem to want to solder to the red hot clamp either so in the end the method worked really well. Don't use an aluminum clamp; goes without saying why. I got both stacks of coins welded last night and next week ill begin flattening out each billet.


But seriously though, why an abandoned parking lot for forging?



Matus said:


> You got me there wth those cat
> 
> Now tell us - how do you manage to to weld those coins to the clamp, but to weld them to each other!


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## Matus

jessf said:


> But seriously though, why an abandoned parking lot for forging?



Because trying to forge in my 'workshop' which is located in a basement would not be possible for several reasons, so I would have to find a remote location where I can get by car and the ground is strong enough for the work


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## jessf

Copper melts at around 800 and nickel some over 1430


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## jessf

I've got two mokune gane ingots now aboutt 4mm thick and 50mm in diameter.


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## pleue

Really cool project looking forward to the results


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## milkbaby

jessf said:


> I've got two mokune gane ingots now aboutt 4mm thick and 50mm in diameter.



Pretty awesome! Plus, you're only sunk about $4 in material, right? :doublethumbsup:


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## jessf

$4 per side but you get the idea:doublethumbsup:

It's a good analog to study the effects of heat on metal and the concept of forge welding. The anvil really needs to be hot to help this process. It's obvious in how fast the heat is sucked away when the anvil is cold that it impacts the success of the welding. I would probably seek to heat the anvil with a big leaf burner if i wanted to get serious about this.


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## jessf

Did some rough work on the mokume.


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## jessf

You can see the top layer didn't weld properly. I could hear a hollow when i tapped the metal and i knew they was a hollow closer to one side. This blemish will face out so i'll end up grinding it away, if it had been deeper i might have been able to re-heat the metal to force the weld or be forced to make a new one.


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## jessf

Borrowed a friends mastercrap 2 in 1 sander. I can tip the table to grid the primary bevels on the bolster this way.


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## jessf

Started work on the blade. I have less to grind off but i need to be more careful than on my previous blades. It will be a finish in process as i reveal more bevel.


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## Matus

Those bolsters are looking great! Now let's see how the blade will develop


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## Kingkor

This looks like an amazing project. Maybe I'll try something like this when I get the funds.


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## jessf

A bit of work on the blade. Cleaned off the scale and thinned out the edge. Need to keep polishing the blade which is intersting as i want to keep the hammer marks and pitting but also no scratches. I can see the hamon but at the same times it's obscured by the hammer marks. There's a balance to be struck.


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## Matus

Blade finishing - isn't that the what a knifemaker loves to do most


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## KDuncan

Love the coin Mokume' idea- nice touch. Out of curiosity was there any carbon or buildup in the pocket that did not weld?


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## jessf

Good question but sorry to say im unsure why it didnt fuse properly. Likely i didnt get a good first weld and the issue just remained as i flattened out the billet. I cleaned all the coins with wire brush and degreaser and fluxed each piece. Call it a random and lucky failure as it occurrd so close to the edge.



KDuncan said:


> Love the coin Mokume' idea- nice touch. Out of curiosity was there any carbon or buildup in the pocket that did not weld?


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## KDuncan

I have done some mokume for jewelry purposes with coins- the irregular surfaces of the coin faces are problematic- I used a hint from another forum and mixed my borax with methanol for a flux (methanol will actually dissolve the borax not just suspend it in solution). As well it will burn out consuming the oxygen and depositing the borax as a surface crystal.

You can get methanol in the US from "HEET" fuel additive at auto parts stores. 

Kyle Royer (MS who has a youtube channel where he explains his fluxing trick) uses kerosene to carry his borax in making Damascus- it has a high capillary action and burns out as well- don't know if you are set up for these (methanol or kero) methods- but all in all the results look good!

Interesting WIP- thank you for sharing


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## jessf

Thanks. If i do it again ill check that out.



KDuncan said:


> I have done some mokume for jewelry purposes with coins- the irregular surfaces of the coin faces are problematic- I used a hint from another forum and mixed my borax with methanol for a flux (methanol will actually dissolve the borax not just suspend it in solution). As well it will burn out consuming the oxygen and depositing the borax as a surface crystal.
> 
> You can get methanol in the US from "HEET" fuel additive at auto parts stores.
> 
> Kyle Royer (MS who has a youtube channel where he explains his fluxing trick) uses kerosene to carry his borax in making Damascus- it has a high capillary action and burns out as well- don't know if you are set up for these (methanol or kero) methods- but all in all the results look good!
> 
> Interesting WIP- thank you for sharing


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## jessf

Big fat perm marker helps itentify the low spots AND makes working through the grits a lot more efficient.


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## jimmy_d

Awesome project! Looking forward to watching it progress.


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## jessf

of the hamons ive created, i like this one the most.


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## milkbaby

Wow, the blade is looking amazing already at this point! :doublethumbsup:


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## Matus

That hamon does look fantastic Jess :doublethumbsup:


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## merlijny2k

Wow, amazing skill set and can-do mentality you have!


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## jessf

Having two projects on the go is nice. I can stop work on one then change focus on to another with different challenges. Ive got the mokume secured to the blade and the two first tubes in place. The outer tube was so tight it needed to be hammered in.


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## jessf

I've switched gears on this knife. I will use the tusk for another project. I didn't anticipate the mokume to look more of copper than nickel. The copper will darken but i still can't reconcile the copper colour against the brown tusk. Im going to use this fossilized coral and henceforth this knife will be called The Rick Grimes.


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## merlijny2k

Cool, i got a big piece of fossil coral here. Always wondered if it could be made into a knifehandle realky curious how yours is going to turn out


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## jessf

Really easy to cut and shape. Was surprised the coral cut so well without chipping.


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## tomhank1511

i like it too, it is cool


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## jessf

Rick Grimes is shaping up. I flood the coral with CA glue and it soaks it right up.


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## Matus

This is going to look pretty cool  Was the soaking with CA glue necessary?


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## jessf

Not sure if CA is necessary but you definately want to soak it with something. It's like a petrified sponge and as you sand away the factory finish you expose a very porus medium. I used CA cause it cures clear and fast. A clear varnish would work just as well. The final finish will be mineral oil for it's clarity instead of danish or tung oil.


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## Lawman

I finally get it.....coral
Lol


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## Matus

I see, thanks.


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## jessf

Rick Grimes is feeling fat and sassy. I had a polished blade but didnt like the contrast agaisnt the mokume, so i gave her an acid bath and wire brush finish. The handle was designed very short and the finish had made it kind of slick when compared to my wood handles. So, the coral actually helps by adding a bit of texture to the grip which is nessesary cause of you don't have a good grip on Rick Grimes, he's gonna **** **** up.


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## Matus

Very cool project Jess. So - how does Mr Rick Grimes cut?


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## jessf

These are supposed to cut? 

I took the edge up to 1200 last night and did a potato test and the release was similar to ther others which makes sense as the grind is similar. Nothing sticks until i get into a sub 10mm dice situation. Cause of it's length i was able to get a thinner tip so i can slap chop well enough. I need to work on the edge more but so far i'm pleased.



Matus said:


> Very cool project Jess. So - how does Mr Rick Grimes cut?


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## milkbaby

That's pretty wicked looking! :doublethumbsup:

Is it the pics or is the hamon really obscured by the current finish? Is the coral held on by hidden pins or just glue? It looks awesome.

Thanks for sharing, now I'm inspired to do something like make my own mother of pearl or something similar outside my comfort zone!


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## jessf

It's a tricky thing. A combination of the angle i took the photo and actual finish. If i dip in pure FC then the hamon really stands; also true if i polish to a mirror finish. Somewhere in between is where i want this one to start with but it will never stay that way being so reactive. I bought some new FC earlier and might give that a try. If it looks different ill post a pic.

The coral is hidden pinned.



milkbaby said:


> That's pretty wicked looking! :doublethumbsup:
> 
> Is it the pics or is the hamon really obscured by the current finish? Is the coral held on by hidden pins or just glue? It looks awesome.
> 
> Thanks for sharing, now I'm inspired to do something like make my own mother of pearl or something similar outside my comfort zone!


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## merlijny2k

This knife is really a pioneer in many ways.


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