# cow sword special



## inferno (Mar 12, 2021)

this is a WIP thread 

for quite some time i wanted to try some hss. but i also wanted it to be pushed to its absolute limits, otherwise it doesn't make sense to me, maximum amount of carbides, high temp tempering etc etc. you know, how hss is supposed to be done. and you never know what you gonna get with a mass produced "factory" HT/knife.

also i dont have a 240. my friend had a volvo 240 for a while though. in silver. i once had a hinoura 240. once. but i kinda chopped it up and turned it into a santoku with my angle grinder. its a really good santoku now  

to my defense, i was left unsupervised.

so now i have a new project going. my very own 240x60 cow sword. in powder hss. i'm guessing its either uddeholm or erasteel, leaning on erasteel, one of their more bad ass hss types. but i dont know for sure. and i think dalman want to keep the steel secret. but in the end i dont reallly care what it is. i know its good. 

dalman will be HT-ing this for me to his specs. so this will definitely be taken to the absolute limit of this steel. and i very much trust his knowledge. this will be very, very bad ass! 

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today i just rough cut the steel and thinned it 1mm down to 3mm. i will probably have to make it more flat though on the stones since this will be plate quenched and you need parallel surfaces for that to work. also rounded and smoothed all sharp edges since this will be very problematic/impossible after its hardened.

and now, maybe tomorrow, if i'm not too hung over (not very likely i now realize) i will grind the bevels to 80-90% or so with my lidl "parkside" floorsander. the obvious choice for the pro knife maker. 

now since this is special steel i needed to really make it look cool, and provocative. so i decieded to put in some lightening cuts. i mean its high speed steel right, high speed = lightness. all racers know this. add lightness, thats how you win.


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## Chopper88 (Mar 12, 2021)

inferno said:


> and now, maybe tomorrow, if i'm not too hung over (not very likely i now realize)



This explains a lot


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## inferno (Mar 12, 2021)

Chopper88 said:


> This explains a lot



gonna have a few more cold snacks it seems


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## inferno (Mar 12, 2021)




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## choochoochop (Mar 12, 2021)

There is a big chunk of metal between the spine and edge that can be removed for more lightening


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## inferno (Mar 12, 2021)

getting m ore and moar loaded it seems and this sounds good to me.


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## inferno (Mar 12, 2021)

choochoochop said:


> There is a big chunk of metal between the spine and edge that can be removed for more lightening



its gona be a 1/3 wide bevel.


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## inferno (Mar 12, 2021)

so 3/2 od the blade will be flat. and if there is gonna be any distal taper it will be have to be ground after hardening. and that will be almost impossible., just so you know.


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## inferno (Mar 12, 2021)




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## DavidPF (Mar 16, 2021)

inferno said:


> 3/2 od the blade will be flat.


First half: flat
Second half: flat
Third half: also flat
Fourth half: secret!
Fifth half: flat ...


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## inferno (Mar 16, 2021)

that would be 2/3 

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anyway this is as far as i have gotten. 
i flattened the whole belt ground side on the shapton pro120. almost done. but its always getting the last scratches out that will take the longest time of course. spent about 20 minutes so far on the 120.

also there seems to be a slight warp in the sheet from factory. i will try to work out most of it while its soft. since its probably 10x faster that way.


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## cotedupy (Mar 16, 2021)

Excellent stuff! (Your writing btw regularly has me in fits of laughter )


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## shotsfired (Mar 17, 2021)

nice blade shape


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## DavidPF (Mar 18, 2021)

inferno said:


> but its always getting the last scratches out that will take the longest time of course.


I don't know who said "The first 90% of the work takes up 90% of the time, and the remaining 10% of the work takes the other 90% of the time". But he was right.


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## GeneH (Mar 18, 2021)

OK, you made it obvious that yes you should not be left unsupervised. I want something like this for the upcoming zombie apocalypse.


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## ecchef (Mar 19, 2021)

Oh, I can’t wait to see your handle selection!


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## DavidPF (Mar 19, 2021)

You freeze the knife, then use the upper bowl for guacamole. I can't say why; you just do.


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## danemonji (Mar 19, 2021)

I can see an accident trying to grab the knife and getting stabbed fingers in that pointy heel


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## inferno (Mar 19, 2021)

hi guys. i think i will be done with the blade on the stones this weekend. then on monday i can grind the bevels. its simply too cold outside now. on monday it should be 5 deg C or so for a few hours and that will have to do.

i have also roughed out 3 nakiris in 15n20. and then i have a piece over that i haven't decieded what to do with. and this is the hardest part. decieding what to make. maybe i make something weird with it.


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## inferno (Mar 19, 2021)

ecchef said:


> Oh, I can’t wait to see your handle selection!



probably gonna be black palm with fat carbon toxic storm bolster. the black palm is a ***** to work though. but it looks really cool. basically the black fibers tears out very easy. but i have about 30-40 or so materials here to choose from. everything from g10, micarta, carbon, and then like 30 pieces of wood i seem to have accumulated.


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## inferno (Mar 23, 2021)

all right. i have made some progress here. i'm basically done on the grinder and now its onto the shapton 120 to get the bevels flat.


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