# Forged a new suji, San mai 1.2519 & puddled wrought iron



## Butters (May 4, 2017)

New suji forged san mai with 1.2519 with puddled wrought iron. Hardened to RC64 with a Cocobolo and Blackwood handle. I've given it a slight ferric etch too. It's 240mm long and 3mm at the heel and super thin behind the edge. 





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## milkbaby (May 4, 2017)

Wow, that looks really nice! :doublethumbsup:


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## Butters (May 4, 2017)

Thanks. There's a few minor imperfections in the wrought iron, but it adds character along with the grain and slag lines. The wrought is recycled from antique parts here in the UK and is less reactive than mild steel. The plan is to work my way up to stainless san mai.


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## mise_en_place (May 4, 2017)

I agree that it adds character. Good work.


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## Badgertooth (May 5, 2017)

That looks awesome


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## Butters (May 5, 2017)

Choice as bro! 

It looks better in the flesh tbh; the grain in the wrought iron is beautiful but difficult to catch in pictures.


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## chefs-edge (May 5, 2017)

Looks really cool. I went on a course recently and forged my first knife. I say first because I'm determined to do more. Is it a hobby for you?


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## Butters (May 5, 2017)

Yes and no. I'm a former Boilermaker & coded welder and I've worked for a special fabrication division of Sandvik in the past as well as a professional heat treatment company. I've made everything from spiral staircases to huge pipe spools to stainless fuel tanks, heat exchangers, pressure vessels and even a small submarine. I've sweated my ass off and burnt myself stupid in all sorts of positions trying to stick bits of metal together. That said I have still found the knives to be a challenge and I have a bucket of failures and heat treatment coupons to prove it. I'm getting the hang of it now though, and I've caught the bug good and proper..


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## jessf (May 6, 2017)

I had to look up puddled wroght iron. Now i know! Cool stuff.


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## Butters (May 6, 2017)

Oh mate it's beautiful stuff, re-rolled from original pieces made in the 18th century. It's soft, easy to weld and more corrosion resistant than mild steel.


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## PolishAvenger (May 7, 2017)

Butters, have you had to deal with grain growth in the 1.2519 since the working temp of wrought is so high?

-Mark


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## Butters (May 7, 2017)

I thermal cycled it post forging to refine the grain and with the high W & V content I didn't think it would be a problem. The weld has to be pretty hot but after that it doesn't take much to move the wrought. I buy quality wrought that has been re-rolled by a specialist company in the UK (Topps). The quality of scavenged stuff can vary widely and cause problems sometimes. I was more worried about carbon diffusion as wrought is very low in C. By starting with a relatively high carbon steel I hoped to avoid any issues. I'm pretty sure I managed it as it tests to RC64 and the edge is super thin but stable and not prone to chipping. 

I have another two blades I made at the same time and one broke in HT and the grain in that is super fine. I'll try and post some pictures later.


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## Beau Nidle (May 7, 2017)

Looks great, I like the more rustic forged look to it. I may have to look into getting some of that iron, do you have a link for them?


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## camperman (May 8, 2017)

That's a grand looking knife.
You should be proud of your work.


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## Jacob_x (May 8, 2017)

I love old wrought iron, looks stunning as a cladding nice work. Where in the UK are you?


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## Jacob_x (May 8, 2017)

If i'm not mistaken old japanese watetsu is puddled iron too right? Apparently a lot of the old stock around they source from old torn-down bridges. Or that might be rentetsu. Either way, love it.


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## Butters (May 8, 2017)

London. The big smoke. 

But I'm from Western Australia.


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## Jacob_x (May 8, 2017)

My dad did the same trip about 30 years ago, I'm still here! Well, if you ever need another pair of hands to put your knives through, give me a shout :biggrin:


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## Butters (Jul 6, 2017)

Since Photobucket have imploded I'll have to put another picture up..


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## merlijny2k (Jul 8, 2017)

Really nice knife! The color of the steel reminds me of the 52100 CutBrooklyn that was getting a bashing in the general forum but which I secretly covet the looks of.


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## Butters (Jul 8, 2017)

The wrought iron has a natural wavy grain, as well as small slag lines and inclusions. It's more corrosion resistant than mild steel or iron alone, plus I've etched it in ferric and it's taken on a really nice, stable patina with some use. Eventually I'm planning to make some stainless san mai but the wrought will have to do in the meantime. It's lovely to work with, naturally beautiful (imo) and doesn't rust all that easily. The fact I'm recycling some 100 year old metal into a working tool is the icing on the cake.


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