Blank blades WIP Thread.

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Blank Blades. said:
Got the new batch started.

Still waiting for more steel to come in for more knives.
View attachment 298713

On the left, the top 3 are asp-2053. Its a honesuki, and a santoku.

Then a custom gyuto in it.

Then i have 2 a2 gyutos, 1 roughly 210x52, the other 240x55. Going to go for the banding wootz look on them.

On the right are 3 edcs in wolfram special, differentially hardened.

I really want to make more high wear resistance honesuki's, i think gyutos are great in these steels, but i think honesuki's are a place steels like asp-2053, 10v, zmax, even maybe rex 121 could really shine. Doing 10v honesuki's was my first real step into making kitchen knives myself, and though i have moved away from them a bit. I really think i should start making them again, exclusively in steels like these. Maybe i can do m4 also. But no less wear resistance than that.
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Nice profile on the asp-2053 gyuto, I like this tip profile more than the more santoku like.

I've always wondered why honesuki are single bevel, is it to easier get into joints? Are you making these high wear steel honesuki as hard as gyuto or less hard for some more toughness since they are likely to contact bone?
 
Barmoley said:
Nice profile on the asp-2053 gyuto, I like this tip profile more than the more santoku like.

I've always wondered why honesuki are single bevel, is it to easier get into joints? Are you making these high wear steel honesuki as hard as gyuto or less hard for some more toughness since they are likely to contact bone?
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They're all in roughly the same range, i tested all 3 tonight.

This is the gyuto i believe.
IMG_20240207_165829119.jpg
IMG_20240207_165636160.jpg


The gyuto were testing in the 68-68.5 range, the honesuki tested in the 67.5-68 range. And that could have even just been error from flatness or surface finish, since i heat treated them all the same.

But nah, the geometry should make up for the high hrc, since, while it wont be thick directly at the edge because of how honesuki's are ground they tend to get thicker, sooner than a gyuto or other multipurpose knives. Also, i think it should still be in the same range of toughness (if not better, but this is not me saying that it will for sure be) as any of the commonly used japanese steels anyway.

As far as why theyre ground asymmetrical, I do think a big reason comes down to tradition, and because many japanese knife makers already do a lot of single bevel blades.

But i do think it can be useful, having a nearly flat side to kind of register against something while you cut.

Not sure if I will go symmetrical or not for this honesuki. I was thinking of going right biased. But idk.
 
Got a huge batch this time.

Had to get a knife finished for a knife swap thing with other makers. But thats done. So im back to normal work.

I need to get the two group buy knives done, then i can get to work on my knives.

IMG_20240215_114714363.jpg


There are two more that i was waiting for these steel to get here for when i took this pick, gonna heat treat those two tonight.

Got a couple more asp-2053 in finishing the heat treat in right now. And yeah. That should be it.

Gonna be a busy few weeks.
 
Threw a few 4v coupons in to temper while im waiting for the kiln to heat up to heat treat some magnacut.

Probably my least favorite thing about magnacut is, it needs to be austenitized pretty hot. So it takes my kiln a while to get to temp.
 
Havent posted in here in a bit.

Just havent been doing much that think people would be interested in. That and ive been working a lot so havent thought to.

IMG_20240317_154103162.jpg


This is a wierd one i'm doing. Honestly idk how much interest there will be in it, but i wanted to do something different, and also make my life harder.

Its a santoku, in asp-2053, with hollow hiras.

In the middle of polishing it, its hard to polish asp-2053, and its hard to polish these hollow hira blades. So its double hard.
 
Actually. I should make a post.

I've been thinking about how I want to do this, but a bunch of people hit me up for a blade when that last knife hit.

I'll get things worked out more when its time. But i think i will try doing like a post for everyond that wants to sign up for one like that. So i can figure out how much steel i need to buy. And all that.

I want to see if i can talk everyone into going with m2 instead if a2.

For a few reasons.

1. It has better banding that shows up better.

2 it performs better. It will be like hap-40 kinda instead of performing like aeb-l as far as edge retention. Has a good balance of wear resistance, and toughness. Because the microstructure is pretty good.
 
I thought i had another reason for seeing if i could get people to go m2, but idk. If i remember i'll ad it. But i think its overall a better choice.

Not that a2 is bad at all. Just i think m2 is better.

Its also less common to see it. So i think that would make it more interesting.
 
Blank Blades. said:
Actually. I should make a post.

I've been thinking about how I want to do this, but a bunch of people hit me up for a blade when that last knife hit.

I'll get things worked out more when its time. But i think i will try doing like a post for everyond that wants to sign up for one like that. So i can figure out how much steel i need to buy. And all that.

I want to see if i can talk everyone into going with m2 instead if a2.

For a few reasons.

1. It has better banding that shows up better.

2 it performs better. It will be like hap-40 kinda instead of performing like aeb-l as far as edge retention. Has a good balance of wear resistance, and toughness. Because the microstructure is pretty good.
Click to expand...
Blank blades KKF Massdrop 2024
 
M2 would be extremely interesting. Probably one of the best non powder metallurgy steels for this. Also very uncommon. I've had good experience with it in folders until it got replaced with m4 which is also an excellent steel, but more expensive and more importantly harder to work with.
 
Blank Blades. said:
I thought i had another reason for seeing if i could get people to go m2, but idk. If i remember i'll ad it. But i think its overall a better choice.

Not that a2 is bad at all. Just i think m2 is better.

Its also less common to see it. So i think that would make it more interesting.
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I'll be down, but then I will never find out how good that A2 is. I still blame NYC subway on that one.
 
I mean, in the end it will be up to what people want. If everyone ends up wanting a2, or most it will be a2, m2 if they want that. But i would definitely prefer to get a big ammount of whichever to make them all whichever steel.

A2 will be a bit easier for me to work with, m2 will be better for you guys i think.
 
Starting to get closer to finishing these.
IMG_20240325_235510716.jpg


Tbh. I feel like its when I'm in the stage of completion these blades are getting to now that i get the most stressed. Because I'm getting close to the light at the end of the tunnel. But there are still a ton of little details I have to pay attention to. So I still cant just rush it, and get them done as fast as I want. And also, i have to start wrapping them in plastic wrap, or something similar to protect the polish.
 
Blank Blades. said:
Starting to get closer to finishing these. View attachment 310682

Tbh. I feel like its when I'm in the stage of completion these blades are getting to now that i get the most stressed. Because I'm getting close to the light at the end of the tunnel. But there are still a ton of little details I have to pay attention to. So I still cant just rush it, and get them done as fast as I want. And also, i have to start wrapping them in plastic wrap, or something similar to protect the polish.
Click to expand...
Hang in. With long, procedural, detailed projects, wrapping up the last 30% of the details can take 70% of the time & attention.
 
ta2edfreak said:
Ok, asp-2053... 2.5% carbon? isnt that in the cast iron range? I'm assuming it’s not stainless by any means, how does it hold up to long use?
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It is not stainless, reactivity in my example seems to be similar to cpm-m4 or k390, seems to be a bit more reactive than 10v or 4v. So far I like the steel, it sharpens surprisingly well for what it is.
 
ta2edfreak said:
Ok, asp-2053... 2.5% carbon? isnt that in the cast iron range? I'm assuming its not stainless by any means, how does it hold up to long use?
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Rex 121 has even more carbon. 3.4% that is about the edge of what can still be classified as a steel.

Generally cast iron has a bit more carbon than these. Also it not having a lot of alloying surely changes the properties a good bit.
 
Blank Blades. said:
Rex 121 has even more carbon. 3.4% that is about the edge of what can still be classified as a steel.

Generally cast iron has a bit more carbon than these. Also it not having a lot of alloying surely changes the properties a good bit.
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Still a crazy amount of carbon, does it forge?
I just picked up some Sheff and Wolfram special, how are they to work with?
 
ta2edfreak said:
Still a crazy amount of carbon, does it forge?
I just picked up some Sheff and Wolfram special, how are they to work with?
Click to expand...
You can forge any steel. I wouldnt recommend forging this stuff by hand. I havent done so myself, but ive forged 10v which is similar. And it is not easy to move.

Wolfram special isnt bad. Forges about the same as the other lower alloy stuff. I havent used sheffcut. But ive used 26c3, which is similar. And that forges fine also.

Just be aware with high carbon, hot shortness can be an issue.
 
ta2edfreak said:
Still a crazy amount of carbon, does it forge?
I just picked up some Sheff and Wolfram special, how are they to work with?
Click to expand...
Ooh. You meant the rex 121.

Yeah, idk about that. With the high hot hardness, and carbide volume. Its probably going to be one of the hardest things to forge out there.

I definitely think you would want a forging press, or a hot roller. If not i wouldnt even consider trying.
 
Blank Blades. said:
Ooh. You meant the rex 121.

Yeah, idk about that. With the high hot hardness, and carbide volume. Its probably going to be one of the hardest things to forge out there.

I definitely think you would want a forging press, or a hot roller. If not i wouldnt even consider trying.
Click to expand...
It can be hand-forged with the proper tools.

1711682561416.jpeg
 
Alright. Got a bunch of handles glued together.

IMG_20240329_235542170.jpg
i

Getting the polish finally done on them now. i already got them all to the grit I'm finishing on. I just need to go over them all, and make sure there arent any stray scratches, or bad j hooks etc.
IMG_20240329_235633282.jpg


I'm doing all the hidden tang stuff first, then i have a few full tang ones i need to do. I figured i would have a better work flow if i wasnt completely switching up what I'm doing in the middle of a batch, then switching back. So these will get done first. Then i will go on to those.
 
Spent today getting handles fit up all the way.
IMG_20240330_214209152.jpg
really get close now.

I'll go by one by one, check that the polish is actually where I want it. Then attach the handles. And that will be it besides sharpening.

Just want to double check polishes because fixing a satin finish after the handle is on is a bit of a nightmare.
 
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