Handmade BBC4 iplayer

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

If you can drag yourself away from the Snooker this may be worth a watch, glass blowing now then forging a steel knife at 9.30.

Camera shots suggest it may be a bit "arty"

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

[Craig DavisParticipant @craigdavis72786]

Arty, but good. Thanks for the suggestion. Now back to the snooker.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Very pleasing … 'though I was surprised by the use of the linisher on the blade.

… Fond memories of watching film at Sheffield Museum, where the old boys did all their grinding on a 4' diameter wheel, whizzing round between their legs.

MichaelG.

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

I think all the extra traffic that guy got crashed his website. oh dear

[jason udallParticipant @jasonudall57142]

Yes. But wasn’t it nice for the film to allowed to speak for itself.

No need to explain ,at a level suitable for public , stuff the public didn’t want to know anyway.
( with a mandate to educate , inform and entertain..sometimes the beeb has the guts to address these ONE at a time rather than miss all at once).

Must say I missed the temper process in the metal one (come to think about it, seem to have skipped the temper/ anneal process in the glass one also).
.
Nice though

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Yes I think the silence was worth it certainly better than some clown of a presenter trying to make it "entertaining"

I liked the way that the jar of yellow liquid brought out the laminations of the blade, anyone know what it might have been? Also thought he would have been working the sides of the blade more on large waterstones rather than sheet abrasive on a block.

J

[DMBParticipant @dmb]

Yellow liquid = Nitric Acid?

Seen this used to reveal faulty weld penetration.

John

[Russ BParticipant @russb]

I really enjoyed these, I watched the knife twice!

Interesting that he welded plates together rather than hammering and folding a single piece.

What was the white powder he sprinkled on the plates before he started to hammer them out? (It looked like washing powder )

 

 

I look forward to the 3rd and final instalment on Wednesday which follows the hand crafting of a Windsor Chair.

Edited By Russ B on 05/05/2015 10:52:06

[Jon GibbsParticipant @jongibbs59756]

Posted by DMB on 05/05/2015 10:43:30:

Yellow liquid = Nitric Acid?

+1 – almost certainly. Will etch/dissolve almost any non-precious metal.

Jon

Edited By Jon Gibbs on 05/05/2015 11:08:55

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Russ B on 05/05/2015 10:51:30:

What was the white powder he sprinkled on the plates before he started to hammer them out?

.

Russ,

I think it was probably bonemeal … a good source of carbon for 'improving' what appeared to be mild steel.

MichaelG.

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

I enjoyed both but particularly the knife, I couldn't get my head around why he welded all those plates together until he put the blade into the acid and you could see the folds and twisting displayed in the metal, nicely made piece of film.

Martin P

[Russ BParticipant @russb]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 05/05/2015 11:53:24:

Posted by Russ B on 05/05/2015 10:51:30:

What was the white powder he sprinkled on the plates before he started to hammer them out?

.

Russ,

I think it was probably bonemeal … a good source of carbon for 'improving' what appeared to be mild steel.

MichaelG.

Right I see thanks! Make more sense than a bit of Persil's finest biological

Do you think he did it just the once, or sprinkled a bit on periodically, it didn't seem like much?

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Russ B on 05/05/2015 12:27:33:

Do you think he did it just the once, or sprinkled a bit on periodically, it didn't seem like much?

.

I would think this was repeated quite a few times, because the idea would be to increase the carbon content throughout [not just to case-harden] … going by the timings; this was a long job, heavily edited.

MichaelG.

[David Carpenter 4Participant @davidcarpenter4]

Before someone removes this post, a quick thanks for pointing out these programmes, Jason. Excellent!

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Did look a bit flaky to me and the bonemeal I have seen is usually granular.

Anyway bit about the steel he uses here which does not seem to need any carbon added and it seems the high nickle content helps with teh acid treatment to enhance the layers

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by JasonB on 05/05/2015 13:31:47:

Did look a bit flaky to me and the bonemeal I have seen is usually granular.

Anyway bit about the steel he uses here which does not seem to need any carbon added and it seems the high nickle content helps with teh acid treatment to enhance the layers

.

Thanks for that, Jason … always happy to be wrong!

Looking at your link; that seems to suggest that he may be sandwiching two grades of steel.

Must watch it again!

MichaelG.

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Edit: [quote from Jason's link] "Knifemakers who make damascus are familiar with 15N20. It is made by Uddeholm and is marketed for use as bandsaw blades in sawmills. In some damascus it is the shiny layers. The nickel in 15N20 resists the acid etch and stays shiny."

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 05/05/2015 13:41:42

[Jon GibbsParticipant @jongibbs59756]

Having watched them both I can't help thinking that it was a bit of a wasted opportunity although I am grateful for something interesting on the box for a change.

Subtitling could have been used to provide a bit of a commentary without spoiling the "arty shots" which were perhaps a little too self indulgent IMHO. Was it really necessary or helpful to spend so much air-time showing falling sparks during the grinding and rising sparks from the hearth during the forge scenes for example?

Dare I say that the knife blade was really beautiful but what a bloody awful handle!

…but it's certainly infinitely better than mindless lack-of-talent shows.

Jon

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Michael, I have seen knives and swords done with a sandwich with a high carbon filling and milder steel bread and thought that was what he was doing until he started twisting which would mean the HC steel was not a thin layer at the knifes cutting edge.

Owen Bush's website, who is going for a lesson?

 

Jon, just be lucky I did not suggest members watched the other program in the group – an hour of birdsong

 

Edited By JasonB on 05/05/2015 13:50:28

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Jason,

Thank you for that link!

An hours worth of beautiful relaxing natural 'music'.

Geoff – What more could I wish for?

[Russ BParticipant @russb]

Posted by Jon Gibbs on 05/05/2015 13:38:59:

Subtitling could have been used to provide a bit of a commentary…….

Dare I say that the knife blade was really beautiful but what a bloody awful handle!

SNAP!

I had exactly the same thoughts, the 2nd time I watched it I even turned subtitles on hoping for some descriptions.

I really enjoyed the production, and I think it will inspire many.

I think it brings the blood sweat and tears to light that is lost on many of today's youth – if it's not 99p from Hong Kong they think they're being ripped off, and anything that requires the use of their hands or muscles is an unnecessarily laborious task, it's as if the 1st world is becoming* processors at the heart of one big machine driving the 2nd/3rd world. Perhaps the 4th world are the lucky ones if your familiar with Chief George Manuel's description, but then the grass is always greener.

 

"*is becoming" – perhaps more "has become"

Edited By Russ B on 05/05/2015 14:16:06

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Geoff, maybe this will also be of interest if you have a couple of hours to spare tonight. Maybe they could do a speeded up version like that old B&W train jurney.

Watch out for more titles in the series- traffic lights changing and paint drying

[VicParticipant @vic]

Just seen the knife one. Good but a bit too dark and "arty" for me. I would have preferred to see what was going on a bit better. I expect the white stuff used is granulated Borax, it helps keep the joint clean and aids fire welding. I've got a 1 kg tin of it somewhere specially packaged for blacksmiths.

[Jon GibbsParticipant @jongibbs59756]

Posted by JasonB on 05/05/2015 13:48:09:

Owen Bush's website, who is going for a lesson?

Thanks Jason. He has some knives on his website with bent steel handles which are much nicer looking and possibly more practical IMHO

…he's not really a woodworker I guess.

Jon

Edited By Jon Gibbs on 05/05/2015 14:31:52

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by JasonB on 05/05/2015 14:15:10:

Watch out for more titles in the series- traffic lights changing and paint drying

.

From an original idea by Andy Warhol ?

MichaelG.

[Author]

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