Handmade BBC4 iplayer

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Jesse,

I may look at the canal journey for a while, but can see myself going into the land of 'zzzzz' pretty quickly

Jon,

He should call those knives his 'Zebra' style.

Geoff – I'd love one, but dare not ask the price.

Edit:

MichaelG, I wouldn't even think about watching that.

Who on Earth would?

Edited By OuBallie on 05/05/2015 15:04:22

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

My problem is that the leader of my house is not interested in glass making, knife making or snooker.

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Seconding Vic's suggestion, I expect all the carbon needed comes from the forge as well as being present in the steel to start with. In Samurai swords I think this is the case, and they only fold those over and over, beating out in between. This guy folded over and over, then twisted it! Amazing. But the glass one was better, nearly in real time, and as the jug got close to completion the risk factor became higher and higher!

[Russ BParticipant @russb]

Posted by Gordon W on 05/05/2015 15:05:21:

My problem is that the leader of my house is not interested in glass making, knife making or snooker.

Windsor Chair on Wednesday, do like like sitting down?

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

Gordon,

My wife and I sorted that little problem years ago, she has her telly and I have mine so one or the other of us slopes off to watch what the other may not like to watch or it gets recorded for a rainy day.

Martin P

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

For info.

Here is his note on one of the two knives made for the programme.

MichaelG.

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

Martin ,we had the same solution. But in winter gales the w/shop roof blew off, taking the spare arrial with it. Just now been making a new mounting, harmony might be restored.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I see he blames it all on Slaine! – see the double headed war-axe

Will we see the potter's wheel interlude return?

Neil

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

As you know the striations come frm the layers of variable carbon content. There are some youtubes around of people hammer welding rolls of barbed wire or chainssaw blades into solid to get fancy effects.

Agree with the borax observation. That is how the above manage to get their material to bond, well that and a lot hot hammering.

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Just caught up with it on the hard disc – I enjoyed that. I rather like the handles, they have a solid practicality about them that doesn't overshadow the patterns in the blade.

The BBC did something similar back in the late '70s called "In The Making". One of them about lute making is here . It has been made available because, sadly, Stephen Gottlieb died recently.

Rod

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Jason,

I've always fancied piloting a Longboat on a canal, and can now say I've done so, with tongue in cheek of course

Watched in two sittings, and did I hear a steam whistle at 81min in? Could be, seing the railway passing under the Aqueduct at the end.

Pity is wasn't in summer though.

Those canals where some engineering feat considering pickaxes, spades and wheelbarrows only used!

Rod,

Wonderful video of a craftsman in action.

Lovely sound.

Geoff – Grey overhead blanket day

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

Geoff,

This afternoon after a very busy morning I sat down and watched the whole two hours of the Avon and Kennet canal and enjoyed every minute of it, what interested me was the way the canal, barges and bridges were all used as back boards for quotes and facts.

An excellent programme

Martin P

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

A quick reminder that the chair making one is on in a few minutes, just time to get you coco on then settle down to a bit of bodging in the woods

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by JasonB on 06/05/2015 19:54:52:

… then settle down to a bit of bodging in the woods

.

with a few too many power tools.

… nice set of spokeshaves though.

MichaelG.

[bodgeParticipant @bodge]

Many years ago I had girl friend who liked a bit of bodging in the wood

bodge

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

Posted by John Haine on 05/05/2015 15:07:59:

This guy folded over and over, then twisted it!

Must have watched a different episode to you. He merely fusion welded the various strips together into one lump by heating and hammering, then twisted it (around the 9th minute) and then flattened it out into a knife shape. Didn't see any folding going on?

Almost 2 working days to make a single knife. No wonder we invented an industrial revolution!

Merry

[jaCK HobsonParticipant @jackhobson50760]

 

Steels are CS70 or similar and 15N20. Plain carbon at eutectoid composition for max martensite,and similar with nickel in it. Nickel etches lighter. Extra manganese in CS70 makes it etch darker. CS70 and 15N20 behave similarly under the hammer and in heat treat so work well together. Owen's friend Mick Maxen has some pretty cool examples as well http://www.fireandiron.co.uk/mick-maxen/

Regarding handles, everyone has their style. I like the trad that Owen showed. I think Owen himself prefers big stuff – swords, seax, axes but too big a project for that type of filming. For ultimate kitchen ware, another acquaintance, Will Catchside, does some top class work: http://www.catchesidecutlery.com/

All three are international standard smiths from the UK.

Borax is used as a flux to prevent oxidation. Almost the same as you would use for silver soldering etc Difficult to have too much.

Liquid is Ferric Chloride as used for etching circuit boards but at lower concentration. A mild acid that brings out the detail, if a bit more slowly.

 

Edited By jaCK Hobson on 07/05/2015 08:52:11

[Jon GibbsParticipant @jongibbs59756]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 06/05/2015 21:04:13:

Posted by JasonB on 06/05/2015 19:54:52:

… then settle down to a bit of bodging in the woods

.

with a few too many power tools.

… nice set of spokeshaves though.

MichaelG.

+1, and what power tools they were too!

I was really bemused by the rather bizarre mixture of hand/power tools – The pole lathe and rounders followed by an angle-grinder/arbortec? Sublime to the ridiculous. I'm not sure I'd class the latter as slow TV really – an hour or two with an adze followed by a couple of travishers would have been more in keeping.

I did enjoy it though – Still a cut above the normal telly and it gives us something to moan and gripe about too

Jon

Edited By Jon Gibbs on 07/05/2015 09:01:47

[Cornish JackParticipant @cornishjack]

Watched the canal, glass jug and knife programmes on IPlayer. Enjoyed them apart from the self-indulgent (director) arty-farty knife nonsense!! Some years back I saw a (Youtube??) film of the manufacture of a Damascene blade by a Japanese chap IIRC – brilliant, absorbing and the end result was breath-takingly beautiful. Much better filming and far more detail for the uninitiated.

Looking forward to the bodger's programme. Many years ago I went to the NEC for a model engineering show and watched a chap demo'-ing a pole lathe making chair backs. Remarkable stuff!

rgds

Bill

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Just watched the Wood episode.

Those seats with their pointy middle bit made me sit up and my eyes water.

Just don't slide forward to get off, for either sex

Always a pleasure watching an expert at work.

Not a bit of glue in evidence, thus making parts fairly easy to replace if needed.

Geoff – No moronic music or voice over either

[NIALL HORNParticipant @niallhorn50878]

Re the white powder in the BBC film of Owen Bush making a knife – if my memory is correct, the short book on blacksmithing published by the Rural Industries Bureau (aka COSIRA) suggested the use of silver sand as a flux in fire-welding steel. Unfortunately, my copy has gone into hiding!

[Author]

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