Vent: Finally figured out I was hammering way too cold for 2 years

I've been forging blades out of 1084 for about 2 years and always fought with cracks and weird grain. Kept blaming the steel or my quench. Last week a guy at the Tuesday night hammer-in at Miller's shop watched me take a piece out of the forge after maybe 4 heats and said 'you're working it way too cold, wait till it's brighter orange.' I thought I was being careful avoiding burning the steel. He grabbed my hammer and showed me one pass at proper temp and the metal moved like butter. I felt like an idiot. I went home and finished a blade in half my usual time with zero issues. Has anyone else had that moment where a simple observation from a stranger saved you months of frustration?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomas.cameron5d agoTop Commenter

Buddy of mine spent six months trying to get hamon lines on 1095... turns out he was using the wrong clay mixture the whole time. Old timers at the guild set him straight in about five minutes flat.

alex_taylor104d ago

My buddy Dave ruined 8 blades before noticing his anvil had a huge flat spot on it.