[TheForge] shrink fit techniques

[Mark]

Two things,
One, you say dowel.  If the dowel is drill rod, you may be getting it hot
enough that when you quench it you harden it.  That being the case, it will
change size (austenite to untempered martensite), carbon steel grades will
usually shrink, and the S types grow, although it usually grows much more in
length than in diameter.
Two, try cooling the pin and not heating the hole.  The hole may be getting
smaller from heating, then when you force the pin in it actually acts like a
drift and enlarges the hole.
Michael
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This brings up a point that I have been pondering for a couple of days. I
have a wedding knife that I am making for a friend. I want to make a box for
it and I was wondering if any of you have made storage boxes for knives.
More specifically, have any of you ever made a box that had a "fitted"
lining? That is, molded to the particular knife/or article to be stored in
the box? What material to use to get the knife fitted is what I am after.
Instead of carving out I would like to "press" fit it to make an exact
impression of the knife.

TIA
Mark