[TheForge] Re: Powder Damascus

[Kevin Dona hoe]

Chuck,

I see what you mean by organic, 'cause that buckle reminds me of a dahlia!
Most fine looking specimen.

And thanks for the clarification.  I recall a fellow (but not his name) that
did a simplified version in the NWBA 20 years ago -+.  He'd stack welding
rods and brazing rods (sans flux)in a tube he'd almost seal, and heat up,
cut at various angles with a bandsaw when cooled, and polish for different
effects.  Simple, but nice.

Kevin

    ------Original Message-----
    -From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
    -[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net]On Behalf Of Chuck Robinson
    -Sent: Friday, December 10, 2004 4:10 PM
    -To: Sponsored by ABANA
    -Subject: Re: [TheForge] Re: Powder Damascus
    -
    -
    -Mike & Roger,
    -Rogers description is pretty accurate except, I would add
    -that, the tube
    -should be about 6" long ( there is a lot of end waste).
    -I super glue my nickel foil to a cardboard square that snugly
    -slides down
    -into the tube. the end plates should be 2X the tube wall thickness.
    -You must tamp down the powder in the tube to make it dense
    -enough that the
    -nickel foil doesn't distort during the pressing operation.
    -You had better leave a small weep hole when you weld the top cap on to
    -relieve the pressure as the WD 40 gasses off.
    -The can is slowly heated and pressed many times to
    -consolidate the powder
    -until it finely completely reaches welding temperature.
    -Some one mentioned aluminum foil, no way, the material must be
    -selected for
    -compatible melting points. The advantage of this process is
    -that you can add
    -inconel. stainless and other metals that can generally only be
    -forge welded
    -in an inert environment.
    - The initial forged billet is usually stacked and re-welded
    -several times to
    -develop  a more interesting design.
    -Some smiths also use dies to distort the design after welding,
    -this usually
    -results in a more organic design.
    -Then there are folks like Rich Furrier who mix up designer
    -tubes of powdered
    -steel and powdered  alloying elements and use the cans to weld
    -up custom
    -alloyed steel billets. they make one of a kind blades out of
    -exotic steel
    -alloys not available commercially.
    -You probably have been exposed more info about PMMD than you
    -really ever
    -cared to know.
    -I uploaded a pic of a PMMD belt buckle to the recent works file Pic #27
    -Chuck
    -
    -
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