[TheForge] More Museum Madness

[David E. Smucker]

What makes them think that an item this small was "steeled"?  Do they have 
an example or are they bull shiting you.  (Think they know what they are 
talking about but don't)  Old drawknifes where steeled by forging two equal 
sized pieces together and then forging on the diamond.  This gave a taper 
section to the blade that was a steel edge and an iron back.  The tangs were 
all iron.  This might work for your striker.  Most likely I think (don't 
have an example that I can show you.) that strikers may have been made from 
old files -- the whole tool would have been steel.

Dave
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter Hirst" <saltydog335 at aol.com>
To: "Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sunday, April 06, 2008 11:46 AM
Subject: [TheForge] More Museum Madness


Thanks for everyone's tips on dealing with the museum.  Here's a new twist. 
I submitted a steel flint striker to the education department there and got 
an interesting response.  "It looks very good, but is it all steel or irone 
with a steeled edge?     Actually, I made the whole thing from 1045, with 
max hardness (About R50C) on the striking edge and straw tempered 
elsewhere). I thought it was pretty good, but they insist that even so amll 
an item as a striker should be steeled. This from the organization that 
sells machined scissors stamped "CHINA" in its crafts center as colonial 
reproductions. But they are buying and i am selling ,SO just to humor them I 
said I woulod look into steeling the edge, but can't find out anythng 
specific about the process.

The business ende of this item is about 3/16 x 3/8 x 3 1/2, one of the long 
edges being the striking surface.  Couple of questions:

Would I split the thin edge to insert the steel or fold the piece  over the 
steel?

What combination of mild and high carbon steels can I reasonbly expect to 
forge weld in this configuration, and are there any special problems, other 
than the obvious mechanical ones of  size that i need to look out for.  I am 
willing to do this by trial and error, but would refer whatever guidance I 
can scare up.

Thanks.
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