[TheForge] mokume- gane pt2

Wed Aug 8 22:28:46 EDT 2012

Just get some copper, nickel silver and brass sheet. If you can stick quarters you can stick those sheets together. Start with two metals then work your way up to three. Dirt and oxygen are your enemies in this so clean the sheet well and get the best reducing atmosphere you can contrive. The Japanese used charcoal fires for this strong reducing environment. It may take a time or three to get it to work. Steve Blooms use of hot stainless forging plates is totally on point.

Jim

On Aug 8, 2012, at 5:53 PM, Dan Scheid wrote:

> Thanks to the group for the great responses .I have a few more question .
> using 10 bucks in quarters to get about 1 cubic inch of stock seem pricey to
> start out. So my question is can you use shim stock? And if so what material
> and gauge would you recommend? Would love 3 or more colors but learners
> can't be choosers 
> Dan Scheid
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> [mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Jerry Frost
> Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2012 3:43 PM
> To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] mokume- gane
> 
> I've done quarter mokume for fun and class demos. Don't worry about copper
> in your forge, I haven't found any metal contaminants that prevent forge
> welding even though most of the old books warn about it. This process is
> properly called "difussion welding" just like forge welding. I won't get
> into what's going on with HOT electrons and valence shells but it's pretty
> cool.
> 
> My method is simple, I made a 4 bolt clamp, two pieces of 1/4" strap stock
> with 1/4" holes in the corners with just enough clearance to lay quarters
> between the bolts. The next step isn't necessary but I give the quarters a
> good solid smack on the anvil to flatten the strikings "face and obverse
> features" to increase the initial contact area. Next I clamp a stack in the
> clamp good and solid, a bit shy of stripping the bolts is a tad much but if
> you can get away with it, tighter is better.
> 
> Nest pop it in the forge and bring it to a sweatin heat, the sides of the
> stack will look just on the verge of liquidity though it's a way from
> liquidus. It'll be a little shimmery and look wet. You can take two courses
> at this point, you can pull it out and smack it, I use a small block on the
> anvil and a set hammer so I don't hit the bolts. The other course is to just
> let it sit and sweat. Something that does help but isn't necessary is a very
> light dusting of borax between the coins.
> 
> Do keep a close eye on the stack when it starts getting close to sweating
> heat, sure it's below liquidus but not a lot, I know I have puddles of
> nickle/copper under the floor of my forge. Now, how you manipulate the
> billet to control the pattern is your turn to experiment and let us know how
> things work please. As a start, you can fold and refuse for a random
> pattern. You can grind or drill depressions and forge flat to gring out the
> lamina. One I like is rolling it "jelly roll" fashion and after fusing it
> into a solid billet flatten it on end, this can give you some really dool
> spiral patterns. You can invert the cut and drill method by forging the
> billet into depressions to raise a pattern and then grinding it flat.
> 
> There are all komds of things you can do to mokume for effects. The most
> knowledgeable person I know personally is Jim Binnion and he can be
> contacted with a simple search online. http://mokume-gane.com Tell him I
> sent ya, not that it'll do you any good but it shouldn't hurt . . . too
> much. <grin> Deb and I wear wedding bands by Him, White gold, red gold,
> yellow gold and silver, in a twist pattern. He formed the billet, twisted it
> then sawed it in half so Deb and my ring are mirror patterns of the exact
> same pattern, like sawing a bord and flipping the halves.
> 
> Range around his site and you'll see some truly amazing examples of mokume
> gane, one of my favorites is the pure iron and gold tea pot.
> 
> Jer
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dan Scheid" <damales at pollybutte.net>
> To: "'Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA'" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2012 9:40 PM
> Subject: [TheForge] mokume- gane
> 
> 
>> 
>> 
>> I have been welding lamented steel (Damascus )  for going on over 20 
>> years.
>> And I thought of doing Mokume gane. I read that you can use US quarters as
>> your start press, heat, then weld  but could not find anything about if it
>> needs flux. Anyone got a link or a book on a simple start for  mokume 
>> game?
>> Thanks
>> Dan Scheid
>> 
> 
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James Binnion
jbin at well.com