You couldn't have timed this better. I've been trying to get my forge back up and running so I could start figuring out how to do this. Now I just get to start practicing it! Thank you, sir!
A very interesting process, one that I may try sometime later. Also you explained each process in the video very well. I have messed with mokuma gana a little, this new venture could be used in other projects as well. Thank you for the time and effort you put into this project.
You don’t need forge welding heat for cu-mai. That’s way too hot. Copper melts at 1930 degrees so you only need to be forging around 1800. You are just forging steel to copper, not steel to steel. If you have it hot enough to move the steel easily, that’s enough. I also find it easier to mig weld all the sides. Good video though!
@@ValhallaIronworks becouse i ask him How to make A Copper knife, and he says You have the video,so i cek your channel and Found it.... My coment is on his newest video
What an intreaging process. Far above me but its very interesting. So....my thinking cap just twitched. Wonder what happens if you do core, copper, steel layer bronze, Damascus. Then you bhave copper and bronze and Damascus. That's interesting to ponder 🙏💜💜🧙♂️⚒️
Superb brother, I love making go mai, this is simply the next stage! Bea you tea fool! Erm..... not “simply”, .......ya... yanno..... Kinda weird how I just made a damascus hammer, French cross pien, and copper plated it, very interesting. Thanks man. First visit, subbed. Peace
You've more than earned my subscription with this fascinating tutorial. Two questions; what did you use to mask the copper before etching (clay? nail polish?), and second, would a coffee etch present the same potential damage to the copper layer? Lots of food for thought here! Many, many thanks.
Thank you mate! I use liquid paper to do my masking as the pens offer a lot more detail than a brush would. Coffee's acidity wouldn't affect the copper as much, but remember that coffee doesn't etch the same way as ferric chloride does! One can't replace the other, as they both perform very different tasks!
Thank you for watching! You can use nail polish to cover the copper, but I like to use liquid paper (white-out correction fluid) since you can get it in pens which allow for more accurate placement than you get from a brush!
Wow I had a guy do this with a billet he handed to me to forge weld for him and didnt tell me about the copper. I still have the scar on my hand from the molten copper that landed on my hand
Great video Alex, thanks!!! Would it be possible to use wrought-iron for the outer layers? I wonder if the welding Temps for the iron would be too high for the copper... Would the revelation be less aggressive in coffee? Actually I'm just wondering what are the main differences between the action of coffee and ferric chloride on steel and iron? Thanks again. Take care.
Since you're not actually performing a forge weld, wrought iron should work just fine in this process! The difference between coffee and ferric is that ferric actually eats away the low nickel steels whereas coffee patinas them. To get proper damascus revelation you need to use both!
@@ValhallaIronworks Do you alternate coffee and ferric chloride a few times or do you work it differently? Different question altogether . I noticed you used a gas forge for the cumai, have you stopped using a charcoal forge? Is it for technical reasons or other reasons? Thanks for your time and generosity Alex. Take care. Thank you for your time and generosity Alex. Take care.
Coffee should be your very last step :) I have both gas forges and solid fuel forges - multiple types of each. I use what is the most appropriate for the work I'm doing and the time constraints I'm under :)
Mokume-gane has intrigued me for a while. Is this an abbreviated version of the same word? It seems, to this novice, to be very similar. Oh, and Max deserves all the sausages.
You're very welcome, Brady! When I need to do a detailed resist like this, I use a liquid paper pen. The liquid paper resists ferric chloride brilliantly, and the fine-tipped pens allow you to draw VERY intricate detail with a lot of control.
@@ValhallaIronworks Fantastic! Thank you so much for replying to my question. I’m really in the very beginnings in my new quest of knife making, I was hurt badly at work and will never be able to do my job again. In fact I can only work on knives about 2-4 hours per week even 18 months after the accident just because of my pain. I will beat this and be able to make it back into my home shop at least 4-6 hours per day someday. I have been learning a whole lot from your channel. Thank you!
A..MAY...ZING, Neels is one lucky guy. What a beautiful knife. Definitely want to try this, One question, when you coat the copper with a resist, what did you use?
Hello,would this also work with brass ? That would be visually I think even more beautiful ! The melting point of brass is a little lower (approx. 2°) than that of copper.... LG
G'day! It's quite commonly done with brass! Brass, however, is a much more picky material, and prone to cause billet failures because of it. So while it is ABSOLUTELY possible to do, it's much more difficult and fiddly.
@@ValhallaIronworks Hi, yes I have thought about that, just because of the melting point, copper is already tricky and the melting point of brass is even lower. Thank you very much for your answer. LG
Thanks for posting this, struggling with a method I saw without welding and holding the layers together with wire, but had partial success. I need to probably just learn to use my stick welder, but you pointed out some good tiips on the process overall that I did not get from some of the other videos I watched. - I have been trying to do this with 15n20 and copper pipe I cut and flattened out... will the copper work with other steel like 80crv2 or 1084, or does it need something like 15n25 with more nickel it it? I
Prepping billets to try this. The sheet steel. You cut and welded 6 pieces. For a tighter fit? I am guessing 1 piece wrapped around vs 4 side pieces could allow copper to squeeze out inside wrap?
@@ValhallaIronworks i saw a knives of a japanese smith in a catalouge of a german shop it had Multiplayer copper steel in the side looks really nice though the copperlayers aren't as thick as the one you made
That’s a beautiful piece- I wanna try my hand at this process, but am curious as to how functional this knife will be. Is it more of a show piece or would it make a decent edc?
I had wondered the same thing, but after doing it, the bond it forms is EXTREMELY strong. Would I use it on a machete? Probably not. But on a pocket knife, hunting knife or chef knife? Absolutely!
Hey mate! I used 1mm copper here. The thickness only matters with respect to how much you plan on drawing the billet out. Too thin and you'll make the copper disappear when drawing the billet out too far. Too thick and it'll need to be hammered down a lot to get it to size, which will put stress on the braze. 1mm seems to be a good happy medium.
Quite a bit of the theory was already known information to me as I'm a bit of a nerd like that 😂 but my initial experimentation piece worked right out of the gate
In what steps of the proces can i use a press? i bought some sheet copper today and am exited to try thid out! also is it posible to draw out the billet more when the weld is set? i imagine id need to work it on the sides then
A press would replace any hammering steps. You could in theory draw it out, but youd want to be careful not to shear the braze or squirt all your copper out from any part of the billet.
Definitely only stock removal. Since this is a braze and not a forge weld, any lateral impacts at high heat will peel the copper apart, separating the billet into three separate pieces of steel!
I have an idea about how to do this method. However, I don't have a forged yet. The "soft" metal needed in a sword mixed with Damascus steel in hard a twist kept as round as possible down to a diameter inside a 1" copper pipe. Then fit and twist that into a copper pipe with iron or nickel shaving & borax whatever to fill the twist groves ( total novice here) and then put this in the center of the Damascus bilet that is ready to forged weld and stretch to length. The idea was enough soft metal +soft copper to equal what is needed? Like I said, just an idea. Let me know if someone tries. I'll let you know where to send me a gift:) if it works out nicely.
@Valhalla Ironworks most definitely. However, the idea is to make a "work of art." Work is in the name. lmao, you dint look like a fella who was shy from work, boss.
Tip I would try when i do it myself on the twist install into copper pipe. I'll get cone coffee filters cut hole big enough for copper pipe tape it on top end 1 inch away with bottom sealed put the twist in little to fill hole, add iorn borax mix needed in filter and twist bar in slow move up down little by little if possible to allow borax iorn & or nickel what ever to fill all gaps. If that helps.
![[UNCUT] The Loyal Pin ปิ่นภักดิ์ EP.6 (1/4)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/m05kZ2GDKXg/mqdefault.jpg)
DUDE!!!! :) Now I'm excited!
Totally going to be making this regularly... because it’s awsome
Great vid alex. Looks amazing
You couldn't have timed this better. I've been trying to get my forge back up and running so I could start figuring out how to do this. Now I just get to start practicing it! Thank you, sir!
That is a beautiful little blade
cheers and thanks for the exploration and sharing
No worries!
That's really impressive it looks like it's really easy for lots of things to go wrong including putting the copper into the cutting edge
Thank you Alex... I'm going to have to wait 'till tomorrow to watch. I will be taking notes.
Great video. And thank you again for your support, Alex
Thanks handsome
Now that's my kind of anvil👍✌
you are a mad man and i love that about you Alex now your going to get this bug in my head as if Damascus was not bad enough
Makes for a very good looking blade, nice work.
Thanks 👍
That is absolutely beautiful! I really appreciate you putting this out there. You sir are inspiration of the week for me.
Thanks mate
Awesome video Alex. Very helpful. Thank you.
Thank you! Make sure you check out the updated video, too!
Great work. Very interesting process great information in the video as well
Great teacher and beautiful blade!!
Thank you very much!
I have been waiting for this. It only took up 4 pages in my great big book of everything 🤣 great instructions and I cant wait to give it a go now. 🤘
Fantastic
Great video Alex! That blade looks amazing!
Wow, this video is like finding a fat pearl from a plate of oysters. Simply top notch stuff! Thanks for sharing, my friend!
lol never been called a fat pearl before
that was awesome. I actually have anvil envy.
It's a beauty, isn't it? 201 years old!
Great video. Thanks
Great vid Alex. Fantastic explanation of each step and care taken to describe potential safety hazards / precautions. Beaut knife btw
Looks great thanks for the tips
Thanks for watching!
Absolutely gorgeous!
A very interesting process, one that I may try sometime later. Also you explained each process in the video very well. I have messed with mokuma gana a little, this new venture could be used in other projects as well. Thank you for the time and effort you put into this project.
You could technically do mokumegane in place of the copper. Also, I’ve seen on some stainless Damascus knives, a thin layer of nickel is added.
I forgot to say. Awesome video! Thanks for putting all the effort into teaching this.
Bravo!!
You don’t need forge welding heat for cu-mai. That’s way too hot. Copper melts at 1930 degrees so you only need to be forging around 1800. You are just forging steel to copper, not steel to steel. If you have it hot enough to move the steel easily, that’s enough. I also find it easier to mig weld all the sides. Good video though!
I was looking for this comment! I’ve never tried it at forge welding temps I honestly would be afraid to get it that hot! Great video though!!!
The finished blade look really good, nice work fella.
Thanks 👍
Hi from Russia. Thanks for your job! It's very actually.
Thank you too!
Good job..👍
Beauty of a piece. Well done Sir and an excellent tutorial. Thank you!
Glad you liked it!
@@ValhallaIronworks Actually I completed forgot to do that part til right now! I enjoyed it, but didn't like it :p Done :)
Your my new favorite human!
I love it, great info and a great video. Keep up the good work sir.
Dude, that's cool!
You're cool!
Thanks Alex! Keep up the good work!
W A T C H I N G A G A I N 😍
I like your style lol
This is great let's watch
Green beetle say you have Sanmai Copper knife,and yes You have it thanks for the video
Did he? Where did he say that?
@@ValhallaIronworks becouse i ask him How to make A Copper knife, and he says You have the video,so i cek your channel and Found it....
My coment is on his newest video
Green Beetle is awesome
mattee that was awesome.
That is so cool.
What an intreaging process. Far above me but its very interesting. So....my thinking cap just twitched.
Wonder what happens if you do core, copper, steel layer bronze, Damascus. Then you bhave copper and bronze and Damascus. That's interesting to ponder
🙏💜💜🧙♂️⚒️
Multi layered Cu mai is one idea I'd thought of trying actually! I think it'd be fun!
Sos muy profesional, me encanto ese vídeo y esa terminación del cuchillo, uffs algún día quiero hacer uno así
Thk gracias
¡Gracias por ver!
Thank you for the great video! What did you use to protect the copper?
Thank you! I used liquid paper to protect the copper from the ferric chloride.
Superb brother, I love making go mai, this is simply the next stage! Bea you tea fool! Erm..... not “simply”, .......ya... yanno.....
Kinda weird how I just made a damascus hammer, French cross pien, and copper plated it, very interesting. Thanks man. First visit, subbed. Peace
Thanks mate!
You've more than earned my subscription with this fascinating tutorial. Two questions; what did you use to mask the copper before etching (clay? nail polish?), and second, would a coffee etch present the same potential damage to the copper layer? Lots of food for thought here! Many, many thanks.
Thank you mate! I use liquid paper to do my masking as the pens offer a lot more detail than a brush would. Coffee's acidity wouldn't affect the copper as much, but remember that coffee doesn't etch the same way as ferric chloride does! One can't replace the other, as they both perform very different tasks!
@@ValhallaIronworks A liquid paper pen, what a great tip! Thanks again for a technique I'll be ruminating about for weeks! Might even try it!
Great video. What are you putting over the copper before the acid dip. Thank you for making this? 🙂
Thank you for watching! You can use nail polish to cover the copper, but I like to use liquid paper (white-out correction fluid) since you can get it in pens which allow for more accurate placement than you get from a brush!
Haha! I'm like👍 number 600! Very cool indeed mate.
Legend! haha
Duuuuude 👍
I second!🤜
Wow I had a guy do this with a billet he handed to me to forge weld for him and didnt tell me about the copper. I still have the scar on my hand from the molten copper that landed on my hand
Oh jeez that's irresponsible!
Great video Alex, thanks!!! Would it be possible to use wrought-iron for the outer layers? I wonder if the welding Temps for the iron would be too high for the copper...
Would the revelation be less aggressive in coffee? Actually I'm just wondering what are the main differences between the action of coffee and ferric chloride on steel and iron?
Thanks again. Take care.
Since you're not actually performing a forge weld, wrought iron should work just fine in this process! The difference between coffee and ferric is that ferric actually eats away the low nickel steels whereas coffee patinas them. To get proper damascus revelation you need to use both!
@@ValhallaIronworks Do you alternate coffee and ferric chloride a few times or do you work it differently?
Different question altogether . I noticed you used a gas forge for the cumai, have you stopped using a charcoal forge? Is it for technical reasons or other reasons?
Thanks for your time and generosity Alex.
Take care.
Thank you for your time and generosity Alex.
Take care.
Coffee should be your very last step :) I have both gas forges and solid fuel forges - multiple types of each. I use what is the most appropriate for the work I'm doing and the time constraints I'm under :)
Mokume-gane has intrigued me for a while. Is this an abbreviated version of the same word? It seems, to this novice, to be very similar. Oh, and Max deserves all the sausages.
Mokume gane is layering non ferrous metals such as copper, bronze, silver or nickel into a layered billet. Cu mai is layering copper in with steel!
What did you use as a resist for the Copper when putting the knife in the Ferric Chloride? Thank you for this video By the way! Exceptional!!
You're very welcome, Brady! When I need to do a detailed resist like this, I use a liquid paper pen. The liquid paper resists ferric chloride brilliantly, and the fine-tipped pens allow you to draw VERY intricate detail with a lot of control.
@@ValhallaIronworks Fantastic! Thank you so much for replying to my question. I’m really in the very beginnings in my new quest of knife making, I was hurt badly at work and will never be able to do my job again. In fact I can only work on knives about 2-4 hours per week even 18 months after the accident just because of my pain. I will beat this and be able to make it back into my home shop at least 4-6 hours per day someday.
I have been learning a whole lot from your channel. Thank you!
A..MAY...ZING, Neels is one lucky guy. What a beautiful knife.
Definitely want to try this, One question, when you coat the copper with a resist, what did you use?
A liquid paper pen! Not only does liquid paper form an excellent resist medium, the fine tips on those pens allow you to draw with very precise detail
I don't see many videos on utube where bladsmiths are forging ni mai blades
And this still isn't one, unfortunately! Check out Sam Towns, Bladesmith, though - he did a livestream yesterday where he made a ni-mai blade!
Hello,would this also work with brass ? That would be visually I think even more beautiful ! The melting point of brass is a little lower (approx. 2°) than that of copper.... LG
G'day! It's quite commonly done with brass! Brass, however, is a much more picky material, and prone to cause billet failures because of it. So while it is ABSOLUTELY possible to do, it's much more difficult and fiddly.
@@ValhallaIronworks Hi, yes I have thought about that, just because of the melting point, copper is already tricky and the melting point of brass is even lower. Thank you very much for your answer. LG
Thanks for posting this, struggling with a method I saw without welding and holding the layers together with wire, but had partial success. I need to probably just learn to use my stick welder, but you pointed out some good tiips on the process overall that I did not get from some of the other videos I watched. - I have been trying to do this with 15n20 and copper pipe I cut and flattened out... will the copper work with other steel like 80crv2 or 1084, or does it need something like 15n25 with more nickel it it? I
G'day! Pretty much any steel should work! Just make sure it's hardenable if you're going to make a cutting tool!
@@ValhallaIronworks good to know, thanks for the quick reply, I will defininately be checking out your other videos
Prepping billets to try this. The sheet steel. You cut and welded 6 pieces. For a tighter fit? I am guessing 1 piece wrapped around vs 4 side pieces could allow copper to squeeze out inside wrap?
It just allows for a more snug fit is all
What doyou think about using a multi layer copper and steel billet for the sides?
It's something I've given some thought to, but need to experiment a little with how well it stands up to forging!
@@ValhallaIronworks i saw a knives of a japanese smith in a catalouge of a german shop it had Multiplayer copper steel in the side looks really nice though the copperlayers aren't as thick as the one you made
Gold pressed latinum...
That’s a beautiful piece- I wanna try my hand at this process, but am curious as to how functional this knife will be. Is it more of a show piece or would it make a decent edc?
I had wondered the same thing, but after doing it, the bond it forms is EXTREMELY strong. Would I use it on a machete? Probably not. But on a pocket knife, hunting knife or chef knife? Absolutely!
Thank you so much- pretty excited!
Hi, is it possible with a coal forge ?
Absolutely! Since it's a sealed billet, it would work very well in a coal forge!
Fantastic video! What thickness was the copper? Does coller thickness matter?
Hey mate! I used 1mm copper here. The thickness only matters with respect to how much you plan on drawing the billet out. Too thin and you'll make the copper disappear when drawing the billet out too far. Too thick and it'll need to be hammered down a lot to get it to size, which will put stress on the braze. 1mm seems to be a good happy medium.
@@ValhallaIronworks Thanks for the info! I will definitely give it a try!
Wow, Beautiful!! How long did it take to figure out this process?
Quite a bit of the theory was already known information to me as I'm a bit of a nerd like that 😂 but my initial experimentation piece worked right out of the gate
Really liked it !
anyone tried this with steel / titanium?
Not that I know of, but I'm not entirely certain it's possible to braze titanium to steel. I could be wrong, though!
In what steps of the proces can i use a press? i bought some sheet copper today and am exited to try thid out! also is it posible to draw out the billet more when the weld is set? i imagine id need to work it on the sides then
A press would replace any hammering steps. You could in theory draw it out, but youd want to be careful not to shear the braze or squirt all your copper out from any part of the billet.
@@ValhallaIronworks okay thanks! also what thickness copper did you use in the video?
Just 1mm but the thickness you use doesn't really matter!
Can this billet be forged on the anvil, or is it stock-removal only to get blade shape?
Definitely only stock removal. Since this is a braze and not a forge weld, any lateral impacts at high heat will peel the copper apart, separating the billet into three separate pieces of steel!
what do you use to protect the copper during the etch?
Liquid paper, or white-out. It can often be found in a pen form, which allows for very accurate placement compared to a brush.
I have an idea about how to do this method. However, I don't have a forged yet. The "soft" metal needed in a sword mixed with Damascus steel in hard a twist kept as round as possible down to a diameter inside a 1" copper pipe. Then fit and twist that into a copper pipe with iron or nickel shaving & borax whatever to fill the twist groves ( total novice here) and then put this in the center of the Damascus bilet that is ready to forged weld and stretch to length. The idea was enough soft metal +soft copper to equal what is needed? Like I said, just an idea.
Let me know if someone tries. I'll let you know where to send me a gift:) if it works out nicely.
This seems like an awful lot more work than just stacking pieces together...
@Valhalla Ironworks most definitely. However, the idea is to make a "work of art." Work is in the name. lmao, you dint look like a fella who was shy from work, boss.
Tip I would try when i do it myself on the twist install into copper pipe. I'll get cone coffee filters cut hole big enough for copper pipe tape it on top end 1 inch away with bottom sealed put the twist in little to fill hole, add iorn borax mix needed in filter and twist bar in slow move up down little by little if possible to allow borax iorn & or nickel what ever to fill all gaps. If that helps.
But did you get Damascus on top I’m confused
I'm not sure what you're asking, I'm sorry.
@@ValhallaIronworks I’m trying to figure out how you managed to get the Damascus on the top layer
Damascus is just the steel I used for the outer layers is all! Nothing special!
sorry m8 gave up after 5 mins to long winded .
If you don't like long winded, deeply detailed processes then knifemaking may not be for you...
@@ValhallaIronworks knife making instructor for 4 years , i talked less in those 4 years than you did in the first 4 mins m8.