Yes! DO NOT try to forge a blade!!!!! Forge a very thick billet, then grind it down into shape. Chain shrinks like you won't believe and leaves large voids towards the surface that you need space to grind past, so make sure you leave way more thickness than you need! At some point I plan on doing a video on forging chain.
..Glad to see ya Doug. The Borax & WD 40 trick answered a question i had about keeping rust out from between the layers. Can't wait to see the rest of the processes...!
Another great video. I assume the paint on the end of the metal is of no concern being as you did not clean it off. How much harder is it to do damascus with no press or power hammer because I don't have access to those?
Thank you. It can be done, but it is a major pain in the ass! I usually set my welds by hand with my forging hammer before any serious drawing out, but since I had access to a press, I used it. Without one, just forge it lightly down until it feels and sounds solid, you'll know when you get there. Then, I recommend enlisting a few friends with strong backs and big sledge hammers to do some gang hammering to draw them out. I'll try to get a video up about this.
Any added tips for bicycle chain billets?
Yes! DO NOT try to forge a blade!!!!! Forge a very thick billet, then grind it down into shape. Chain shrinks like you won't believe and leaves large voids towards the surface that you need space to grind past, so make sure you leave way more thickness than you need! At some point I plan on doing a video on forging chain.
Wolf's Den Forge thanks
..Glad to see ya Doug. The Borax & WD 40 trick answered a question i had about keeping rust out from between the layers. Can't wait to see the rest of the processes...!
Another great video. I assume the paint on the end of the metal is of no concern being as you did not clean it off. How much harder is it to do damascus with no press or power hammer because I don't have access to those?
Thank you. It can be done, but it is a major pain in the ass! I usually set my welds by hand with my forging hammer before any serious drawing out, but since I had access to a press, I used it. Without one, just forge it lightly down until it feels and sounds solid, you'll know when you get there. Then, I recommend enlisting a few friends with strong backs and big sledge hammers to do some gang hammering to draw them out. I'll try to get a video up about this.
Thank you for the response. I don't if my skill level is there yet but thinking about trying it
Also, yes, the paint on the outside means nothing, it's on the outside so it will burn off fast. It's the inside surfaces you need to worry about.