Dithmarschen Mjönir
Hroð-
Etsy back up.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/NorseWest
After forever the forge is back in action. Trying to find a trip to Denmark/Germany. no customs just what is on here is available for now. Not back to knives yet. Hammer arm is a bit rusty yet.
Skål.
Hröð-
Book of the month (June)
Hilda Roderick Ellis Davidson is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. Great detail and everything kept in context. I do love comparatives though I am biased.
Hrøð-
Žaltys of Saule
Large Snake charm inspired by Žaltys of Saule. The Grass snake in Baltic mythology is a sacred animal of the Sun Goddess Saule. Forged iron.
Hroðbeorht-
Alpendahl Forge.
Oktober
Oktober is in Nordic culture (Winterfyllith) The beginning of winter on the 31st. Happy Samhain as well. Very important month for us Barbarian people =)
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REBAR part 2 40 grade success story.
40 grade domestic Rebar forged into Norse Athame
40 grade Athame.
1080 and why I think its the best trade off steel.
No grand new year statements or plans of action, just another no BS article on why 1080 is a very good choice.
I am a picky smith when it comes to my choice in HC steels. I tend to prefer the tougher alloys and how they react to being worked and then quenched over being obsessed with the level of hardness achieved. I have been making RRS knives for a very long time and I love the properties of the 1040HC used in the spikes. It hardens and forges easily with little worry of cracking so I wanted to find a Bush knife quality HC steel with a similar ease of properties in a flat stock form. I decided after having issues with used leaf springs cracking I would order fresh flat stock steel. I chose 1075/1080 blade steel because I felt it would be a balanced and easy to forge steel for my line of Bushcraft knives. What got in return was better than I expected because not only does this steel forge nicely, it has shown no quenching issues, over hardening or cracks while forging at all. The other really nice thing about this steel is that you still get high edge durability and low material cost.
When we are talking about making survival knives it is important to remember what is actually needed in your blades performance. You must have your hardness and durability balanced so that it can survive the punishment and also be easily sharpened. A steel like D2 can be frustrating and difficult to sharpen due to its hardness level but it has great impact durability and strength. I prefer a carbon steel like 1080 because it is not complicated and can be cared for with a simple wet stone. The hardness can be adjusted to be perfect level for durability and edge retention.
Forge at bright orange to yellow.
Quench in oil.
Temper for 30/1 hour at 300/400 degrees.
I highly recommend you try this for a good trade-off of features.
The second knife shown is a hybrid of an ornate Viking iron knife and a small Seax blade.
Viking Iron Work Jewelry Gallery
This gallery features Viking jewelry pieces forged from iron. Iron was a very valuable metal in the Viking age and is still to this day believed to be a holy metal for warding off evil spirits. This makes it the ideal material for jewelry and charms related to repelling evil or negative energy.
Traditional Mjollnir recycled from a steel band.
Small Iron Mjollnir with ring
Traditional iron work Mjollnir
Viking Ormr
Thor's Axe/Hammer inspired by stone age and bronze age concepts of Mjollnir
Pure Iron. Over 100 year old material. Acid etch.
Traditional Mjollnir with ring.
Brushed iron Mjollnir.
Outside the box-The new cutting edge. Bushknife Tech.
- The Starcke T1.5 Seax
New post!: its been awhile and I have been thinking of what I wanted to post and I decided to talk a bit about unorthodox knife edges and how they improve or atleast living up your creations. The knife above is a D-2 tool steel Starcke T1-5 Seax or Tactical Seax (Copyright Norsewest Industries 2011) The knife has a rather radical cutting edge in that is has only one bevel and the opposite side is flat ground. This allows the user to maintain the edge almost exclusively with a steel. I myself was skeptical having seen similar ideas in pocket knives with less than stellar results! but when I finished this version 1.0 prototype I was shocked how proficient the edge was and how truly sharp the knife is with a single sided bevel.
As you can see the side 2 shot notes the straight angle with no bevel. By using the Seax design it allows a perfectly straight cutting edge with no awkward to sharpen angles. Combine this with the single side bevel and you have an easily maintained Bushcraft knife with modern and ancient designs. So far this design has managed to make mince meat out of 3/4 inch rope, leather, vinyl, fabric and wood with total ease, so I recommend you think more creatively about your edging and have fun experimenting with new angles and applications to your knives.
Experimentation is a good thing in any craft or art form and without bold new directions and ideas no art form can survive. Always have fun and bring your best intentions into the workshop. Hope this inspired some out of the box Knife or any kind of metal crafting. stay tuned for new Starcke and Greenlandr Bush knife experimentations/ideas in design.
Copyright Norsewest industries 2011.
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Knife Making Quik Tip (Quenching temp) Magnet test.
A useful tip regarding quenching in oil or water:
When heating your blade the general rule is cherry red means it is ready to quench, however if you want to be more exacting with the temp you can try using a magnet. When your steel reaches red/orange test it with a magnet. If it is no longer magnetic it is ready to quench. A useful tip especially when using more technical steels that might require more heat to quench harden.
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Athame Gallery and Explanation.
The Athame is a ritual dagger used in various forms of Witchcraft to cast circles and transfer energy similar to a wand. Like any tool for any job I design my Athame or Witch Daggers for the purpose of energy work and symbolism. Modern wrought iron or 1018 is my prefered material. The more iron content the better for this use as I am a believer in metaphysics and energy utilization. Pure wrought iron if available is the finest for this type of item because there is no edge on an Athame. The blade shape is symbolic. In ancient Norse culture iron is a holy material of great importance. A Norse custom of hammering iron nails above the door is believed to guard your home from unwanted spirits or Trolls because they dislike iron.
This gallery contains some of my favorite creative pieces for this purpose.
Hardened iron blade with Runes hand chiseled. handle is mule deer antler. Design on Antler is inspired by bronze age Slavic pottery.
Dragon Spear Athame with Leather vand hemp handle wrap.
Nordic Bronze Age Inspired Athame
Dragon blade, Norse handle and Labradorite accents.
Solid hammer hardened copper. Great energy.
Knife Making Bullet Points! Steel, techniques and tips.
Hand forged Railroad spike.
A BULLET POINTS MEMO TO HELP ANYONE JUST STARTING OUT IN BLACKSMITH WORK:
STEEL AND ITS USES FOR KNIFE MAKING:
Modern wrought Iron/1018/Low carbon steel: Only use for primitive blades, blades you hang up on the wall or for props/ritual knives. Not for modern knife making. Max Hardness 42RC. However 42RC hardened steel will hold an edge for a period of time because it surface hardens a bit more than 42RC if heated in a carbon rich environment at high temperature. This is called carberizing or surface hardening. Smiths would put iron in a high temperature fire with bones and coal for a period of time to increase carbon content and is still done today in metal working. The thing I love most about 1018/Modern wrought is the ability to try these ancient techniques and see how you can use and perfect or even just understand what advantage it may have given the weapons of old . In the end a modern knife has long edge retension and iron knives had higher durability in battle but less edge rentension. Without a doubt the best material to start out with and practice technique.
Rebar: Can be worth experimenting with. For best results try Grade 60 and 75. Ultra strong material that does quench harden.
Files: Great for knives of all kinds, good high carbon steel. Forge at yellow/Bright orange to avoid cracking. Quench in oil only. Hardness roughly 58RC could go higher or lower depending. Temper 1hour 300/400 degrees.
Leaf and Coil spring steel: Great high carbon steel but has a tendency to crack in forged bellow bright orange. Oil quench only. Max hardness 58RC. Temper 1hour at 300/400.
440C Stainless steel. Forges nicely at high temperature and it quenches in oil or water. In my experience I have had no trouble heat treating this steel despite horror stories. Always temper for 1hour at 300/400 degrees.
Tool Steel: I do not recommend forging this steel as much as I recommend softening and grinding from bar stock. Heat to orange and allow to cool fully to soften. Heat treat by heating to bright red and quenching in oil. Then temper for 1hour at 300/400 degrees.
1040 Railroad spike: A fine medium carbon steel containing both the durability of iron and the hardness of high carbon steel. Quench in water, no need to temper. Max hardness is 52/56RC
KNIFE MAKING TERMS YOU NEED TO REMEMBER:
Anneal: To heat an already hardened metal back to its soft composition.
Temper: To heat a quenched blade and reduce its brittleness to a more durable state.
Quenching: To dip a blade into liquid causing the rapid removal of oxygen and close the crystal structure. (Hardening)
Hammer hardening: A technique used on bronze/Copper and low-carbon steel to increase hardness by hammering while cold.
Clinker: A waste material that gathers in your forge during the forging process.
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES:
When holding your hammer during forging it is important that you loosely grip the hammer and allow the weight to do the work. Always use a thumb over fist grip to prevent pain and damage to your arm.
When quenching your blade always insert it vertically and do not stir the liquid. This can bend the steel during the process.
Use water when quenching lower carbon steel to gain max hardness but it is best to use oil on high carbon to prevent cracking.
Always be aware of your steels color and if at yellow be extra careful not to burn or melt your steel. If your blade is sparkling its ruined.
When grinding if your blade turns black in a spot you have burned the carbon and possibly ruined the steel. Grind and cool-Grind and cool. Be patient.
Preheat all high carbon steels to red/orange and allow to cool fully before reheating and forging. This removes stress.
I hope This helps you in choosing steel and just giving you an idea of the process involved in forging not just knives but all kinds pieces.
- Wrought Iron Athame.
- HC Viking Seax
- Wrought Iron Athame with Chiseled Runes.
Thanks for checking out my blog!
Mild Steel/Wrought Iron Dagger Gallery.
Cold chiseled Runes.
Hand stamped Runic engraving. (Cold chiseled in to steel while still soft)
Recycled Steel: Wroughr iron Athame with brushed finish.
- Steel Recycled from a structural ring (18-20% carbon.
- Wrought Iron Athame with Antler handle.
Athame: A tool used by a Witch, Sorcerer or Shaman for various energy practices and rituals. Done in Nordic style with chiseled Runic marks.
Forged with hammered edge for increased strength, A early iron age technique called hammer hardening carried over from the bronze age smiths. Viking style.
Viking style wrought iron piece forged from carbon steel round stock.
Recycled Wrought Iron with Visigothic influence. Cold chiseled Runes.
The Call Of Steel 