Making A Stainless Steel San Mai Bushcraft Knife

[@danhunik7949]

It is always refreshing to see a channel that does not drown all the sounds of a man at work with elevator music in the background.

[@erikcourtney1834]

That’s one combo I’ve been skeptical of trying due to the chromium content in both steels. I’ve only used 1095, w2, and 1084 with stainless. Thanks for being the Guinea pig 😉 .

[@FireCreekForge]

Yep, this is a fairly common combination. One of the advantages with the 52100 is the chromium content helps control grain size with the necessarily high Forge welding heat.

[@erikcourtney1834]

@@FireCreekForge that’s good to Know.

[@wayneward977]

I'm still a newbie, but I am learning by watching all the different techniques that I see here.

[@MB-lr5fp]

Very impressive. I like the handle material. Someone will be very lucky to own that one

[@swissman20]

I understand so much more about your processes after your metalurgy Monday. Great video!

[@فيصلالوزان-ح4م]

I like the painting on the background❤👍

[@JustinMiales]

Look at those new fancy gloves

[@justingoodman5600]

Great build! I wasn’t into the scale material at first but it looked great when finished. I have something similar planned because I got some free stainless. Thanks for sharing

[@bjslater4199]

While I'm not a huge fan of the handle, the blade as always is quite gorgeous.

[@eidontkehr4081]

the first time i have seen you without a hat.

[@jwstex]

First Time. That's pretty badass dude. Bravo.

[@aaronkreger1891]

Awesome as always!! Never disappointed in your craftsmanship!!

[@krissteel4074]

Really impressed on a lot of levels, definitely a power hammer only kind of job unless you've got 2-3 strikers with sledgehammers hidden somewhere. The old 304, it doesn't like moving much

[@codymcdaniel5090]

Turned out pretty damn good

[@JustinMiales]

You do a great work but a word to the wise, take your jewelry off before starting work you can put it on when you're done👍

[@jimtaylor6663]

Beautiful!

[@brianwestveer9532]

Awsome blade

[@johnharris3390]

Very nice!

[@FireCreekForge]

Thanks!

[@Triumph2727]

I just did a fighter with a 80CRV2 core clad in 304SS and it was a giant pain in the ass because it’s barely magnetic making it hard to clean and process. Sure looks amazing though!

[@TalRohan]

beautifully done.

[@Redstagwsmnp]

Great looking knife

[@MASI_forging]

Great work dude. I always amazed to watch 👍👍

[@imranbashir2833]

I really love your forging videos, but I particularly enjoyed the old videos where you narrated along the way so I could understand what you were doing and why. Will you go back to that format in the future? It set you apart from other forging channels. Have a great day!

[@RRINTHESHOP]

Very nice Elijah.

[@FireCreekForge]

Thanks Randy!

[@AustinMuellerHandmade]

Awesome work!

[@bdwillis8284]

Beautiful knife. Didn’t know you mix and match steel like that. Are there any steels that don’t play well with others?

[@FireCreekForge]

Yes, stainless and high alloy steels are difficult to forge weld due to the high chromium content.

[@فيصلالوزان-ح4م]

of the three dinosaurs❤

[@connielingus6969]

A beauty!

[@c3N3q]

I've seen a guy feeding some gas into the forging when working with stainless. Your blade turned out rather well without it... 👍

[@FireCreekForge]

Yes I think it's just easier to seal out atmosphere.

[@michaelh2797]

Beautiful. I love the blue handle. I didn’t see it on your website, was it already sold?

[@paulObriant]

Good looking knife! I've never used that style of pin.. now I'm curious.

[@FireCreekForge]

They're called loveless bolts, and that's pretty much all I ever use anymore. It's a very secure fastener.

[@paulObriant]

@@FireCreekForge gracious munchacho

[@TL50-r9f]

That is a nice blade. What was that you sprayed on each steel before clamping and after welding together? Amazing you forge welded stainless steel to high carbon but you did it quickly several times to limit oxygen I think.

[@FireCreekForge]

Thanks! That would be WD-40, then the billet is sealed to keep out oxygen. The multiple weld heats are because the steel drops in temp quickly.

[@TL50-r9f]

@@FireCreekForge So wd-40 seals the O2 out and the all around welds, I would think any oil between the metals would inhibit forge welding. I wonder if you added borax to the wd-40 with side pin holes drilled would work better. I am amazed you accomplished welding stainless to high carbon.

[@hayworth.handmade]

Always inspiring to watch your videos! I'm going to be attempting this combination very soon, but with the addition of Ni200 shims. I have the billet ready, just waiting for it to cool down a little (North Houston). No power hammer or press, just a hand hammer and pure rage. What temperature do you suggest for that? This will be my first use of stainless and first time using Ni200. Thanks in advance!

[@FireCreekForge]

@@hayworth.handmade thanks! To be honest I'm not sure the actual temperature to forge weld high carbon / stainless steel san mai. It may take a little trial and error. Ideally you would use the lowest possible temperature and still achieve a solid weld. There is a range. A little higher temperature is going to provide more shadowing if you're not using a nickel barrier. Unless you have a temperature controlled set up, it's something you'll have to figure out in your particular forge anyway since they're all a little different. I want to say around 2500 fahrenheit, but I would really have to check on that.

[@hayworth.handmade]

​​@@FireCreekForgeI know I got it up to at least 2200 and the 304 didn't stick to the Ni 200 at all. Pretty disappointing but trial and error is required to make something great. Thank you for your response!

[@Pianosmith375]

Awesome knife, my parents also listen to bible thinker! Hehe😂😊

[@richardbryant7972]

Very very nice, love those handle scales, what are they?

[@FireCreekForge]

Those handle skills are dyed and stabilized Arctic curly Birch

[@renepicard8113]

What compound are wax did you use on handle thanks

[@FireCreekForge]

The handle wood is stabilized so it doesn't require or allow additional oils or waxes, and buffs out nicely on it's own.

[@redrover1565]

Very nice.

[@riff42]

What do you spray on the metal before stacking?

[@FireCreekForge]

@@riff42 WD-40

[@riff42]

@@FireCreekForge Iiiinteresting. For a flux? Can't just maybe add borax between them all? I'm on my second sealed S/S-Carbon san mai, and I hope I got the metals more clean. Some people don't use anything, I've seen paper, and now wd-40. I seal it up with my TIG.

[@xBlueJ]

What is the process called that you used to get the “mottled” effect on the spine of the blade? Sorry for lack of a better word 😂

[@FireCreekForge]

That's the natural result of hammer blows during a forging

[@JustinMiales]

Hate to see that electric bill

[@lr-forge2337]

so i still not sure if its a good thing to forgeweld stainless and carbon steal? ist there intercrystalcorrosion? if you combine stainless and "normal" steal in construction or other industries rthere is always a problem with corrosion becouse any kind of liquid or humidity causing a galvanic reaction! why that doesnt happend here? (sorry if some terms are not right im not a nativ english speaker/writer XD)

[@FireCreekForge]

Galvanic reaction is an electrochemical process and doesn't apply when two metals are atomically bonded together, as in the case of forge welding two steels together.

[@lr-forge2337]

@@FireCreekForge then i used the wrong term.. but in generell you try to avoid contact between "stainless" (chrom/nickel) and usual steal becouse it will build rust. and yeah galvanic is an elechtrochemical reaction but if you put two metals with different "ionisation" in a acidic liquid tehre will be a reaction.. thats how batteries work... and f.e. rain is "acidic" enough to start a reaction.. i "fight" that problem on a daily basis^^ thats why im suprised of that kind of blades which are used to cut things like tomatos or anions with a high acid content.. but thx for the answer

[@boeubanks7507]

Awesome work. It is beautiful. However, i would like to issue you a challenge. I have never seen anyone make a true wilderness survival knife. One that will allow a person to survive in the wild with that tool alone. Here are the features that I believe such a knife should have: 1) saw serrations on the spine that can actively be used to cut branches, vines, etc. 2) a sharp point that can be used to pierce hides, tarps, etc. 3) an integral strike face on the promel that is concave on the handle side to prevent the scales from coming off. 4) storage for a flint for starting fires. 5) storage for 10 to 20 feet of 550 cord or similar. This one is optional on the knife itself and could be done with the sheath. 6) storage for a small fishing kit in the sheath. 7) made entirely of high corosion resistant stainless 8) slots on the handle to facilitate strapping knife to a pole or branch for use as a spear Everyone else, feel free to comment and add any additional items you think should be in a true survival knife. Will you take up the challenge?

[@clifbradley]

If only I had the money. Sucks about being disabled and having 4 kids to take care of, you have no money for anything at all. But unlike my ex, I didn't abandon my kids and not care what happened to them and focused solely on my self. So I miss out on cool knives, at keast I can watch them get made and maybe one day I'll win one. You never know.

[@robertblaze5549]

God bless you for not giving up on yourself and your children.

[@minnesotatomcat]

You’re always meticulous about cleaning your metal before forge welding. I’ve watched so many videos of Japanese bladesmiths making samurai swords and when they’re doing their folding and layering processes they never clean anything up, just partially hot cut it and fold it over and continue to forge weld. How do they get anything to stick together without cleaning it?

[@FireCreekForge]

Yes sir. You'll notice that they blow the scale off the surfaces to be welded with a small puddle of water between the anvil and the billet, then hitting it with the hammer. This removes the layer of scale that has been formed, and the minimum amount that would form while the steel was being folded the rest of the way is addressed with flux. In general, this is a very efficient way to forge weld layers. There is however a greater chance of impurities or inclusions in your weld, I believe. Is it necessary to be as meticulous as I am in most cases? Probably not. When it comes to stainless steel san mai however, the stainless steel is much more prone to forge welding failures, and so I use every bit of care to make sure it's successful.

[@minnesotatomcat]

@@FireCreekForge absolutely, wasn’t picking on you, I like my metal clean too. It just looks so crude when they use their homemade flux and charcoal forge, it just doesn’t look like it would stick.

[@JustinMiales]

Hate to see that electric bill