Never Warp Again?! - Quench / Straightening Plates - 4K

[@RedBeardOps]

Raise your hand if you've spent some hours chasing warps... 😅

[@zwergimuschi]

*raising hand* *cry*

[@nateand3]

🖐

[@francescol.7782]

🖐️😭

[@daviddingus8575]

✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋ chased them for to long

[@mydivot1344]

🖐️🖐️

[@bctruck]

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I’ve learned a bunch of new tricks watching your vids. Good work!!

[@RedBeardOps]

Good morning sir! Really appreciate your comment. Thank you!

[@OUTDOORS55]

Thanks for the shoutout! I just want to say i cant take any credit for this idea in anyway. I cant remember where i saw it being done first. I think it was a jason knight video from years ago. And I believe the technique has been done for ages. It works crazy well though with 1084! Again thanks for the shoutout 👍

[@RedBeardOps]

Cheers sir, you gave me the idea to build something then! I have read of guys doing this on blade forums as well. Seems popular to some degree. It's going to be a large time saver for me! Thanks man.

[@Aleeknives]

😯 I love it, I guess I'll have to go and build the Sword version! Great video man! I like the intro with the sound effects, nice touch

[@RedBeardOps]

Please do! I'd love to see that. And thanks man!

[@jimsheely5491]

Dewd. Built one for myself. Harbor Freight has that vise and it was in stock for $20! Had some scrap 2"X 3/16" angle. Viola... Tested on the "Boomerang " blade that fell in the oil. Pulled it out of the scrap bucket. Normalized it and then did a heat treat. I left in the Parks 50 for ~10 secs. Clamped til cold and... It was straight again..

[@RedBeardOps]

Heck yeah man... I love this thing... works magic

[@jasondelaney6274]

Very good. About to build this in my summer break

[@rroberts8501]

Just picked up a cheap woodworkers vise to do the same thing. Hopefully the last time I spent my Saturday chasing warps will be the LAST Saturday I spend chasing warps. Thanks for the informative vid.

[@RedBeardOps]

Heck yeah man! Good luck!

[@roberthigbee1697]

Thanks for getting me back into making knives. Made this yesterday. Going to make your surface grinder next as soon as I can find a contact wheel that’s a reasonable price. Thanks for the how to vids brother. Hopefully I can make a piece of metal that looks half as good as your knives.

[@RedBeardOps]

Heck yeah Robert! Good luck with your builds. Note that you can use smaller wheels than I used!

[@Daddy53751]

Love it. I’ve seen this vice plate fix other places, and went to do it myself. As soon as I saw how much aluminum plates cost that idea went out the window. Your fix is actually affordable! 🤘🏻

[@RedBeardOps]

Cheers sir!

[@davebranson4051]

Outstanding! As always it seems your timing of videos is spot on to what I am trying to figure out in the shop

[@RedBeardOps]

Heck yeah! Glad it can help sir!

[@TyrellKnifeworks]

Cool build. I like that you can use a drill to close it quickly. I have something like this but much lower tech with bolts in two pieces of 1/4” angle. I like that approach because I can put the blade in it and throw the whole thing in the oven for tempering. I’ve had blades warp during temper so I always put them in a straightening jig now. About to heat treat a sword so time for a bigger jig!

[@RedBeardOps]

Heck yeah man! Good luck with the sword! I'm scared of those long things! Let me know how it goes.

[@TyrellKnifeworks]

Red Beard Ops - I’m scared too! Lol! The hand sanding is a daunting task. I’ve only done 3 of the 4 fullers and it’s taken me 3 hours already! 🤪

[@RedBeardOps]

@@TyrellKnifeworks No joke! I have yet to try a fuller!

[@TyrellKnifeworks]

Red Beard Ops - I cheated and used the mill with a ball-end cutter. 😜 Video should be up in a week or two.

[@lostbuffalo196]

Excellent idea. I just found your channel, having only watched two videos, but I can tell I'm going to love watching all of your others. I REALLY LIKE your instructions as you go AND the list of things you used. THANK YOU

[@RedBeardOps]

Hello sir! Thank you for your comment! Really happy these videos found you and are helping out. Cheers

[@larryohara6513]

Way cool! I've got a few of those vises laying around...next project!

[@RedBeardOps]

Good luck Larry!

[@sikamoreify]

Nice tip with the manual drill press tap start!

[@RedBeardOps]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Take_And_Make]

Very nice modification, brother! Going to save this vid for later!

[@RedBeardOps]

Heck yeah, thanks man! It's getting the job done!

[@waynewalker315]

Total overkill James. Waste of time, just don't warp blades. 🤣🤣 Just kidding brother, this is an amazing idea and I totally plan on copying it. Thanks for the creative process to ensure straight blades! Have a great weekend brother.

[@RedBeardOps]

Lol, thank you sir! Man I hate it when a blade has a little warp in it after the quench. I can normally get them out in tempering... but I'd rather avoid it all together! We'll see how this thing stands the test of time.

[@armadilloforge]

Yea buddy that'll work!

[@RedBeardOps]

Heck yeah man! Cheers. Thanks for your comment!

[@browndogquecompetitionbbq4253]

Damn. That’s a great idea. Guess I know what my next little project is. I even have one of those woodworking vises collecting dust in my garage.

[@RedBeardOps]

Dude it works great! Gotta say

[@boz3066]

I'll be building one of those this weekend!! Nicely done!

[@RedBeardOps]

Heck yeah! Glad you liked it

[@jmiknuk]

I’m gonna make this next week. Love the idea.

[@RedBeardOps]

Heck yeah, let me know how it turns out Jason.

[@dukeofearl6256]

Like a BOSS! This would work on 99% of my blades. I hate chasing warps....

[@RedBeardOps]

Me too man.... This thing has been doing great so far!

[@dukeofearl6256]

@@RedBeardOps I am going to go chase down one of those vices. Home Depot or Harbor Freight?

[@RedBeardOps]

@@dukeofearl6256 Man I think any of the cheap ones would work. I put the link to mine in the description of this video, but the raised the price a little since it's out of stock.

[@markfulmer67]

Great idea, thank you for that!

[@RedBeardOps]

Heck yeah man, thanks a bunch for watching! Cheers sir

[@trenthumphreys9368]

Very nice! I will be building one to go with my aluminum quench plate vise. Just broke an O-1 blade trying to straighten a warp. You mentioned Simple Little Life and Outdoors 55. You 3 are my most watched. Keep up the great work!

[@RedBeardOps]

Heck yeah! Thanks Trent, that's super flattering. Really appreciate your comment. Good luck with your build.

[@jeremywest5433]

Is the steel not conductive enough to quench stainless blades? Or is an aluminum one not hard enough for keeping blades straight? Trying to figure out why you'd need two different things that do the same job essentially. New knife maker, so I'm honestly asking as I came back to this video to look for this answer in particular.

[@trenthumphreys9368]

Different blades require different techniques. Aluminum dissipates heat quickly which is what you need for heat treating stainless blades because you don't oil quench them. They are air quenched. Carbon steel blades are oil quenched and therefore you can use the steel vise to keep them straight after heat treat when cooling before tempering.

[@jeremywest5433]

@@trenthumphreys9368 thanks, I'm just wondering why an aluminum version wouldn't serve both jobs. What would a steel one do that aluminum can't, other than just being cheaper to build.

[@trenthumphreys9368]

@@jeremywest5433 I suppose you could use aluminum for both. I've just read and learned from experience with O1 tool steel (which I use a lot of and 1095) you don't want to drop the temperature below about 150°f before you get it into your first temper cycle to avoid stress cracking. Aluminum could suck enough heat out and drop below that. Where I'm at the steel version is way cheaper to build. A couple pieces of angle iron and a small bench vise will achieve the same result. It's just nice to have certain tools ready to go for a particular purpose... if you have room to store them and the funds to make them. Good luck with whatever you decide. You learn along the way and it's an awesome journey. Find out what works for you and do it! No right or wrong you just want a straight hard blade! Ha ha

[@BCM1959]

Good idea, came together nice too.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you! Cheers! Really appreciate your comment sir

[@liquidminddesign1367]

Fun with an impact driver. I like it!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you ! And it is! LOL

[@aaronhope8366]

That's lovely work. Spacing the holes out definitely seems like the right answer. Now to see if I can frankenstein my way into using a pair of aluminum quench plates that are reinforced with your straightening plates to get the best of both worlds.

[@RedBeardOps]

Good luck Aaron!

[@aaronhope8366]

​@@RedBeardOps As an update, I ended up trying a few different woodworking vises and settled for the slow one without the quick release. The slanted threads were not the right answer. I got a pair of 22" x 5" x 1.5" aluminum blocks as the core. But then I took some 1/4 inch thick angle iron and reinforced the top and bottom with my first time tapping holes. Hand tapping aluminum is dumb. But thankfully I set it up so that the bottom plate essentially has an iron front and back lip so that it acts like a trough so I can't throw the steel out the back. I still have the hand crank because I don't have a welder, but I manage just fine. Now I can fully cool and unwarp blades with about 3 minutes in the plates for as much throughput as my evenheat kiln can muster. It's frankenstein, but she's a workhorse. Keep up the fine work my friend and thanks for the inspiration.

[@RedBeardOps]

@@aaronhope8366 Thanks for the detailed update!

[@medevack1]

Awesome tutorial, I build mine before I saw your video and it works great I did use 3/4" aluminum plates on mine it tends to cool the blade evenly and faster, I will weld a nut on top for rapid tightening, Thank you again for your videos.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you for your comment! So far so good with this thing. I may change out to Aluminum one day if I start working with stainless. Who knows! Cheers sir!

[@sudo_nym]

Inspired idea, James! 🇬🇧🤜⚡️🤛🇺🇸

[@RedBeardOps]

Heck yeah, thanks sir.

[@deansmallwood4652]

Warps need love!!

[@RedBeardOps]

LOL

[@markbir7979]

Awsome workaround!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@RabbitMangoTurnip]

Hey saw your newer video on a file jig this morning. Been watching other other videos and I just subscribed. Haven’t started in the hobby yet but I appreciate the content you’re putting out for everyone and your Amazon knife video was great.

[@RedBeardOps]

Hey Troy, thanks a million for your comment and sub! I'm happy these videos are helping out! Good luck on starting up.

[@davebranson4051]

Parts in hand and hope to build my bench mount version over the next couple weekends (dependent on how much heat I stand in shop 🤣)! Keep these super handy videos coming

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much Dave! Glad you're enjoying them!

[@travisbartlett1977]

Very cool bud. I just ordered the same vise. Between a EvenHeat and this vise I really hope to see warps go away

[@RedBeardOps]

Good luck! Cheers Travis

[@toadpond101]

Nice build! You are making my to do list longer every weekend :)

[@RedBeardOps]

Heck yeah man! Glad you liked it!

[@daviddingus8575]

That's an awesome idea 💡

[@RedBeardOps]

Thanks David! Glad you liked this one!

[@daviddingus8575]

@@RedBeardOps you have taught me quite a lot from just watching thanks for your help even if you didn't know you were helping thank you

[@TheFrolovCutlery]

I agree with you BUT it is still worth mentioning that katana's spine curve was originally made as a warp developed while heating the straight sword spine down before quenching)

[@RedBeardOps]

Good thing I'm not making katanas! 😂

[@TheFrolovCutlery]

@@RedBeardOps i have the same feeling sometimes)

[@REKKnives]

Another great video!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you sir!

[@mrsaskriders]

I don't think you're a true knifemaker unless you've had warps and then of course learned and made a vice like yourself. Awesome job

[@RedBeardOps]

Lol, thank you very much Andy! Appreciate your comment!

[@GenericSpace]

I haven't warped any yet but I haven't made anything overly long plus I've only ever used stock-removal to shape my blades. I'm sure if I forged out some longer ones, I'd definitely find some ridiculous warps that would make me rage :o I'm working on a 19" blade right now but it's 1/4" thick so there's potential for disaster.

[@mattstratemann7430]

Another awesome video! I’m making one of these. Thanks.

[@RedBeardOps]

Awesome! Thank you! Hope it works as well for you as it is for me!

[@sudo_nym]

Good idea, Mr Red.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you kindly sir! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@sudo_nym]

Red Beard Ops I did. I’m making my first knife at the moment. Just about to heat treat in my coffee can forge. 🇬🇧✌️🇺🇸

[@chrisransome3181]

Great idea thank you 👍

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you sir! Glad you liked it.

[@TheBroot0999]

Damn you need to sell that more of that creation... I'm in line.....

[@RedBeardOps]

Lol! I'm kinda surprised someone doesn't already!

[@TheBroot0999]

@@RedBeardOps hint hint Red beard... Spearhead it lol... I'm on my 3rd knife creation. So new to this. Watching your vids to learn..... Major help.

[@MrSoloun]

Yea this is a great build and setup IMO. The impact driver is great for speed. I wasn't sure how long you need to quench to gain your required hardness, you said 5 - 6 seconds, have you done any hardness checks on those blades? Just curious not saying it's no good, I honestly wouldn't know either way but am curious.

[@RedBeardOps]

I'm in the quench for 5-6 seconds. I'm basing it off of some research I did on blade forums. I am also not sure what the hardness would be, or how it would be changed. I do know that they file test after this method just fine. One of these days I want a hardness tester! I would think that you're good to go to the plates as long as the blade is around 500F still

[@bryanvaden5954]

You should sell these! Hobbyist like me would def buy one since i don’t have the scraps laying around!!!!!

[@RedBeardOps]

Lol, they are handy tools for sure!

[@randallblack6525]

Nice project!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you! Cheers! Glad you liked it!

[@kevinmichael9999]

I’ve watched a lot of your videos, I may have missed it but why do you have a piece of square tube in your gas forge? Thank you for all the great videos!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much Kevin. I put that muffle pipe in there in order to shield the blade from direct flame. I find that it more evenly heats the blade before quench.

[@kevinmichael9999]

Red Beard Ops thanks for the fast response. I used most of your videos to make my wife a high carbon kitchen knife. Finished up last night. It looks like a first timers knife. A lot of lessons were learned from no.1

[@MESTER47]

Great tip!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thanks! I'm loving this thing! CHeers sir

[@MESTER47]

@@RedBeardOps you dont have how not to like it! Cheers mr!

[@MySickstring]

Love the video man. Great concept and design. I’m going to build this for my shop. As far as starting your taps in the drill press, I agree it’s a great method. What about making a pin hole wrench that fits into the chuck key holes for starting your taps?

[@RedBeardOps]

Sounds like a good idea to me!

[@curtispoppenberg7349]

Nice build, you heat treat before grinding bevels, correct?

[@RedBeardOps]

Hey Curtis, I do it both ways. Depends on the knife. I find this jig can worth in both situations if you leave some meat at the spine.

[@kamimedjoudj4040]

Very nice!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@mmniva7278]

Fine !

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you!

[@tectalabyss]

Liked,shared.All my best.

[@RedBeardOps]

Hey thanks Bobby! Really appreciate that

[@brentdude2100]

Had to be the 1000 like 🤷🏻‍♂️ it was meant to be

[@Nudel-nc1cp]

Great video 👍 I have one question. If you choose to quench already grinded blade (which tapers down toward the cutting edge of course) then how do you clamp it to avoid warps? 🤔

[@RedBeardOps]

I feel like this works better with a blade that isn't ground, however, I've had success with ground blades. Specifically if there is still some meat at the spine (aka not a full flat grind yet)

[@Nudel-nc1cp]

@@RedBeardOps Yeah. I was thinking the same way about making not full flat grind but almost full about 70-80%. Thanks for reply. 👍

[@markhill2826]

Great tip

[@RedBeardOps]

Heck yeah, glad you liked it! Cheers sir

[@MichaelRagnarok]

That's a nice contraption, and so easy to do in handsight. Is it important to close it very tight? I mean, is the pressure or the general guidence for the steel the integral part?

[@RedBeardOps]

Man, I think having some pressure is necessary to push out a bend... but probably not as much as I'm putting on it with the impact driver.... lol A lot of people do this with two pieces of angle iron in a vise. Thanks for your comment and thanks for watching man.

[@joshmcmahon4174]

Have you had any issues with blades cracking when you close down the clamp with the impact driver?

[@RedBeardOps]

Nope. That would likely happen if your blade got too cool before putting in the plates. For instance if I left it in the quench for 20 seconds, the blade took on a warp, and THEN I clamped it in the plates... it would crack for sure. I'm quenching for about 5 seconds. The blade is well above 400F going into the plates. That being said, what I'm doing is not an exact science. It will take a little trial and error to get my transition from quench to plates just right. Thanks for your question. It's a good one. Cheers sir!

[@LutherDesigns]

Good stuff!

[@RedBeardOps]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@andrewmcgibbon9785]

The gap you noticed was not due to the vice. It's the quarter angle. It tapers slightly from the inside corner to the edge.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thanks for the info sir.

[@parkerlewis5232]

Good video

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much sir!

[@parkerlewis5232]

No problem you do good work

[@trainwon5699]

Cool thanks

[@RedBeardOps]

Cheers Don!

[@houston2908]

If you somehow see this now. Would placing the knife between two flat pieces of metal and adding weight have the same effect? Don’t have the tools and materials needed but I’d like to avoid warps when I begin knife making

[@RedBeardOps]

Yes, if the weight was sufficient I'd think that would work.

[@houston2908]

@@RedBeardOps thank you sir!

[@Gantzz321]

have you seen "shurap" (youtuber) blade polishing machine? After I saw how he has a motor move the blade back and forth while he holds the sandpaper still it just made so much sense to me. It was one of those "Work smarter not harder" moments.

[@RedBeardOps]

I have. That thing is awesome!

[@raymondoreilly7569]

What's your opinion on heat treatment using 80crv2, 30x3mm? Regards Ray

[@RedBeardOps]

Hey man, I haven't used it, so I can't really suggest anything there. Cheers sir.

[@osulxa]

Could I use some left over aluminum instead of angle steel for this?

[@RedBeardOps]

For sure!

[@georgevgenis1494]

If the blade has a distal taper prior to hardening? Will the plates "hug" it in order to keep them straight?

[@RedBeardOps]

I've found that the clamp does sitll work well and keeps everything relatively straight, but most of the time I'm HT-ing flat blades and grind in my bevels post HT.

[@georgevgenis1494]

@@RedBeardOps oh i see, I missed that chance. Don’t have yet a bele grinder, so I had to remove as much metal I could with a file before HT

[@Advansite]

can you use aluminum plates instead of angle iron

[@RedBeardOps]

For sure! Especially if you're heat treating stainless steel

[@jaysanders5976]

Hey you said once that you had ample supply of sucker rods. How could I get a few from you?

[@RedBeardOps]

Hey Jay, thanks for the watch. No sir. That's not in my purview.

[@jaysanders5976]

Red Beard Ops yes I understand it is just something I would like to work with. They are far and few here in NW Arkansas

[@deckers222]

buen video

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you sir!

[@andrewfischer6055]

i had a filet knife(1/16 of an inch) warp, well it did a banana. I am wondering if this would have helped.

[@RedBeardOps]

Hey Andrew, it sounds like it would have! I don't generally work with that thin of stock, but I know that a lot of knife makers have a set of clamps similar to this one who do work with thinner stock.

[@andrewfischer6055]

@@RedBeardOps thank you! By the way great channel and for a beginner like myself. I really appreciate all the content!

[@RedBeardOps]

@@andrewfischer6055 Heck yeah, thanks man, glad you're enjoying them

[@ershvv7567]

Удобная приспособа!

[@RedBeardOps]

Спасибо!

[@jacksonvile12345678]

How do you water quench with this technique?

[@RedBeardOps]

I've never water quenched

[@micaelakarlsson4876]

Great video, thanx for shearing. Any reason why I cant build this straightening jig with aluminium to make it multi purpose? I mean straightening and quenching..?

[@RedBeardOps]

Nope, that should work very well

[@micaelakarlsson4876]

@@RedBeardOps Great, thanks😊

[@metalheadfella8784]

I read this works really good for 1084 but does anyone know if this would work good for 8670?

[@RedBeardOps]

I don't know for sure, but I don't see why not

[@manchagojohnsonmanchago6367]

just straighten them after tempering a hot bath of tin at the desired tempering temperature is sufficient and then use a straightening fork

[@RedBeardOps]

Lots of good methods for sure!

[@kerrywargo4693]

You mean very "Inexpensive" woodworkers vice, don't you? ;-)

[@kerrywargo4693]

Oops... I spoke too soon, before I saw the ending of the video where the vise is out-of-square. Sorry Red... I should have bitten my tongue. Great video. Keep them coming. I always love when I can build a tool to use in my shop.

[@RedBeardOps]

THank you very much sir! It is a cheap-ie for sure! lol

[@jacobkaltz1958]

Ha ha ha warping rocks

[@RedBeardOps]

Lol, man I hate a warp!

[@jacobkaltz1958]

Red Beard Ops don’t we all

[@ClenioBuilder]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻❤

[@RedBeardOps]

Thanks for the love

[@kenglass1980]

That is bladesmith porn!

[@RedBeardOps]

Lol! Thank you Ken! Appreciate your comment.

[@fourkings7897]

Warp suck

[@RedBeardOps]

Agreed!

[@lw8882]

Was just wondering how I was going to solve any warps from first time quenching, and came across this vid linked on homemadetools. Just after having looked at a woodworking vice and wondering how to go about straightening a blade with it! Could not be better timing.

[@lw8882]

Some great ideas, and made me realise I need something that can be removed from the vice, so I can straighten the metal/blank before beveling, and a 3 pillar system I've seen others use to bend a beveled blade after quenching. Awesome vid as usual!

[@RedBeardOps]

If you're going to be using a 3 point bending jig, just make sure you do your bending after the first tempering cycle. Otherwise you'll snap your blade.

[@lw8882]

@@RedBeardOps Thanks so much for the tip!

[@evaderknives]

Pretty sweet idea, I definitely have one with the aluminium plates for SS. How messy is it coming right out of the oil? Hope all is well, take it easy.

[@RedBeardOps]

Man it's really not too bad. I do wipe them down afterwards. And i put down some cardboard to catch some drips. Hope all is well with you too! Cheers man