Looks good Gary. You will probably want to test the edge and see if it chips. If this is some of Aldo's W2 you may have to raise the tempering temp. Just my personal preference is more drop to the handle and some sort of hook like a birds beak type handle, so your fingers do not slip off the end.

Wish I was going to be able to be there.

Brion

Thanks, Brion. The W2 is some of Don Hanson's. (I am going to add a little hawk's bill to the back of the rubber handle scales.)

Gary

I finished sanding & polishing the blade today and chopped through the hardest wood that I had in the shop, a walnut crotch with a knot with no apparant edge damage.

Something that surprized me was that there is a definate hamon which extended in spots below the level of the water that I had the blade laying in. Luckily it didn't get any closer than 1/2" of the cutting edge [you can see where the water level was in the photo (about 3/4" of an inch deep)]. I had thought that the water would keep the steel below the temp to do this. ????

Gary

Gary, did you full quench the blade with the whole blade at critical?

I'm getting similar test results as Brion with W2. My draw back is a little higher than what you did. I've been doing some serius testing with Aldo's steels. I see that yours is some of DH's but it wont be much different.

I was going to ask the same thing. Was the blade edge quenced? Or full quenched? Also when you drew the spine if you used an oxy/acy torch you can get hot spots. The hamon will move or change shape when you draw the spine or the water bath can cause a line to show.

Brion

I did a full quench (except for the tang) with the entire blade @ critical. The draw was with an oxy/acy torch and the gas turned as low as possible. None of the blade got past blue in color.

Gary

Very interesting Gary. You have discovered a new way to creat hamons <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//biggrin.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' />. I wonder if you went ahead an did a full hand rub to 1000 and went through the etch cycle if it would be as pronounced as with clay? Just curious, as I would not do that for a cutter. But it is kind of cool. I have seen somewhere a person full hardened the blade, tempered, then applied clay along the edge and drew the back then stuck it in water and achieved a hamon. I think it was Martin Kruse. You probably did the same thing except with the water bath.

Brion

After we cut this weekend, I'll ask Jim if he has some ferric just to accentuate what I've got and I'll try to post a pic if it shows much.

Gary