Posted by: @bryce-papke

Question on the feather pattern. What is the purpose of taking it to w's? Why not stack it with the lines in the billet straight, then hammer it over to make the crease?

You can do the feather either with a flat laminate, or with a W's laminate. The W's have much more activity than the flat, which is why most folks use the W's. The earliest forms of feather were done with flat laminates. These days, I have seen some feather patterns that look more like a mosaic that was feathered.

I'm not sure what you mean by "hammer it over to make the crease". 

The feather pattern is made by creating a tall stack and splitting it down from top to almost the bottom. Then the split gets welded back together and slices are cut off of the stack from top to bottom for the blade. The initial split must be hot cut/pressed. This deforms the layers and draws them downward in the center. After welding it back together, the weld seam becomes the center "quill" of the feather.

Joshua,

Thank you. By "hammer it over," I meant to forge weld the pieces back together. I apologize. Is this also the same process one would use to get chevrons from flat stock?

Is this also the same process one would use to get chevrons from flat stock?

Again, I am not understanding the question. I am a very visual person and sometimes I cannot visualize what someone means without a diagram. Here is a quick digram of how to do the feather pattern.

I'll need to draw out my question tomorrow. Thank you for the quick reply! I've watched a handful of videos, and couldn't quite grasp it. The diagram is extremely helpful. 

Well, tomorrow turned into three weeks. This is what my diagram is for chevrons. Same process as feather, but using a sharper cutting instrument to not drag the pattern as much?

You have part of the equation.... a sharper cutter, AND keep the layers straight instead of Ws.  In a nutshell, that is what makes the difference between "chevron" and "feather". 😉 

Thank you sir!