DIY "Hilt For a Dirk!"

[bigdad1]

Very beautiful dirk and a fine job. You needn't worry about baking in the oven doing anything to the metal of the blade. It takes more heat than the oven can generate to even get the atoms in that steel excited.
Again, great job.

[MacKay71]

Interesting idea!

[Mipi]

You needn't worry about baking in the oven doing anything to the metal of the blade. It takes more heat than the oven can generate to even get the atoms in that steel excited.

I'm not really a specialist but I've made a knife or two... It depends on which temperature clay needs to be heated. Coming into range of 200 deg C (any oven can do this with no problem) the steel will start loosing some hardness. Actually after heating the steel and quenching it you need to reheat it to 240 deg. C (or something) and leave it there for an hour or something like this.

So, depending on temperature needed for "baking" the clay...


Oh, by the way... dirk looks great! Good idea!!!!

[sirdaniel1975]

I'm not really a specialist but I've made a knife or two... It depends on which temperature clay needs to be heated. Coming into range of 200 deg C (any oven can do this with no problem) the steel will start loosing some hardness. Actually after heating the steel and quenching it you need to reheat it to 240 deg. C (or something) and leave it there for an hour or something like this.

So, depending on temperature needed for "baking" the clay...


Oh, by the way... dirk looks great! Good idea!!!!

It was at 275 deg for 45mins. The very bottom of the tang (exposed part during baking) did bend slightly.

[Chas]

Well, it's a good looking dirk - there can be no question about that. Colour, balance, match to the sheath and embellishments are all excellent. You have done a really good job and should be rightly proud of your accomplishments.

As to the hardness of the blade after the baking. If you don't plan to do too much disembowelling you should be alright.

Regards

Chas

[Mipi]

As to the hardness of the blade after the baking. If you don't plan to do too much disembowelling you should be alright.

Regards

Chas

Agree. At least it won't break, it'll bend instead. And I guess dirk will be used for showing mostly.

Once again good idea and workmanship.

[sirdaniel1975]

Well, it's a good looking dirk - there can be no question about that. Colour, balance, match to the sheath and embellishments are all excellent. You have done a really good job and should be rightly proud of your accomplishments.

As to the hardness of the blade after the baking. If you don't plan to do too much disembowelling you should be alright.

Regards

Chas

Well, there might be a really good explanation why the tang bent very slightly on the end. This was the 2nd hilt attached to the blade.

1st hilt: The clay was around a brass candle stick and I then glued the hilt to the tang of the blade. It never dried right and removed it, through it out and started over. I had great difficulty removing all of the glue's residue and it was the flammable kind. I suspect the glue residue flamed up on the steal and created extra heat on the the exposed tang.

With what minor stress tests I've performed, the blade is solid. I do not see any chance of the blade bending.

1st hilt examples:

[Chas]

Crumbs - this one looks good as well. I really like the shape of the pommel. I don't know which one I prefer. I suppose I will choose No2 as the best as No1 doesn't exist any more.

Regards

Chas

[ohneplo]

Well done Sir and a clever concept.
Bruce

[BoldHighlander]

Looks good
Very interesting idea. I'd be curious how well the handle holds up over time & use.