Another useful tool and video. I see others here already explained the pre form on your steel and hot cutting your taper on the spine to tip to end up with the blade shape you want after bevels are forged in. Also, don't get your tang too short or thin. Thanks again for the videos
Ron, I have a lot to learn about blade making - thats for sure. So I'm glad I posted this video because so many folks like yourself have given me very helpful advice. I'll try to pre-form a curve in the opposite direction next time I give this a go. Thanks. Glen
Shira, The cold work is one big reason I don't like knife making. If this proves useful enough, I might venture into making a decent knife or two for myself. And a straight razor is something I will definitely try. Thanks for watching. Glen
Great idea Glen! The only thing I could add is work the spine first to make a curve toward the blade edge, then work your hollow bevel to get the piece straight in the end but the amount of metal moved will be more with your dies. Taking into account it could make alot less cold work with just a little more hot work. Awesome!!!
Makes perfect sense. Someone earlier in the comments said the same thing and its a super idea - something probably most blade makers understand and which I didn't think about. I will try it out and see how it works for me. Thanks for watching and sharing. Glen
A professional knifemaker once told me that 10 minutes at the anvil will save a half hour at the grinder. I can see where this would be of great value for a preliminary fuller before a hollow grind. Well done.
Awesome die for laying in bevels Glen, I see others have mentioned the pre bending of the stock to prevent the banana effect. And I'm pretty sure my nephew Josh bought the tongs you mentioned! They were a gift for me and are being put to some good use! Thanks for the great and informative videos.
Mark, I'm glad you're putting the tongs to good use. If you have any questions, you can always get in touch. I will try the pre-bending method that you and others have mentioned. Since I started making videos, my need for various tongs has increased. In the past, the range of my work was much more limited and I seemed to use the same few tongs. Now, I need to make myself a full range of tongs and keep them! Thanks for watching. Glen
Matching those bevel lines takes a practiced hand. I like the way the dies spread the work and offer the hollowing on the blade as well. great video. Thank you and happy holidays from Maine.
Stan, It's not so obvious in the video but these dies did a good job in hollowing the blade. Could definitely use some improving but overall I would say the dies are definitely useful. Have a happy holiday season. Thanks. Glen
Great stuff glen I really like the idea and it saves so much time forging the bevels into knifes I get so bored when I have to grind it away on the stock removal blades I do. Can't wait for a straight razor tho I know you will make a cool looking thing 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
I'm glad I made this video because so many people have given me good advice regarding knife making. I'll try my best when I make the straight razor but I'm just terrible at sharpening/creating a keen edge... Thanks. Glen
Glen GS Tongs I was rubbish at making the edge sharp at 1st but just takes practice like now I can do it without even trying. I will be putting up a sharpening video soon tbh as I've had a lot of requests for it 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
great idea Glen!! with your permission I'd like to share this video on a couple Facebook blacksmithing discussion groups, I think some of the people there would find this interesting, thanks for the great content
Greg, Absolutely - I encourage you to do so. I don't think all blade smiths (blacksmiths) would find this interesting or useful but some might. I really appreciate you spreading the word as that's what makes any channel grow. And who knows, I might even go buy a real camera... Thanks. Glen
Brilliant video, nice concept. There are two ways to deal with the banana curve - either start with a curved piece of steel with the curve going the opposite way, or use something like a wooden baseball bat to straighten the blade - put the spine on the anvil and strike the blade with the baseball bat. The edge of the blade chews up the bat, which allows the blade to straighten out without killing the edge. Nice tool, I'll put it on my 2017 tool budget.
John, Thanks for your insightful comment. Many folks have also told me pre-curve in the opposite direction. And along the line of the baseball bat idea, I have an old wooden mallet that I sometimes use in a similar way, not on knife curves but on other items that need straightening where you don't want to deform the hot steel in the spot you are hitting. Since this video, I've also seen someone hold a curved blade with a tong and slap it on the anvil face (with the curve facing downward) to get the curve out. Thanks again. Glen
Great video, and an interesting tool. While not a blacksmith/bladesmith, I have watched a LOT of videos here (on UA-cam), and I haven't seen a knifesmith yet that DIDN'T have to straighten his blade continually. At least single-edged; daggers and such are doing the same thing to both sides and somewhat self-correcting. I at first thought you would put the dies into the guillotine tool facing the other way (with the opening to the outside). It would probably have to be used that way in making a Bowie, or other large bladed knife. I expect some bladesmiths will love these dies. Good luck with them.
Brian, I thought about reversing the dies right before I started. But I figured that the stock I was using was narrow enough to work either way. However you're right, the dies would have to be reversed for a wider blade. Also, if the dies are the other way around, I might be able to use the shank of the guillotine tool as a rest/stop for the blade edge, regardless of the blade width, which might improve accuracy. Thanks for sure. Glen
Seem to repeat your self often Possibly due to lack of knowledge of what it is you are admitting that you dont know I always appreciate any one willing to share their abilty to work metal Your tool looks very nice
Paul, I frequently repeat myself, especially in older videos like this. I know this can be a bad habit and like you say, can be attributed to wanting to let folks know I am experimenting with things I don't normally do, as in this video. Thanks for watching. Glen
As always Glen, well explained. The design of your guillotine tool lends itself to innumerable modifications in terms of the size of die you can design for, in addition to all the different types of dies possible. Bevels both concave and convex, fullers, vieners, atc are all possible. AAR
Al, The simple design of my guillotine tool does make it possible to make a wide variety of specialty dies. But I found that so much could be accomplished with just fuller (offset to one side) and flat dies, that I decided to only offer those with the tool. If I feel pleased enough with these hollow bevel dies, I will also offer them separately. I glad you think my explanation is good - I often feel like I'm rambling on too much and not getting to the point. Thanks. Glen
Maybe you do on occasion, but that's part of the charm! Your videos tend to be a little longer than the norm, but the conversation is enlightening and entertaining. Don't do anything different! Albert
Rick, Good luck in making the dies for your power hammer. They seems pretty straightforward but I found out that there are a few details that need working out, probably mostly based on the size of blades you work on. Thanks. Glen
Good potential in this tool, great idea. If you curve the blade downwards beforehand, your tool will make the hollow bevel while straightening it. Have a good day 👍
Nice tool Sir. And ususally bladesmiths will prebend the blade before hammering in the bevels before working them in so the final blade is more or less straight. Very nice work on the tooling tho. 👍
Very nice bit of tooling, Glen! I'm more of a straight taper guy when I make a blade (which is rare...I hate the finish work), but I do love the beauty of a hollow taper. With some straightening work, I think your die design will make a really nice razor style knife. Great job, man! Happy Thanksgiving too...don't know if you celebrated it, but all the same.
James, Since I'm not much of a knife guy, I really don't have a preference. But it seems to me that a straight taper may actually be more difficult to get a sharp edge on; involve a higher degree of skill, time, etc. These dies definitely have a purpose but need some adjustments to make them work ideally. Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving as well and enjoy the rest of the holiday season. Thanks. Glen
Thank you for your response I like your white board I believe your knife curved because you are stretching the edge of the blade at a faster rate than the spine I am kind of new to you tube comment and subscribe features Just never used to do it Although i am not a black smith ive been working with metal since 1968 Keep up the good work thanks for the videos
I Glen. I just recently found your vids, and like what you are striving to achieve. As a stock removal knifemaker who's just now entering into the forging arena, I do like the idea of a guillotine tool to assist in blade shaping. I will no doubt be making some orders from you soon. My only suggestion is echoed below -- I would much rather see tooling that would assist in a generic flat taper on the blade. Or if anything, a convex taper. Very few of my blades are made with a hollow grind, for various reasons. Plus, hollow grinds are probably best done on the grinder, due to the varying sizes and shapes of the blades. If I start with a flat taper, I can finish it off however is appropriate. I see that this video is a couple of years old, so perhaps you have already made some adjustments. Forrest
Forrest, Hi, I'm glad you found my channel and hope you stick around. As you noted, my guillotine tool has evolved some from this older video and I will do an updated video at some point. I appreciate your suggestion - I'm not a knife maker (obviously) and so input like yours is helpful. Good luck in your work. Thanks. Glen
The steel has to move toward the blade back. Perhaps you could reverse the dies in the fixture? That would give somewhere for the steel to go and the blade back would curve less. As to upsetting the blade back to straight, maybe you could work it hot in the vise with soft jaw adapters holding the blade. Then there is always the option of multiple passes with very light hammering.
Thanks for watching and for your advice. Since this video, I've made some changes to my guillotine tool that give to more versatility. But as for my knife making skills or lack thereof, well, it's just something that I need to work on but find it hard to find interest in.
Use milder hit in die then straighten then redo die work then straighten keep working back and forth even forging blades to finish you either put a pre end in or you just work out the bend as you go
Glen or modify your existing guillotine to accept dies in either direction.For instance if you looked down from the top of the guillotine were you put the dies it would look like a cross if that makes sense. And would this affect the strength of the guillotine?
Glen... watch all your videos, This is the first time that I have commented. The reason that the blade is bending is because the bevel is flattening and expanding, this makes the spline bend up. I'm sure you know this. The way to stop it from getting away from you is to keep straightening it as you go or bend it down to start with. Hope I'm not coming off as a smart- ass, as you know more about smithing than I'll ever learn.
Steve, I was very surprised by how much the blade curved from the displacement of the steel from the bevel to the spine - didn't expect that. I'm very appreciative of the advice you and others have given me regarding blade making, and this issue in particular. I never consider myself above others in this craft. There are so many aspects to blacksmithing that we can all learn from each other. Thanks for watching and feel free to comment any time you like. Glen
Hey Glen - just some thoughts - I think you are right on with the 1/4 inch for the spine of the knife. I would probable flip the dies around so that the cutting edge being formed is on the inside and the spine of the knife on the outside. That way you can use this die on any blade width - you could even use it for double bevel knives and swords. Nice idea Glen and thanks for sharing!
Rick, You make a good suggestion. Since I'm not a knife guy, I normally don't dedicated much time to working on improving my technique. But since so many of my customers make blades, I should devote more time to this. Anyway, Ive since upgraded my guillotine tool (yet again) and with blade makers in mind. Thanks.
Glen Have you thought about making a guillotine that is 90 degrees of the one you have so that it can be utilized as a fullering or blood line tool for Bladesmithing ?It would help with longer blades .I ask because the guillotine the way it is makes you limited on the length of blade you can use it for. Just wondering would probably be interested in one if you built them. Thanks, Martin
Martin, I thought about exactly what you're saying. Have the dies orientated so that you can work blades lengthwise. But I prefer the dies working across my workpieces, as you see in my guillotine tool here. So, whatever I make I'd want it to be useable both ways. So, your idea about having a guillotine tool that accepts dies in both directions may be the way to go. I will scratch my head some and when I have more free see if I can come up with something that works but is still relatively simple. I appreciate your input. Glen
Your vids are great! I'm trying to get started on blacksmithing and it's been a long winded thing for me but I'll get there! Just my observation and I may be wrong because I've only watched vids and never actually done any tooling yet but, would your tool work better by heating the edge and leave the spline cold to avoid it curving. Not sure if it would work in practice just a theory mate. Regards Justin.
Justin, Although I'm not much of a blade guy, I'm fairly certain that your idea would work. I would just need to be quick in cooling the spline as this piece is fairly thin and will loose heat rapidly. I'm pretty sure there are blade guys out there who employ this technique - seems good in theory and in practice... Good luck in your blacksmithing pursuit and thanks for watching and sharing. Glen
Adrian, The way I heat treat these dies (and my hammers) is probably a bit odd - maybe not how most people would go about hardening and tempering so I will eventually show my method. As for an anvil heat treat, if I need to have that done now I use a professional outfit. But the very first of the block style anvils I had made (150 pounder), I hardened the top one inch or so myself. I really wish I had video of that because it was ridiculous (but turned out fine). I do have pictures and maybe will put those into a heat treating video... Thanks. Glen
Jay, Thanks for your input. Since posting this video, several people have told me the same. I've also seen a technique whereby the blade is heated and the spine is "slapped" on the anvil face to remove the unwanted curve. Thanks again. Glen
I am a total newb at making knives so I am watching a lot of UA-cam vids My back is that of a wood worker and I make a lot of jigs most stops so I just move the wood against the stop and cut to prevent the curving of the blank how about putting a set of wings on the gulitene body so as You hit the top die the blank can only come back so far and no more this would also allow you to put the hollow only so far on a wider blade blank like a Bowie
Walt, I had to think about your idea for a bit to get it clear in my mind. The idea of having a stop on the guillotine tool body seems logical but may be one of those ideas that needs to be tried to actually see how the blade behaves and to adjust the stop as needed. Many guys find their way to blacksmithing via woodworking and many of the jig concepts that work for wood also work for hot steel. Understanding how steel moves when in a plastic state is crucial for any jig setup. But for me, sometimes what I think should happen, doesn't... Thanks for sharing this idea. Glen
Walt, I think the recommendation that most experienced blade makers give (more than a few comments on this video) is to pre-curve the blade in the opposite direction first. Then, when the edge taper is formed the steel will move in the usual manner and so straighten. Just need to figure out how much to pre curve the blade in order to wind up with a straight blade. Glen
I believe that the advantage of this set of dies is that less material is required for a knife, as a wider blade can be made from smaller stock. However the extra work in cleaning it up especially with hollow ground blades would be more than starting with original wider true and straight stock. In my view, making hollow ground blades is far better using consistent clean and straight stock. Working on forged material only makes it harder. Very interesting none the less.
Charles, I appreciate your comment. your insight into blade making / hollow ground blades and the possible difficulty one might encounter after forging. I am definitely not a blade maker but a lot of my customers are and so I sometimes try methods and tools I think might work for those folks. Thanks for watching. Glen
would love to see you do a straight razor lots and lots of coldwork though have a look t lewis razors channel for great forging videos looking forward to it novice smith Doc
Doc, I did make a straight razor and with my minimal tooling, it took forever to get it reasonably sharp. It worked (barely) but I nicked up my face pretty good. I really like Lewis Razors, his razor skills and how he films. straight razor making is a skill set all unto itself... Thanks for watching. Glen
Mike, Yes, that's absolutely true. Also, since you and someone else pointed this out, it makes me think that with the dies turned around, the shank of the guillotine tool could be used as a stop to rest the blade edge against which may make it easier to create a consistent hollow bevel. I need to give it a try this way and see... Thanks. Glen
Yeah, I'll add a comment. Not trying to give you a hard time, honestly, because all artisans deserve respect and you have worked hard and created a useful tool with great potential, but you seriously need to gain some knowledge of your product's use and confidence of it's worth. Your video comes across as a desperate effort to convince other artisans that you have something to contribute, which is obvious from the outset, even if you have not noticed it yourself. I only say this because I was timid for years when starting out over 40 years ago, and it caused me a LOT of anguish and probably cost me a great deal of money from lack of confidence. The valuable lesson is that however little you know about what you are doing, 99% of your customers know less. As long as you do not outright lie to them, you and they can learn together. Calm down, speak slower, stop apologizing for your lack of experience and invite your customers to contribute their experience to your efforts. Artisans are amongst the very best people in the world, and will help you in any way they can. From the moment you began making tools for them, they became your new best friends, and you CAN trust them not to lead you astray. Relax and enjoy your work, and God Bless......Joe
Joe, I honestly like to experiment in many of the videos I post and that is certainly the case with these "hollow bevel" dies for my guillotine tool. I do sell the guillotine tool (actually not this exact style anymore) and so like to think of dies that might be useful. Many folks asked me to sell these simple dies shown herein but I refused since I realized that as constructed, they weren't very useful. Anyway, I hardly take myself seriously and am just aiming to get some enjoyment out of making and posting these videos. And this is a much older video and I would say I hadn't yet found my "voice". I appreciate you taking the time to comment in depth and for your suggestions. Thanks for watching. Glen
Another useful tool and video. I see others here already explained the pre form on your steel and hot cutting your taper on the spine to tip to end up with the blade shape you want after bevels are forged in. Also, don't get your tang too short or thin. Thanks again for the videos
Ron, I have a lot to learn about blade making - thats for sure. So I'm glad I posted this video because so many folks like yourself have given me very helpful advice. I'll try to pre-form a curve in the opposite direction next time I give this a go. Thanks. Glen
This is good, I'm with you on cutting down on the cold work time.
Shira, The cold work is one big reason I don't like knife making. If this proves useful enough, I might venture into making a decent knife or two for myself. And a straight razor is something I will definitely try. Thanks for watching. Glen
Great idea Glen! The only thing I could add is work the spine first to make a curve toward the blade edge, then work your hollow bevel to get the piece straight in the end but the amount of metal moved will be more with your dies. Taking into account it could make alot less cold work with just a little more hot work. Awesome!!!
Makes perfect sense. Someone earlier in the comments said the same thing and its a super idea - something probably most blade makers understand and which I didn't think about. I will try it out and see how it works for me. Thanks for watching and sharing. Glen
A professional knifemaker once told me that 10 minutes at the anvil will save a half hour at the grinder. I can see where this would be of great value for a preliminary fuller before a hollow grind. Well done.
Very nice video Glen, always appreciate them.
I appreciate you watching... Thanks. Glen
Awesome die for laying in bevels Glen, I see others have mentioned the pre bending of the stock to prevent the banana effect. And I'm pretty sure my nephew Josh bought the tongs you mentioned! They were a gift for me and are being put to some good use! Thanks for the great and informative videos.
Mark, I'm glad you're putting the tongs to good use. If you have any questions, you can always get in touch. I will try the pre-bending method that you and others have mentioned. Since I started making videos, my need for various tongs has increased. In the past, the range of my work was much more limited and I seemed to use the same few tongs. Now, I need to make myself a full range of tongs and keep them! Thanks for watching. Glen
Matching those bevel lines takes a practiced hand. I like the way the dies spread the work and offer the hollowing on the blade as well. great video. Thank you and happy holidays from Maine.
Stan, It's not so obvious in the video but these dies did a good job in hollowing the blade. Could definitely use some improving but overall I would say the dies are definitely useful. Have a happy holiday season. Thanks. Glen
Great stuff glen I really like the idea and it saves so much time forging the bevels into knifes I get so bored when I have to grind it away on the stock removal blades I do. Can't wait for a straight razor tho I know you will make a cool looking thing 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
I'm glad I made this video because so many people have given me good advice regarding knife making. I'll try my best when I make the straight razor but I'm just terrible at sharpening/creating a keen edge... Thanks. Glen
Glen GS Tongs I was rubbish at making the edge sharp at 1st but just takes practice like now I can do it without even trying. I will be putting up a sharpening video soon tbh as I've had a lot of requests for it 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
That's a good idea. Whenever you get around to posting a sharpening video I'll be sure watch. Thanks. Glen
bell'attrezzo la ghigliottina, mitico!
Paolo, Thanks brother - glad you like my guillotine tool. Glen
great idea Glen!! with your permission I'd like to share this video on a couple Facebook blacksmithing discussion groups, I think some of the people there would find this interesting, thanks for the great content
Greg, Absolutely - I encourage you to do so. I don't think all blade smiths (blacksmiths) would find this interesting or useful but some might. I really appreciate you spreading the word as that's what makes any channel grow. And who knows, I might even go buy a real camera... Thanks. Glen
Brilliant video, nice concept. There are two ways to deal with the banana curve - either start with a curved piece of steel with the curve going the opposite way, or use something like a wooden baseball bat to straighten the blade - put the spine on the anvil and strike the blade with the baseball bat. The edge of the blade chews up the bat, which allows the blade to straighten out without killing the edge. Nice tool, I'll put it on my 2017 tool budget.
John, Thanks for your insightful comment. Many folks have also told me pre-curve in the opposite direction. And along the line of the baseball bat idea, I have an old wooden mallet that I sometimes use in a similar way, not on knife curves but on other items that need straightening where you don't want to deform the hot steel in the spot you are hitting. Since this video, I've also seen someone hold a curved blade with a tong and slap it on the anvil face (with the curve facing downward) to get the curve out. Thanks again. Glen
Great video, and an interesting tool. While not a blacksmith/bladesmith, I have watched a LOT of videos here (on UA-cam), and I haven't seen a knifesmith yet that DIDN'T have to straighten his blade continually. At least single-edged; daggers and such are doing the same thing to both sides and somewhat self-correcting.
I at first thought you would put the dies into the guillotine tool facing the other way (with the opening to the outside). It would probably have to be used that way in making a Bowie, or other large bladed knife.
I expect some bladesmiths will love these dies. Good luck with them.
Brian, I thought about reversing the dies right before I started. But I figured that the stock I was using was narrow enough to work either way. However you're right, the dies would have to be reversed for a wider blade. Also, if the dies are the other way around, I might be able to use the shank of the guillotine tool as a rest/stop for the blade edge, regardless of the blade width, which might improve accuracy. Thanks for sure. Glen
Seem to repeat your self often
Possibly due to lack of knowledge of what it is you are admitting that you dont know
I always appreciate any one willing to share their abilty to work metal
Your tool looks very nice
Paul, I frequently repeat myself, especially in older videos like this. I know this can be a bad habit and like you say, can be attributed to wanting to let folks know I am experimenting with things I don't normally do, as in this video. Thanks for watching. Glen
As always Glen, well explained. The design of your guillotine tool lends itself to innumerable modifications in terms of the size of die you can design for, in addition to all the different types of dies possible. Bevels both concave and convex, fullers, vieners, atc are all possible.
AAR
Al, The simple design of my guillotine tool does make it possible to make a wide variety of specialty dies. But I found that so much could be accomplished with just fuller (offset to one side) and flat dies, that I decided to only offer those with the tool. If I feel pleased enough with these hollow bevel dies, I will also offer them separately. I glad you think my explanation is good - I often feel like I'm rambling on too much and not getting to the point. Thanks. Glen
Maybe you do on occasion, but that's part of the charm! Your videos tend to be a little longer than the norm, but the conversation is enlightening and entertaining. Don't do anything different!
Albert
Great idea Glen and nice video as always - you gave me a good idea for building a new hollow bevel die for my power hammer - so thanks!
Rick, Good luck in making the dies for your power hammer. They seems pretty straightforward but I found out that there are a few details that need working out, probably mostly based on the size of blades you work on. Thanks. Glen
Great idea Glen!
It needs some adjustments but overall I'm happy with these dies. As Always, thanks for watching. Glen
Good potential in this tool, great idea.
If you curve the blade downwards beforehand, your tool will make the hollow bevel while straightening it.
Have a good day 👍
Pablo, I've since improved on this tool's design. I'm definitely not a knife maker and so appreciate the advice. Thanks for watching.
Glen: I like your videos, you are an artist, but especially that you are a good teacher. Greeting from Norway. Skien city.
Bernardo, I appreciate your kind words. Thanks for watching and I hope you stick around for more. Glen
Nice tool Sir. And ususally bladesmiths will prebend the blade before hammering in the bevels before working them in so the final blade is more or less straight. Very nice work on the tooling tho. 👍
Yes, I have learned a lot about blade making from this video; from the comments like yours. Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment.
Very nice bit of tooling, Glen! I'm more of a straight taper guy when I make a blade (which is rare...I hate the finish work), but I do love the beauty of a hollow taper. With some straightening work, I think your die design will make a really nice razor style knife. Great job, man! Happy Thanksgiving too...don't know if you celebrated it, but all the same.
James, Since I'm not much of a knife guy, I really don't have a preference. But it seems to me that a straight taper may actually be more difficult to get a sharp edge on; involve a higher degree of skill, time, etc. These dies definitely have a purpose but need some adjustments to make them work ideally. Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving as well and enjoy the rest of the holiday season. Thanks. Glen
Thank you for your response
I like your white board
I believe your knife curved because you are stretching the edge of the blade at a faster rate than the spine
I am kind of new to you tube comment and subscribe features
Just never used to do it
Although i am not a black smith ive been working with metal since 1968
Keep up the good work thanks for the videos
I Glen. I just recently found your vids, and like what you are striving to achieve. As a stock removal knifemaker who's just now entering into the forging arena, I do like the idea of a guillotine tool to assist in blade shaping. I will no doubt be making some orders from you soon. My only suggestion is echoed below -- I would much rather see tooling that would assist in a generic flat taper on the blade. Or if anything, a convex taper. Very few of my blades are made with a hollow grind, for various reasons. Plus, hollow grinds are probably best done on the grinder, due to the varying sizes and shapes of the blades. If I start with a flat taper, I can finish it off however is appropriate. I see that this video is a couple of years old, so perhaps you have already made some adjustments. Forrest
Forrest, Hi, I'm glad you found my channel and hope you stick around. As you noted, my guillotine tool has evolved some from this older video and I will do an updated video at some point. I appreciate your suggestion - I'm not a knife maker (obviously) and so input like yours is helpful. Good luck in your work. Thanks. Glen
The steel has to move toward the blade back. Perhaps you could reverse the dies in the fixture? That would give somewhere for the steel to go and the blade back would curve less. As to upsetting the blade back to straight, maybe you could work it hot in the vise with soft jaw adapters holding the blade. Then there is always the option of multiple passes with very light hammering.
Thanks for watching and for your advice. Since this video, I've made some changes to my guillotine tool that give to more versatility. But as for my knife making skills or lack thereof, well, it's just something that I need to work on but find it hard to find interest in.
It's perfect for making cleavers I'd say and modified slightly would work well for panabas maufactering.
Use milder hit in die then straighten then redo die work then straighten keep working back and forth even forging blades to finish you either put a pre end in or you just work out the bend as you go
Glen
or modify your existing guillotine to accept dies in either direction.For instance if you looked down from the top of the guillotine were you put the dies it would look like a cross if that makes sense. And would this affect the strength of the guillotine?
Glen... watch all your videos, This is the first time that I have commented. The reason that the blade is bending is because the bevel is flattening and expanding, this makes the spline bend up. I'm sure you know this. The way to stop it from getting away from you is to keep straightening it as you go or bend it down to start with. Hope I'm not coming off as a smart- ass, as you know more about smithing than I'll ever learn.
Steve, I was very surprised by how much the blade curved from the displacement of the steel from the bevel to the spine - didn't expect that. I'm very appreciative of the advice you and others have given me regarding blade making, and this issue in particular. I never consider myself above others in this craft. There are so many aspects to blacksmithing that we can all learn from each other. Thanks for watching and feel free to comment any time you like. Glen
Hey Glen - just some thoughts - I think you are right on with the 1/4 inch for the spine of the knife. I would probable flip the dies around so that the cutting edge being formed is on the inside and the spine of the knife on the outside. That way you can use this die on any blade width - you could even use it for double bevel knives and swords. Nice idea Glen and thanks for sharing!
Rick, You make a good suggestion. Since I'm not a knife guy, I normally don't dedicated much time to working on improving my technique. But since so many of my customers make blades, I should devote more time to this. Anyway, Ive since upgraded my guillotine tool (yet again) and with blade makers in mind. Thanks.
Glen
Have you thought about making a guillotine that is 90 degrees of the one you have so that it can be utilized as a fullering or blood line tool for Bladesmithing ?It would help with longer blades .I ask because the guillotine the way it is makes you limited on the length of blade you can use it for.
Just wondering would probably be interested in one if you built them.
Thanks, Martin
Martin, I thought about exactly what you're saying. Have the dies orientated so that you can work blades lengthwise. But I prefer the dies working across my workpieces, as you see in my guillotine tool here. So, whatever I make I'd want it to be useable both ways. So, your idea about having a guillotine tool that accepts dies in both directions may be the way to go. I will scratch my head some and when I have more free see if I can come up with something that works but is still relatively simple. I appreciate your input. Glen
Your vids are great! I'm trying to get started on blacksmithing and it's been a long winded thing for me but I'll get there! Just my observation and I may be wrong because I've only watched vids and never actually done any tooling yet but, would your tool work better by heating the edge and leave the spline cold to avoid it curving. Not sure if it would work in practice just a theory mate. Regards Justin.
Justin, Although I'm not much of a blade guy, I'm fairly certain that your idea would work. I would just need to be quick in cooling the spline as this piece is fairly thin and will loose heat rapidly. I'm pretty sure there are blade guys out there who employ this technique - seems good in theory and in practice... Good luck in your blacksmithing pursuit and thanks for watching and sharing. Glen
Glen GS Tongs thanks for replying Glen!
I would love to see video of your anvil heat treat and die heat treat!
Adrian, The way I heat treat these dies (and my hammers) is probably a bit odd - maybe not how most people would go about hardening and tempering so I will eventually show my method. As for an anvil heat treat, if I need to have that done now I use a professional outfit. But the very first of the block style anvils I had made (150 pounder), I hardened the top one inch or so myself. I really wish I had video of that because it was ridiculous (but turned out fine). I do have pictures and maybe will put those into a heat treating video... Thanks. Glen
prebend the stock the opposite way then hollow it out. might get a straight blade that way
Even when you bevile by hand hammering you need to correct the bow and it is called the plunge not ricosso
Put a reverse bend in your steel prior to the die work. This should straighten the blade as you form the edge
Jay, Thanks for your input. Since posting this video, several people have told me the same. I've also seen a technique whereby the blade is heated and the spine is "slapped" on the anvil face to remove the unwanted curve. Thanks again. Glen
I hope that makes sense
Where you get your square anvils
I am a total newb at making knives so I am watching a lot of UA-cam vids My back is that of a wood worker and I make a lot of jigs most stops so I just move the wood against the stop and cut
to prevent the curving of the blank how about putting a set of wings on the gulitene body so as You hit the top die the blank can only come back so far and no more this would also allow you to put the hollow only so far on a wider blade blank like a Bowie
Walt, I had to think about your idea for a bit to get it clear in my mind. The idea of having a stop on the guillotine tool body seems logical but may be one of those ideas that needs to be tried to actually see how the blade behaves and to adjust the stop as needed. Many guys find their way to blacksmithing via woodworking and many of the jig concepts that work for wood also work for hot steel. Understanding how steel moves when in a plastic state is crucial for any jig setup. But for me, sometimes what I think should happen, doesn't... Thanks for sharing this idea. Glen
Since most blades are strait I am trying to figure out how You would straiten the blank out with mashing the new narrow edge you just made
Walt, I think the recommendation that most experienced blade makers give (more than a few comments on this video) is to pre-curve the blade in the opposite direction first. Then, when the edge taper is formed the steel will move in the usual manner and so straighten. Just need to figure out how much to pre curve the blade in order to wind up with a straight blade. Glen
Your diffantly on to something here keep it up
I believe that the advantage of this set of dies is that less material is required for a knife, as a wider blade can be made from smaller stock. However the extra work in cleaning it up especially with hollow ground blades would be more than starting with original wider true and straight stock.
In my view, making hollow ground blades is far better using consistent clean and straight stock. Working on forged material only makes it harder.
Very interesting none the less.
Charles, I appreciate your comment. your insight into blade making / hollow ground blades and the possible difficulty one might encounter after forging. I am definitely not a blade maker but a lot of my customers are and so I sometimes try methods and tools I think might work for those folks. Thanks for watching. Glen
would love to see you do a straight razor
lots and lots of coldwork though
have a look t lewis razors channel for great forging videos
looking forward to it
novice smith
Doc
Doc, I did make a straight razor and with my minimal tooling, it took forever to get it reasonably sharp. It worked (barely) but I nicked up my face pretty good. I really like Lewis Razors, his razor skills and how he films. straight razor making is a skill set all unto itself... Thanks for watching. Glen
You could just turn the dies around and have all the room you need rather than cut the guillotine
Mike, Yes, that's absolutely true. Also, since you and someone else pointed this out, it makes me think that with the dies turned around, the shank of the guillotine tool could be used as a stop to rest the blade edge against which may make it easier to create a consistent hollow bevel. I need to give it a try this way and see... Thanks. Glen
Yeah, I'll add a comment. Not trying to give you a hard time, honestly, because all artisans deserve respect and you have worked hard and created a useful tool with great potential, but you seriously need to gain some knowledge of your product's use and confidence of it's worth. Your video comes across as a desperate effort to convince other artisans that you have something to contribute, which is obvious from the outset, even if you have not noticed it yourself.
I only say this because I was timid for years when starting out over 40 years ago, and it caused me a LOT of anguish and probably cost me a great deal of money from lack of confidence.
The valuable lesson is that however little you know about what you are doing, 99% of your customers know less. As long as you do not outright lie to them, you and they can learn together. Calm down, speak slower, stop apologizing for your lack of experience and invite your customers to contribute their experience to your efforts.
Artisans are amongst the very best people in the world, and will help you in any way they can. From the moment you began making tools for them, they became your new best friends, and you CAN trust them not to lead you astray.
Relax and enjoy your work, and God Bless......Joe
Joe, I honestly like to experiment in many of the videos I post and that is certainly the case with these "hollow bevel" dies for my guillotine tool. I do sell the guillotine tool (actually not this exact style anymore) and so like to think of dies that might be useful. Many folks asked me to sell these simple dies shown herein but I refused since I realized that as constructed, they weren't very useful. Anyway, I hardly take myself seriously and am just aiming to get some enjoyment out of making and posting these videos. And this is a much older video and I would say I hadn't yet found my "voice". I appreciate you taking the time to comment in depth and for your suggestions. Thanks for watching. Glen