Blade forging process in steps:
- Choosing the name for an incoming new tool
- Selecting proper steel
- Forging raw ingot of steel in hot way approximately 1000 °.
- Forming edge requires forging in cool way approximately 650 °., for the best micro structural quality. All temperatures depend on material requirements.
- Tang forging
- Soft annealing
- Grinding coarsely to find squeezed defects
- Forging gently to reach final rough shape of blade
- Soft annealing
- Grinding all parts of blade and tang also
- Measuring and drilling holes for rivets in relation to handle design
- Polishing blade coarsely from grain 40 up to grain 220
- Warming blade up to its quenching temperature (830° to 1040°, depends on chosen material) and holding whole blade in hot austenitic form for a several minutes
- Quenching blade in oil bath
- Grinding finely to its final shape
- Polishing blade faces and other surfaces from grain 80 up to grain 2000
- Polishing finely with cotton wheels to mirror look or etching by acid to black matt look
- Tempering two hours in electric oven from 160 deg. to 210 °. (depends on material and blade final requirements) to reduce inner tension
- Freezing for several hours in -48 deg. and tempering again
- Carving the crafters sign and the name of blade on tang