Lets hand forge a san mai knife with a hammer! San mai by hand is easier than you might think. We start with 2 different types of steel, a core layer and an outer …
27 thoughts on “San mai by hand – forging a san mai knife with a hammer”
I will admit, I had several failures leading up to making this video! I wanted to showcase the method I adopted that actually works, hopefully saving you some of the learning curve! Did you find it informative?
What was the point of drilling the holes? All you have done is leave unsightly pit marks in the blade….That point aside really well done and keep the content coming, I really enjoy the videos!
Hi buddy, got one more subscriber here..interested in san mai forging, about to try one though. Your billet looks so white on the video when you took it out of your forge. I wonder if the billet looks really white in real time when it reaches forging temperature? I dont have a forge thermometer so i would have to judge it by its color. Thanks for your tips.
I appreciate your transparency about what you'd do differently. That said, you did remind me of several things I'd filed away in the dark recesses of my memory that I'd effectively forgotten about, so thanks!
Hey mate just a couple questions about your forge set-up. Is it a single burner setup? How long does it take you to get to welding temp? Awesome video.
What I've done in the past is, make a damascus billet and either cut & stack or hot split it and forge weld the core, then draw it out. But just remember, if you learned something.. it's was a success. 😉
Not bad Aerin. At least you show your mistakes aswell as your sucesses. Everydays a learning curve. Little tip on the scratches. Dont hold the blade and go back and forth, it will create fish hook scratches. Sand in one direction, then move, to a clean piece of paper. I think you do that anyway when your doing your polished blades. Just treat etched blades the same, in fact even more so as the etchant will realy show them up. I think if you did an extra few layers the rain drop pattern realy would have stood out. Have the core, and outer sleeves thick, and the inner layers thinner, will have a great contrast.
Awesome video. Im trying to get into forging knives (bought one for my channel) and your video is very helpful. I dont have the same awesome tools you have but I think I can find alternative solutions. (I do really want a welder after watching this vid haha) Subbed to your channel and look forward to your content
I like the way it turned out. That ebony handle will look good. We exchanged emails a few months back about my kukri, I just sent you some pics of it finished.
Love seeing you do more forging. I’m jealous of that anvil! I was thinking when I saw your steels that you’d want thicker cladding cause your core doesn’t compress as much. Also next time etch it as your grinding so you can center the core. We learn on every build though! ❤️
Do you have a recommended source for your handle materials? You seem to acquire some nice materials. My local places are very hit and miss. Nice tutorial as always, I haven’t been brave enough to pattern weld yet but I did get a bunch of 1084 and 15n20 in my last steel order for when I finally decide to brave it.
Hey boss, just ground out my first knife last night after watching your 10 part video guide (which I have since recommended to friends), and it went well! All the info you provided was great. That said, I goofed up the angles on the blade after going for a saber grind, but that’s just a matter of experience. Thanks again for your help, and great new vid.
great video, thanks for sharing. I know that some old school makers use acid like white vinegar or PH Down to soften the scale so they can wire wheel it off. Jason Knight uses a sand blaster with glass media to remove the scale. I imagine those would be good options on thinner billets to conserve material.
Nice work dude, i tried making my first san mai billet a couple days ago but it delaminated so much that it was not useable for a knife. Gonna keep trying tho! Thanks for the great video
I will admit, I had several failures leading up to making this video! I wanted to showcase the method I adopted that actually works, hopefully saving you some of the learning curve! Did you find it informative?
What was the point of drilling the holes? All you have done is leave unsightly pit marks in the blade….That point aside really well done and keep the content coming, I really enjoy the videos!
Hi buddy, got one more subscriber here..interested in san mai forging, about to try one though. Your billet looks so white on the video when you took it out of your forge. I wonder if the billet looks really white in real time when it reaches forging temperature? I dont have a forge thermometer so i would have to judge it by its color. Thanks for your tips.
I appreciate your transparency about what you'd do differently. That said, you did remind me of several things I'd filed away in the dark recesses of my memory that I'd effectively forgotten about, so thanks!
Great work! Make it look easy. I’m curious where did you get your anvil and about how much did it cost? I’m looking for one myself.
Thank you !! Can’t wait to try this!! You explained it very well so a old man like me can follow along!!
Hey mate just a couple questions about your forge set-up. Is it a single burner setup? How long does it take you to get to welding temp? Awesome video.
Thanks for keeping it real with us.
فكرة ….اذا تم قطع ..دوائر …تناسب القطع المعدنية …النقود ….كيف يصبح القطعة ….السكين ما هي الوانها
first time viewer and new subscriber, thanks for the great video!
Thank you! As someone new to the craft this was a super helpful video. Subscribed before I finished it.
What I've done in the past is, make a damascus billet and either cut & stack or hot split it and forge weld the core, then draw it out. But just remember, if you learned something.. it's was a success. 😉
Not bad Aerin. At least you show your mistakes aswell as your sucesses. Everydays a learning curve. Little tip on the scratches. Dont hold the blade and go back and forth, it will create fish hook scratches. Sand in one direction, then move, to a clean piece of paper. I think you do that anyway when your doing your polished blades. Just treat etched blades the same, in fact even more so as the etchant will realy show them up. I think if you did an extra few layers the rain drop pattern realy would have stood out. Have the core, and outer sleeves thick, and the inner layers thinner, will have a great contrast.
sweet looking blade my friend. love the videos! you do an excellent job.
Awesome video. Im trying to get into forging knives (bought one for my channel) and your video is very helpful. I dont have the same awesome tools you have but I think I can find alternative solutions. (I do really want a welder after watching this vid haha) Subbed to your channel and look forward to your content
I like the way it turned out. That ebony handle will look good. We exchanged emails a few months back about my kukri, I just sent you some pics of it finished.
Nice work
Love seeing you do more forging. I’m jealous of that anvil! I was thinking when I saw your steels that you’d want thicker cladding cause your core doesn’t compress as much. Also next time etch it as your grinding so you can center the core. We learn on every build though! ❤️
Beautiful blade love the contrast between the 15n20 and the 1084 . Came out great. Can’t wait to see part 2
Do you have a recommended source for your handle materials? You seem to acquire some nice materials. My local places are very hit and miss. Nice tutorial as always, I haven’t been brave enough to pattern weld yet but I did get a bunch of 1084 and 15n20 in my last steel order for when I finally decide to brave it.
I'm still getting the process down lol. I'm gonna be releasing my Sundays vlog on Monday because of this. Let's just say I hope 3rd times a charm.
Hey boss, just ground out my first knife last night after watching your 10 part video guide (which I have since recommended to friends), and it went well! All the info you provided was great. That said, I goofed up the angles on the blade after going for a saber grind, but that’s just a matter of experience. Thanks again for your help, and great new vid.
great video, thanks for sharing. I know that some old school makers use acid like white vinegar or PH Down to soften the scale so they can wire wheel it off. Jason Knight uses a sand blaster with glass media to remove the scale. I imagine those would be good options on thinner billets to conserve material.
It's a great job!! my friend!
Nice work dude, i tried making my first san mai billet a couple days ago but it delaminated so much that it was not useable for a knife. Gonna keep trying tho!
Thanks for the great video
love it, learning curve there for us all!
Hi