Leaving forge scale on knife blades ?

[kyron4]

Was the forge scale left on knife blades or was it removed from blades on the time (early 1800's) ? -Thanks

 

[Brokennock]

A better question might be, why do so many current makers leave their work unfinished?

 

[Colonial Boy]

A better question might be, why do so many current makers leave their work unfinished?

Hear, here.

 

[kyron4]

This is my first attempt at a making a knife, wasn't sure what period finish was common. I got the shape and edge looking good , just has that "rough" grey/black scale finish. Is it a matter of filing and sanding or a dip in an acid bath ? -Thanks

 

[Paladin357]

I've rarely, if ever, seen a period knife (be it medieval or fur trade era) that still had scale on it. Some weren't fully polished, so the finish is rough - showing hammer marks from forging, file or grinding marks - but not scale. I know a lot of people nowadays like the "rustic" look of leaving some scale on, but it can actually mess with the functionality of the blade. These were working tools, and I imagine that in period they didn't generally intentionally mess with the blade's usability just to make it look interesting.

As far as removing the scale, grinding/filing/sanding is generally the way it's done. The final shaping needs to be done after heat treat anyway. The smiths I've known/seen (myself included) follow this process: forge to rough shape, grind/file/sand to even things out and remove forging scale, then heat treat, grind/file/sand to final shape and polish. I'm unaware of an acid that will remove it, but there could be. I'd be worried that such an acid would mess with the blade steel as well, though. Some quenchants are designed to minimize scale buildup, but there's still some scale left.

Hope that helps,
Alan