I was always fascinated by these wolf teeth patterns found on Viking Age spears and saxes but the only time I tried to make it before it was a complete failure.
You can take a look on a original here:
Anyway, I decided to make it again, excited due to a video from Niels Provos about it on Youtube. Here are some of the steps:
First, with an angle grinder, I just marked the area on which I would put the "teeth". My cutting discs are about 1,5mm (1/16in) thick, then I decided to use a 2mm thick sheet of mild steel for it.
As it where a bit thicker than the hole, I ground it a little, so it would be both smaller and cleaner to the welding process. It should not be so thin because I wanted it to be held even before the forge welding process.
After that it was all firmly held on the steel bar.
Just before assembling all the pieces together.
Here all the bars. The edge from 5160 steel, then a 2mm sheet of 1020 steel, 2 twisted bars of 1020/1070 and at last wrought iron.
Forge welding it.
After welding it all together I simply made a pseudo-tang to help holding it better. I was really anxious to know how it would look like. Then I ground it a little to see how it was.
And this is how it was after the forging. I have to grind it a lot more. I wished to remove more material so it could reach a level on the twisted bars that would look more than simple stripes. But it is going good for a first try. Even if not so straight as i would wish it.
Sadly it ended with what look like a different steel between the 1020 teeth and the 1020 thin bar on the point area. I don't know if it is due the lack of a heat treatment or if there occurred some carburization while forge welding. I'll take a better look after all the HT.
A friend from Facebook said me to make the initial cuts more triangular next time, so the teeth would be able to put pressure on it's walls too, not only to the bottom. I'll experiment on the next "smiling" blade.
Well, I hope you like it. I really don't know yet what will come out from this blade, but I'm looking forward to work with it soon.