Knifes forging from ball bearing steel and saw blade, Olive and Red Bush Willow the Combrethum tree family

Forging ball bearings sounds interesting. I just have visions of them going everywhere. How do you keep them together at the start?

When I say ball bearings , I should have indicated it is the steel ring around the bearing components that I forge into a knife blade.. I have seen videos where they forge the complete bearing that results into a interesting pattern in the blade...

@Gert Odendaal very nice pair of knives. Please forgive me, I'm a millwright. The bearing component you are referring to is called a race, there is an inner and an outer race. That would be some VERY hard steel. You must have your metallurgy down well!

A local knife maker (http://hattcustomknives.com/index.php?option=com_jphoto&view=categories&Itemid=2) has made his own Damascus steel by inserting a 410 barrel into a 16 gauge barrel which is inserted into a into a 12 gauge barrel, then of course forged. I should be involved in this, I envy those that are.

I really admire knife makers who has a talent of making knifes...I know how many hours goes in forging a knife..and not every blade they forge comes out without a crack of a defect..

@Rick Cox thank you for your replies and interest in the steel I used for that knife..yes it is called the races ..I really love to forge bearing races, although I have to use my two burner forge to get these races to forging temperature...and work them while on forging temperature since this steel gets brittle and break/crack easily when trying to work then under non magnetic temperature ..just a little above quench temperature using a magnet and my gut feeling as well as the slight color change in the steel..if I do a full blade I have to sharpen a masonry drill to be able to drill through the bearing race steel..a normal steel drill is just not capable of drilling holes in bearing race steel after hardening and tempering of the steel..

Rick, my big love is to be able to work on the milling machines and surface grinder when repairing and building rifles after work..I really like working these grand old machines at the workshop...being a Mill-right must be a great working environment you are in every day???

@Gert Odendaal thanks for the info. How did you learn your kraft? The work I do is not the same as a machinist. A millwright would be defined as "being responsible for the installation, maintenance, and repair of stationary industrial equipment." Many millwrights also are capable or even ticketed machinists but I am not one. I do however weld, and apply my creative skills to my craft often, which always adds to the satisfaction.

My study as a teacher focused on the Technical skills like Civil, mechanical , electrical /electronics as well as operating industrial machines like industrial lathe , Milling machines , surface grinding machines , specialised welding TIG/MIG as well as Arch welding , motor mechanical repair work and mechanical drawing studies for four years , 34 years in Special Education school environment with Academical writing and B.ed Hons as well as Masters Degree in Special Education Mathematical programming uses /...but I liked the practical and technical part most ...after work I work at a gunsmith shop to repair and build hunting rifles , where I need to use the milling machines and lathes as well as the Surface grinder frequently...

Working with steel when forging is something extremely special to me..especially using scrap metal/steels like bearings, bearing races, rasps and saw blades..actually any high carbon steel I can source from scrap metal dealers..