A carving detour

[Jeff Wittrock]

I put my mini propane torch forge together from fire bricks and angle iron around 15 years ago.
It has fallen into a bit of dis-repair, but did the job ok.

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Sorry no pictures of bending the hook or heat treat. To much juggling of torch, pliers, vise and blade to hold a camera.
I clamped the tang of the blade in vice grips. I clamped a 1/2" diameter shaft vertically in my vice. I heated the blade red and anchored one end against the 1/2" bar by pushing against it with a piece of steel levered in the 1/2" opening in the vice with I wrapped the blade around the bar to the shape I wanted using the vice grips.
I know thats a rube goldberg description of the way I did things, but the end result was blade with a hook in it.
I wanted a bit of a progressive curve to the blade that would allow both shallow and deep cuts. I didn't come out as smooth a curve as I hoped, but will be OK I think.

I then hardened and tempered the blade.
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Then cleaned up a bit with sandpaper.
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