Quote:
Originally Posted by futuresoptions
Nice work man, I am digging that sword... It appears from the photos, that the handle is a one piece of wood done on a lathe? I do stock removal as well as forging... when it comes to marks in the metal, I tend to try and get out as many as I can without compromising the blades integrity.... On most of the knives that I have pictured, I used a piece of old stainless steel from the 50's and of course it has marks and dings in the steel that I could not get out... but it really gives the knives character and when you go with natural handles, it sort of gives the knives an old timey feel to them... I really like your design on that last knife alot!!!
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Ha - didn't even see this post before my last one. I'll trade ya!
Yes, the handle on the sword is a solid piece of ash from an old baseball bat, shaped on a lathe. I then drilled out the center and hammered the tang through, while it was still hot.
The brass was rough shaped on a radial arm saw, fitted with a metal cutting blade. I'm not sure I'm stupid enough to repeat that process again. I remember wrapping towels around my neck and wearing several layes or eye protection in case the blade shattered. All final shaping was done with a hand file.
I really like the look of your knives. Like you said, they have that old time look to them that is so appealing. The one you made for yourself looks like a knife that has been passed down from generation to generation as the family "shop" heirloom. Really a classic look to it.
I just pulled the t-bars from my 911 and they're no longer usable in a car, but may be given new life in the form of a blade sometime down the road. I'll have to set up a shop once we find a new house (and sell our current one). Have you ever used a gas forge? My dad built a cheap single burner one that works ok, but has a few cold spots. I used a really nice one at Jim's that got you to welding temps in no time flat. Makes a world of difference when forge welding - very clean and easy to see when your steel starts to pool. I've mostly used a pea coal forge, since that's what I had access to growing up. I've made tons of "twisty hooks" on that thing
