Ecart

There is a guy over on the Middle Earth Ranger forum that used heavy roller chain to make an axe.  Nice axe too.  I'd post a link, but I don't seem to be able to :( .  I've got quite a bit of the chain that was being thrown out at the mill where I work.  I haven't tried to weld any up since my forging skills improved, so I can't help you there.  If nothing else, you could do a san mai type construction with it, insert maybe a 1095 bit?

If the shoulders are squared, it will lead to a crack/break in that spot.  The junction between the tang and blade is the weakest part of the blade.  There is a lot of force exerted on a knife at that junction so you want to eliminate any opportunity for breakage there.  I have to watch out for this in my day job as a saw filer.  If the gullets (bottoms of the teeth) are squared, it will surely crack.  This is why ships have round port holes instead of squared windows too. 

That's usually how I do it. It's the neatest way I've found to fill it. I'm working on eliminating the gap if possible. But the gap is beside the point, this is a good 2nd knife!

Nice looking second knife! I agree about the gap, but I'll have to say that I really struggle with that myself.

Google Klingspor's. They may have the belts you are looking for.

Rich and Thomas: I've read several of your posts today that are very insightful and was contemplating asking if either of you needed a new sidekick for comic relief or something. :lol: I think I could learn a lot just looking over your shoulders.

Rich, I certainly see your point. I'd hate to put a whole lot of work into something just to have it unpleasant to the eye.

What materials did you use? For some reason I didn't expect layers from a can weld . I expected it to be pretty random actually. That's impressive! I look forward to seeing some progress pics as you continue on this project.

I agree with you about the drifting. It is the one reason I haven't made an axe from scratch yet. I've turned a couple of claw hammers into axes, but I haven't had to drift them. Maybe today I can light the forge before the weather gets up to the predicted 102 degrees and start working on my first axe or hawk from scratch.

Hmm, I think I have one of those clips rusting away in a tub in the back yard. Maybe with the right amount of work, I can find a hawk hiding in it too. :lol: But I think I'll practice drifting an eye on the more populous RR spikes that brought the clip with them when they came. As usual, very nice work Chris.

I like that walnut. Nice piece of wood.

Great looking knife. How did you finish the cherry?

I've worked with quite a bit of walnut on my handles. I got a good bit of it for free. If that's not walnut I'd be surprised. I like the shape of the blade! Really good job.

Let's see if my eye is right: cable, walnut handle slabs and brass pins?

I just signed the contract with Paladin Press for book IV!!

I have a friend who was a metallurgist for a large bearing company over here and he said that small bearings generally had races of stuff like 52100, excellent material for blades but that large bearings were often case hardened 9620 (IIRC) and so not very good material. I wish I could remember the size cut off...

So spark test the *interior* of a large race before using!

I really like it! That came out well.

That is really beautiful! I am envious. I hope to be half that good one day. Your work is outstanding.

Very nice! I like it.

Hey James, my wife learned to love it when I smith. Whenever I have a rough day at the day job, or am just overly uptight about stuff, she makes me go light a fire in the forge. The anvil doesn't care that some upset individual is laying hot steel across it and beating it into submission. So before long it puts me in a pretty agreeable mood. :lol:

Seriously, that is pretty creative to use a nail like that. Nice first knife from an interesting material.

Eric

Heck, I'm thinking I may weld up a billet while the guys work on learning projects. I've been thinking of making a blade, it's not something I do often but sharp pointy things are so cool. <grin>

Frosty The Lucky.

On that rasp, is that Walnut? Beautiful work! I am aspiring to get my finishes that nice.

Those knives do look really good. I particularly like the biggest one. I told my son when he turned 13, he would be expected to work with me for about 4 hours each Saturday when I can get out there and when I sell a knife, he will get paid a portion of it. He turned 13 in April. He swings with one hand for as long as he can, then he two-hands it for a while. But our sons will get better, just like we will.

I've been collecting some chainsaw chains for a knife project. I'll be watching for the new project before I decide to start. Lovely knife BTW.

I use a Champion blower. A couple years back, I had a gas build up and when I turned the crank, I got a nasty backfire through the blower. Made a nice fireball. Thank God it was going away from all living beings! Yep, my son and I got a good scare out of that one. That's the worst one I've ever had.

That's looking nice!