Alan B

I do take deposits on special orders or big jobs. I tell my customers up front though that if they decide to back out, I will refund their money when I sell the item they ordered. This prevents a lot of window shoppers from spending my time and money on odd ball projects that may be hard to sell later. This works really well when the order is for something that has to be made to fit or requires something unique that might make it impossible to just set out right at a demo with a for sale sign. The key here is let the customer know exactly where you stand UP FRONT. All the ones that I have done this with have not had a complaint.

I asked Bill Epps about this knot 2 years ago at a hammer in. He just smiled at me. I would like to see how this is done also so if any of you guys know how, how about getting with Glenn and setting up a blueprint for the rest of us poor dumb wanna be's. :lol:

Seem to be a lot of us Scott/ Irish in here. The name of my shop is Brazier and Black, Blacksmithing. My family name back in Scotland was Brazier, it was later changed to be spelled like the Celts pronounced it. A friend that helped me get things started, his family name was black. He has since moved on to other things but my brother in law still works with me every weekend. We thought about changing it but too many people already know us by that trade name sooooo. I guess we'll keep it the way it is. :D

I had a gentleman call and ask if I had made trammels before. I told him yes if he was refering to the adjustable length S hooks for hanging pots and such over a fire to cook. he said he is wanting some to use in his 1700 period wood working shop. He prefered a saw tooth configuration to a bar with holes punched in it. Has any one made any like these? Please post a pic or give me a URL to see one. :|

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one little step. Congrats woodtick. Hope you have a lot of fun on your journey :wink:

Thanx Steve. I am looking forward to seeing some of your work on here soon. :lol:

My father informed me today that his already bad heart has gotten worse. He is 62 years old and the Doctors have told him his upper and lower heart are out of rythem and could stop at any time. Also his arteries have constricted and bypass surgery is the only hope of repairing this problem. He doesn't have any insurance and our end decision was to sell the farm acerage so that he can afford to get what ever medical attention he can. Please keep him in your prayers. His name is John Brazzel. Thank you and God bless you all. Alan B Copied to PL

Really nice work Strine. Would love to see you do a demo on how to make these. :D

Steve, look at the pic of the finished knife I made. I took that with the same vivicam camera as the pics at the top of the page. Just following Glenn and Rich's advice on background, lighting and such made a huge difference in picture quality. Also, please post a pic of one of your chainsaw chain knives. I would really like to see them. :wink:

Rich, Thanx for the advice. I'll give it a try and let you know how it comes out. :wink: And with a little help from some friends . . . another photo. Here is the finished knife. The bolster is nickel. The guard and pommel are blued steel. The handle is wood wrapped in leather and sealed with polyeurithane.The overall lengthis 9 1/2 inches. The blade is 5 1/2 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide at its widest point. The damascus is 75 layers of 5 different steels, a combination taught to me by Billy Merrit. Photo and text added by Glenn

Steve, the blade in the picture follows Billy's 5 steel and 75 layer pattern :wink:

Band saw blades, ball bearings, coil spring, black banding, and pieces of an old file. I bet Steve has tried this combo also. :shock:

How can you photograph damascus and get the pattern to show with out getting glare ?

Sandpile, I've checked hartfords guide to steel and piping and find no other designation for 52100. 52100 as it stands is a high impact work hardening steel. More commonly use for ball bearings and bearing races. It should make really strong mandrels if heat treated properly after shaping. Hope this helps. :D