Hello everyone, just like many of you I came here for knowledge on this magical art form. After seeing how viable it was for me to get started into blacksmithing I just jumped in and started doing it and loving every second of it. Anyway to the point, here is my first finished blade, "Dogsbane", dedicated for my hatred towards the barking dogs that seem to pollute my neighborhood. (Dont worry I have no intention of making using this knife as the name suggests). I have learned a lot in the construction of this blade, and even though i still need practice with hardening and tempering as well as proper sharpening methods, I like how it turned out. Let me know what you think.
This was made from recycled materials from my backyard, The blade is made from the angle piece of Rail road track that I had sawed off from my little RR anvil like object. From the machinist handbook it says that these are made from 1080 steel but this is a newer track that might of come from the newer light rail system they built in my city I believe. i purchased from a local scrapyard, so im not sure exactly what it is. The handle has bee salvaged from a wooden pineapple figure from hawaii so im not sure the exact type of wood, it might be Teak. One big mistake that i have learned is not to use a bench grinder when shaping.. I got a little lazy and all it did is mess up my blade so I now just rely on old fashion hand tools to get the job done. I intend to use this knife as a personal utility knife when I go camping or do outdoor activities. I love the forge scale look as it is a reminder that the steel came from something rough and then refined. The handle is engraved (poorly) with my initials in Runic to honor my Anglo-Saxon heritage.
This is where the piece of steel came from...
