Kwisatz

Welcome to the jungle Denny! We shop in the same “Blacksmith supply house of whatever is laying around”, lol. My air pump is the generic Coleman Quickpump Air Mattress Pump that came with camping mattress that never actually made it camping, lol. I use it in my Brake Drum Forge.

Nice work! I like your pommel. I may do something like that for my next few. Glad to hear you turned it into more blacksmithing resources. I need to get around to making tongs as well. Will you be making more RR spike blades?

Thanks for the feedback. I am not a knuckle dragger, for the record. LOL. At 5’6” 220 I am built more like a rhino than a giraffe. I am going to “feel up” a few handles at the farm supply store. They have all kinds of axes and woods. I think I will forge a small draw knife to do wood working.

For the record I HAD NO IDEA bladesmithing/blacksmithing was this all consuming! LOL. I just wanted to pound hot steel. You know, the fun part. I have had to start researching carpentry, metallurgy, tempering, annealing, file work, the list goes on and on. *sigh*

I am finishing up a blade to be used in an axe or spear that I made from a lawnmower blade. Its 13 inches long, 2 inches wide, & 1/4 inch thick. Of the 13 inches long, 9 will be blade. The tang goes 4 inches into the handle. The weight is 1 pound, 10.3 ounces.



My issue is that I can’t seem to find a guide on what proportions a blade should be to the handle. I don’t want to mount it and then have to take apart again over and over if its not right. Any suggestions, videos, books, or places I can look?

Thanks for the help.

Thanks for sharing that. I may try one soon.

I am still working through my first batch of RR spikes as I learn how to work metal. The grit part about them is if you screw up, it’s no big loss. However she n they come out right, its easy to impress my buddies, lol.

Thank you for sharing that!

You started with a 3/4” round, how long was the round? How much did you have to draw it out?

(Taking notes…)

I am making a version or Prince Naulas Magic Spear this week. Yes, THAT Prince Naula. From Hellboy 2: The Golden Army.

I was given a lawnmower blade so & cut, sanded, sanded more, and came up with what you see in the picture. The 16.9 oz water bottle was added for scale.



The entire blade measures 13 inches long. Of that, 4 inches will be embedded into the wood. The wood will be carved to approximately 22 inches long x 3.25 inches wide x .75 inches thick. I am using wood that I think is too long because i am going to be able to keep trimming it back until the balance feels right.

The original http://www.nitrocomi...es/39104023.jpg

My version:
The handle I am carving by hand to look something like this, but with burned in filigree http://www.handaxepr...aded/FS1201.jpg

Inserting the blade into the wood using this method
http://www4.gvsu.edu...nifemaking1.htm

However I will be using two, 2 inch Chicago Screws like these to secure it instead of a but cap.
http://ak.buy.com/PI...0/218913383.jpg

Then making something out of leather decorative to cover the part where the wood meets metal, this
http://i964.photobuc...er/75221e7a.jpg

http://i964.photobuc...er/ca0ad10f.jpg

I am going to Temper and Anneal next. My plan is to temper it in the forge as evenly as I can until its “straw yellow” then quench in motor oil, three times. Then bake it in the oven at 400 degrees and let it cool overnight, three times. Why three times? I am shamelessly going to copy Stormcrows technique and see how it comes out.

Questions for you all:

1) I am “guesstimating” that the 4 inches and two, 2 inch Chicago Screws will be deep enough to support the weight of the blade.

2) Should I add epoxy when i insert it or is that overkill? Suggested brands?

3) I can already tell that sharpening this is not going to be easy or fun. I’d like to sharpen it before i mount it. Any advice on how to get a good sharpening with just my hand tools and a few table clamps? I want to get it as even as I can over the entirety of all four edges.

Thank you for any input!

I had a great American Tonto blade going in the forge. I lost my train of thought for a few seconds at most as I drank some water. I looked back and it was melted nearly in half. I keep all my “learning experiences” in the shop, where i can see them and remember how/why I screwed up. I feel your pain. Have you started a new machete?

I am showing that video to my friends, well done.

That cutter looks like its a “ToMachete” . With the last 30% so much wider I bet it would be able thrown like a Tomahawk and able to cut like a Machete.

Well i am in Las Vegas , Nevada. We have quite a few Gun and Knife shows that come through. Ever make it out this way?

How often do you run workshops?

Does sandpaper count as “Draw Filing” or does that have to be done with a metal file? Looks like you got it to around 300 grit? I am looking forward to the finish. Specifically, what Heat Treating process will you be using?

Don’t over think it. You’ll screw up quite a bit, just like me and anyone else who just decided to make a forge and try it. I firmly believe our way is a lot more fun! I have a few links that may help on my profile. Read as much as you can, watch a few videos, buy safety gear. Be sure to take pics while you going through it!

Thanks for sharing. What process did you use to make the Damascus blade?

Very nice! What kind of wood?

All done! The blade and pommel have been sanded to 300 grit. I may go as high as 600. The sheath is leather with stainless steel grommets alternated with leather laces. The grommets add some bling and shine to it as well as make certain that it holds together no mater what. The leather laces allow me to run my belt through them to carry it. I wear it at the small of my back, the blade is 4 inches long. Its about 7 inches total. The reason I named it Zero Training is partially after Zero Wolf, played by Raoul Trujillo. I liked the way he would draw his obsidian knife from the sheath so I had that in mind with this one. Zero Wolf is from the movie Apocalypto -> http://i58.photobuck...80220151134.jpg , http://i58.photobuck...80220151634.jpg & http://t3.gstatic.co...ffcitFcB7VTqmn9

Great job. Do you dip the handle in shellac and let it drip dry, or do you paint it on?

Today I started to really work on how to make the tips of knives different shapes. I just took a few hoe pieces of metal and banged them out on various parts of the RR Track anvil I have to see show it made them look. The bladesmithing equivalent of doing drills in my BJJ gym.

Nice work my friend! A buddy just donated a few pieces of metal to the cause but I don’t know how to make a handle for my knives yet so I stuck to the railroad spikes. I have hundreds of feet of paracord but without the Minwax Wood Hardener tip I would never have used it for a handle. Next I am going to make a blade and use paracord as a handle. I just downloaded Lloyd Harding - 100s of Knife Patterns so I have a lot of blade types to experiment with.

I like the wolf head in the handle! I am buying a set of files. I want to draw file an entire blade and do a blade with no power tools.

Nice work! I haven’t even started learning how to build handles yet. I am going to scrounge up a few unique materials for them over the next few weeks.