Thom Noblitt y Gonzalez

That face video is amazing to watch. As to William Conn's comment: I had thought so too. But as I have worked on trying to make different patterns I have found out that stock removal is extremely important fr anything other then straight lines or a random pattern that is created from uneven hammer blows during the forging process. For example the twist pattern used in those videos I posted here, one of the first steps is to give the material a square cross section so that it can twist evenly. I made a twist billet and decided that to much material would e wasted and the knife would be to small if I didn't forge it out some more. After forging out the blade and doing a quick etch the pattern is way different then if I had just ground. I am happy with the pattern so far so I am not regretting the choice but I will have to try again some other time to produce that star pattern others get by grinding.

Correction to Frank Turley's post the website is http://www.shiningwave.com/ no "s" at the end of shiningwave. His patterns (http://www.shiningwave.com/patterngallery.html) especially his Jaz pattern is very interesting and his and I am looking forward to sitting down and reading the PDF (http://www.shiningwave.com/RioPatternDevelopmentWorkshop.pdf) I would have paid good money to have been in that Rio Workshop.

Hmmm. I have had this conversation quite a few times over the years, with highschool freinds, materias engineering students, mechanical engineering students, ren fair workers, midevel reenactors, LARPers etc. Eventually I cam up with this stance. The right tool for the right job and the right weapon for the right person. All eras and areas have a mistique and propaganda about why they are the best. The viking with their bearded axes and their pattern welded lgandary blades, the Arabs with Dascus scemitars, dancing swords and falshons/chamseirs that are light but powerful enough to cut a mans head off, the claymores and great swords that can cut a horse and rider in to (the japanise had hteir equvelents if I remember), of corse the stories of warhammers and the samarui with the Kitanas that are strengthend and empowered through the ritualistic folding, prayer and meditation of the smith. All of these are in my eyes hype that mean only interesting facts since the actual tool is useless in the hands of a untrained person. Though some might be a little more user freindly then others. I look at the kitana and I see the American cowboy single action revolver. I belive that Japan went through a time period where they romantisized their past and the idea of the samuri just like America did with the cowboy. They always did what was right, they could triumph against any number of evil men, they fought man to man and didn't use underhanded or unfair tactics like ambushes or longer ranged weapons (rifles or bows) becus that would be unfair and even if it cost them their lives they would stay true to their ideals (never selling their skills like a common mercenary) and never let evil win. When I was learning to be a gunsmith I have seen this happen with guns. A Rugger is always better thenan S&W but colt beats all others. A longsword is good and a kitan might be better but a Scemitar now that is elegance and power personified. All becuse of where they put their belifes based on what hype they have herd. In my perosnal oppinin I want a sword at my hip, while I like the austetics and feel of a curved blade my dream weapon might be a sutton who replica that I made myself. If I am actually fighting for my life, a infamtry mans hammer as a secondary, a sheild and a hinged mace as my main weapon. They don't get any air time and people sually don't even think of them as a main wepon becuse people think they are hard to use and dangerous to the user. Some of this may be true, people have made the chain long enough and they use it wrong so they hit their own hand holding the weaon but when done right it is just unfair to fight people with and if my life is on the line thats what I want.

NEGROLI ... the first book you send him too is the NEGROLI book with pictures of armour that has made it into the smithsonian.... cool cool. I belive that one of my week points is the inability to draw and sketch well. Though I like chase, repose, inlay and other technics the ability to look at the blank area: sheath, blade area, handle, armour plate, etc. and see what would look good there is something I can't do. Simple line drawings are difficult for me, putting a tree, cloud, dragon or skull I can't do unless I have an original I can trace or trancfer. If you like the different arts and enjoy imagioning the stuff please keep it up if nothing else it gives people like me something to look at and start off with, then tweak to my own plans.

Unforgiven, with an admission like this I can see why you have that title. As to the Sacred Blacksmith... It has full episodes, in english, on youtube. It is a Japanese Anime. It has some different swords that appear (dirks, long swords, rapiers) but the main story focuses on one guy, the only guy in the world who knows how to make a HOLY sword that can banish the deadliest of demons, it is a lost art and guess what it is... Anyways it is a fanboy dream with fanservice and combat. Standard lack luster anime that keeps a certain group of fans intertained while the rest of us wait for soemthing that is story line and character driven. Oh they like to break armour (especially the chest plates of certain characters) and swords, and have some some swords cut through by others instead of breaking them. Things like thtat that some people may find annoying. Ohh and it is a fantasy so demons etc.

From my limited experiance. Propane, you can buy it at walmart or yoiur local gass station at midnight, turn it on and it will give a constant heat. Unless designed to, it is not the best for forge welding since most flux eats most linnings very quickly. Once its on its on and you don't need to mees with it. If it is set up right it will give a constant and reliable heat. When you turn off the gass its off and if you want it back on then give it the gass again. Coal: It is a living fire. You need to first build a fire, then add the coal so that it soaks up the heat and burns until it becomes coak. This means that there is a little more downtime and you need to build hte fire (some people are good at that , I am getting better) while it is coaking up it is smoaking like an angry volcano, sulfer smoke mixed with steam is a very interesting smell and feel but if you work a coal forge you become familure with it very quickly. I consider this a living fire since you need to feed and care for it. If you let to much clinker build up then it can suffocate, not setting enough coal on the side to coak up while working means that you might have to add alot at one, bringing back the smoke. However for all that it is a good place to forge weld, the flux will increase your klinker but once you know how to work the fire you can get localized heat but it takes practice to get to a point where you can get the heat and peice where you want them. Sometimes I get to welding temp exactly when I want to other times I keep heating up the wrong spots or can't get an even heat. I am learning though. Also finding good coal is interesting. You can skip coal and go to a coak fire, but I hear that is expensive and is likly to go out if left unattended for too long. Charcoal. Can be bought at wallmart (not brikets but the cowboy charcoal from all real wood) or made taken from a cooking fire that is near by. To me it works similer to coal just without the nasty smoak, instead it constantly needs new fule and there is ask involved. I have been there for a builet welding in a Y1K charcoal forge and there seemed to be no major problems. But I have only worked this kind of fire a hand full of times. Just my 2 cents, and I will try and come back to fix all the spelling mistakes soon.

OK, so its the pattern with 90 deg. twists. cool cool. @ Steve so if I am looking right that is a 5 billet peice, 2 tisted, then the snake, and then 2 more twisted bars. They might be inturupted twist peices, I am not sure,

Thug Axe, Ork Axe, Mad Max Axe ohh yes!!!! I can see that. Zombie Axe, not on my plan. I would rather take a woodman's chopping axe. Why you may ask and my answer would be weight. That axe looks good for slicing the flesh, get an arm, a gut, etc. but it would have issue when getting to bone. Mean while a traditional wood cutters axe, with the thicker (spiting edge) and a good thickness will easily cave a skull, and could launch a head from a zombies shoulders. It could also be used as a bashing weapon if need be. I also like a cutting edge. and I like the look of yours but not a edge all around, especially where the head meets the handle. Why? so that when I chock up (slide my hand up to block with the central haft, slide my hand near the heard to dislodge it) I don't want any chance of my hand running into a bladed edge. Granted the blots should give warning but my adrenaline and distractions could cause me to forget that warning and then bad things happen. If you're going this far I say go for a pamul, not necessarily for balance but to strengthen it if it is also needed for striking. I will admit I am a SCA heavy fighter and fight something to like a 2 handed axe as my primary style. The thing that is needed most of all in that style is shock and momentum. If you get your weapon trapped somewhere then it is over. I should also point out that I use my "butt spike" as often or more often then my cutting edge. My 2 cent PS. My ZAP calls for hire fire power and keeping my distance.

Found this along the internets: Top 10 Words with Bizarre Meanings #1: Whiffle Definition: to flourish a sword in sword dancing so as to produce a whistling sound About the Word: Whiffling may have its origin in the efforts of ancients to clear the dance area of evil spirits. Not every dance area, of course: sword dance areas. Sword dances – traditional folk dances featuring men and swords – have a long and glorious history. These days, you can see (and hear) whiffling in the circular "guerrilla" dances of Turkey and the Balkans and in the Balkan "rusalia" fertility dance. By the way, the trademark "Wiffle Ball" omits the h. Original Source http://www.merriam-webster.com/top-ten-lists/top-10-words-with-bizarre-meanings/whiffle.html I will admit I don't know sword dancing and I haven't swong that many swords or that many sword types but I haven't really herd an audiabul whistling like that of a wiffle bat. Is there something added to the blades, a particular fuller design for example, that could encurage this whistle?

A interesting word I randomly found online: Top 10 Words with Bizarre Meanings #3: Axinomancy Definition: divination by means of the movements of an ax placed on a post About the Word: An ancient means of determining guilt, axinomancy involved balancing an ax on a post, and reading a list of names aloud. If the ax moved at a particular name, that person was deemed guilty. In another (equally strange) version, a marble was placed on a red–hot ax; the motion of the marble signaled guilt. and now I wonder about what kind of axe would be best for the task. I haven't known to many that could balance a marble on them. Original Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/top-ten-lists/top-10-words-with-bizarre-meanings/axinomancy.html

Thomas, I have already been here and have been preparing questions for you after seeing these. I had been wondering about the surrpent that runns in the blade, as referd to not only here but also in the book about anglo saxon swords. At first I had thought it would be some foem of pattern welding but I see a formed buillets below but the seurpens seems clean and clear in the small of the blades. I have also been looking at the wolfs tooth pattern and trying to figure out how it is done. I could see how to macine it, form one side into a wave, form the next layer to match that wave and then have the top layer match the wave again, then level the top and bottom layers in such a way that the waves on the other side are not flattened. But ithout a form I could see alot of lost effort if done incorrectly. Just my 2 cents and the threat to Thomas that I'll find him for more questions.

Well if ou want to do so much work you could make a sword with as much silver as the axe pictured here I have looked into the process once or twice noting the Prune people viking book, and the chapter on demascene Work Kuftgari, a form of Demascene" in Metal Techniques for craftmen I had thought of transcribing what it said then relized it was a few pages and the basic points of the process has been outlined here or on the websites from here. I agree with Rich Hale on watching what your getting yourself into. It seems like a very labor intensive project, and a slip on an engraver can really put you back on a polished and cleaned peice. Not to mention silver staying around $35 an oz with it liking to go near $40 every so often. I would wonder if it would be worth the investment to have the first peice you do be a custome peice for a customer. But I am young and easly scared.

I am but a minion who works while the boss rests and if they ask if stuff is for sale I answer what I can tehn send them to the boss. But here is my 2 cents: If you are demoing then they will want whatever your working on at the time. Even if everything is made by you they want to say they saw that one made. Small stuff seems to sell well, chili pepers, small S hooks etc, then some $15-20 stuff sells sometimes, Bells, raspel snakes, basket hooks, and what not. The same thing will not always sell the same, seems like every event something (tradisionally the thing that is in lowest supply or the ones that got put on the side to work on last years big seller because none ever even asked for a price the last three times) Will sell the best. People ask for Knives and will ask the price then relize these arn't BudK specials and acctually cost money and they will eather look around some more or move on. I would agree with the others advice so far small stuff, have fun, and take buisness cards. Sometimes we show what we can do, then mention we can do custom work and hand off a card. As far as I know there has been a couple who call back. Oh and if you have it out eather have a price for it or be ready to tell them its not for sale. I was surprised when someone asked how much for a knife I laid out, they probably asked because it was the smallest and had the least deatail, but I felt stupid stumboling over myself trying to say thanks but no since it was my first knife, part of my first pattern welded billet, and something I didn't think was good enough to sell (might not have seen the mistakes that I knew were there) so just be ready and know what your going to stand firm on and what your going to haggel on.

No Cheez just liquid Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooold. http://youtu.be/aP5BXl5-i1w Sounds like it should be voiced by a mexican soccer announcer.

Anodizing can be scrapped off or buffed off. I find it more resiliant then heat coloring and the best thing about it is that once you repolish it it can be reanodizwed with no reall loss. Though I bon't know if you would want to run the diamond through the process too often. Then again it is a diamond what will a week electrical current due to it. My question was how the diamond was set. I doubt you created prongs, or pushed material over the edges cold, but you must have done something to get it to hold in place.

I just found and so far really like these two. Video one is preparing materials, welding and some light shapeing, while vireo 2 is grinding, sanding, etching and finishing. I will admit I watched them mutted so I don't know about the audio, music or commentary but watching the process was enjoyable to me. http://youtu.be/gLlObpob6lg http://youtu.be/2f01tU9akqY

After readding this post I happened to come across this video and felt it might be relevent. It appears to be a demo where the presenter even went as far as to forge weld in a peice of 1095 for the edge material. I had herd of railroad spike knives but hadn't thought of tomahawks before. After seening your work and this video I guess they can be done. I was wondering though how did you do your spike? It looks like you took the edges down to form the spike since you have those flate edges along the side.

I love the comment on the bottom, "Just add ground beef, apprentice," so what their showing in the skillet isn't even what comes in the box. I am also trying to figure out what the leather bracelets and second set of straps, are for. Then again it makes a s much as the trhee sets of hands in this video eddition. http://youtu.be/ANljAR-owjA So far I have found three with this guy, 2 mentioning or showing horse shoes, and a couple with links to actuall forging videos.

What I have herd about hunting Boar. 1 if using a spear make it big and with a stoute and sturdy cross guard. They can run up a spear if it dosent stop them from doing it. With the weights and sizes descibed here I belive it. A lot of momentum can make big creatures ignor anything but fatal leg dropping wonds, or enough force to overpwer that momentum. 2 if using guns A. Use a scope on a powerful hunting rifle. Location location location drop it from a distance and walk up to collect when you know its dead. If I remember right the advice was to go for the temple or from behind the ear. The skull is said to be tough and able to deflect glancing shots. Make sure it hits and drops them. B. As with A's point on location do not aim for the chest in the front. Apparently that is the thickest part of the skin. One gunsmith/hunter was telling me about one he droped, when they went to clean out that area he found some 45 rounds and at least 1 shotgun slug. Maybe it was a lucky or a abnormaly tough one but that convinced me its a shoot, not stab target. So to me it sounds like this is a job for big weapons, A spear sure, a warhammer with a nice spike to get through that skull sure, a Smith and Wesson 500 thats what those were made for. (It's 50 cal revolver that hurts to shoot but can help when dealing with boars or bears that are more lively then you thought they would be.) Thom, a former Gunsmithing student from Nor CA where they had some interesting stories to share witha city boy.

Ok so my undersanding of these poests is that shear steel would be simmiler to a layered billet, like you would have when starting a patern welded peice. Just that it all started out as mild steel, then was made into blister steel, then split and restacked. Is this correct? Also can a peice of blister steel that went to far, became similer to cast iron, be used in this wy to maybe give it some ductility, as a welding heat migrates some of the excess carbon to leave the area? A third question, which era of "stuffy reproduction purists" are we talking about, mountain men, civil war, revolutionary war, midevil, etc...?

So... anyone have any advice on making Pineapple twists... and what to do for adding *sprinkles* to a forged piece?

I would add one thing to SoCal Dave's statment, from time to time challenge them by giving them something you haven't demonstrated, or demonstrated fully, so they can try to figure out how to do it. This can be as simple as handing them something that has been made and telling them to make one. This chalanges their eye (to look at a peice and see what was done) and the mind (I have seen what they did but: why, how and in what order). It makes it a puzzle and more ingaging, at least thats how I see it. I've used it quite a bit when teaching people skills other then smithing. And just discussing the how, why and history of different processes with Blacksmiths has quickly become one of my favorate past times.

@ "stewartthesmith" I agree full hardedly. I an a student under a smith my self and he often comments that I look to much as a slave or servant. I have no problem with how others see me since I know what I am and why I act the way I do. I would rather run and get him a drink, go sort through the piles of scrap, lift the anvils, crawl on the floor to clean, bend over and pick up everything that falls to the ground so that he can keep healthy and working. Why, becase when I am broken [sitting with my hand in ice water after clearing a "cold" piece of iron while cleaning out the coal forge, standing around resting my arm from loving that one handed sledge hammer too much, holding the burnt unconsolidated remains of my layered billet as he demos how easy it would be if I used the proper heat, just some examples from recent meory.] I can still watch, listen and learn. I an greatful for the opprotunity to learn and am as modest as he will let me be. He will from time to time remind me that I am a student not an endentured servant and I should act like it. But I will maintain that huminity and wonderment while nursing my mistakes so that I wont make them again. I don't have to worry about forgeting them since he won't let me.That and my real world obligations, he keeps track of those too and uses his teaching and time in the forge like a carrot at the end of the stick so I can succed in both. Thom Slave to the lady, minion to the master. PS I should also mentiopn that he teaches me philosophy and treats me with grandmotherly kindness. I am sure he will give ne a ration of it when he finds this post and more of the same if he finds it in bad taste or in error.