Kearnach

So far so good, the bevel could be a little cleaner, but it works as well as the one I didn't buy for $35 at the woodworking store. :D

I've been needing one of these, and figured I'd have more fun making one than I would buying one, so I took one of my $1 files from the flea market and here's what I ended up with... I think next time I'm gonna leave the tangs straight until right before HT to keep my bevel grind cleaner.

Find a good massage therapist to do some myofascial release on your forearms... we work wonders, and it's way cheaper than surgery.

I've been playing with my new tomahawk drift the past few days on the forge... there's a little bit of a learning curve getting everything tight and decent looking (or what passes for it in my shop), but I've had lots of fun.

I messed up the first time and spread the bit too thin before slitting to steel the bit, but decided to finish it out, assuming correctly that I'd mess up something else along the way. This one taught me a lot about keeping the eye the way I want it and forming the blade.



The second hawk was better, steeled the bit with 1095 at the same time that I brought the sides together. My gas forge is a little cool for welding mild steel (I think I need to reline it, bought it used), but I got it to weld. This was a gift to a friend.



The third hawk was made on my coal forge, so the welds are a lot better. I think the shape is better too.



I welcome any feedback.

Just a coal forge that my buddy made.

So, this is the first knife I've made since joining the ABS, and the first since joining here too... 1084 Carbon steel, gaboon ebony, stainless bolts and lanyard tube, and red and black liners.

There's several flaws in this blade, and I intend to spend another hour or two hand sanding, but some of the mistakes aren't really correctable (big grinder scratch in the ricasso) without taking the scales off and rehandling it. I intend to keep it as a reminder to get it right before I move on to the next step :P

The bottom's pretty flat with a porter hole... I don't recall it having much of a depression at all.

Not that I've found, and I've been over every inch of this anvil... when I picked it up it had severe pitting on all surfaces, as if it had been left out in the weather for long years... 2 days of grinding later and the face was slick and shiny.

No numbers or marks of any kind, tough :(

Hey guys, can anyone give me a positive ID on this anvil? I think it's a Hay Budden, but as you can see, there's no markings left due to corrosion.
Things that make me think it's a HB:
1 1/8" Hardy hole corresponds with HB's sizing for anvil weight (~270 lbs)
The waist
Porter holes from forging
On the bottom of the anvil there appeared to be a "lip" around the base, maybe 1/4" thick, but seems to have worn away. From what I understand of HB anvils, there was often an hourglass shaped depression in the base.

Thanks!

I'll try to get up to Morganton, what time does it start?

Hey everybody, I've been playing around at blacksmithing and bladesmithing for a couple of years now, and have spent a weekend here and there at my buddy's forge. I just picked up my first anvil a week ago, and I'm ready to get started doing this as a more serious endeavor. Here's some pics of a knife I made for christmas, and my anvil (both before and after I cleaned it up).