Sam Freeman

Here it is, I'll keep adding to the post as I work on this. Comments and suggestions more than welcome! Sam Material: Car Bonnet Quick drawing Thought I best be safe and put this on cardboard first.........

Hi Rob, I live in balingup western Australia, formally from the UK though. Married indeed. Facebook seems to have chosen my avatar!

Balingup, an hour south-east of Bunbury! and hello everyone!

That is correct, I think I shall fix this with the grinder later today, Will add some new pictures shortly.

To be honest I'm not entirely sure what the steel is, I cut it from a plate of 5ml steel, however it was near impossible to work with my file before I annealed it so I said "yup, that'll do" I hope this wasn't too big a mistake. All my metal I salvage from the tip for $1 a ute load and this seemed the toughest. All my three knives and one sword are being made from this. I also am thinking of getting rid of the wood handle and using fiber glass then hemp chord wrapped around that then finished with leather?

This is my first knife, unnamed and without much identity, however getting there slowly! started sheath with leather and the handle in the lower pictures was Jarrah however that fell and broke so now it's Hickory. (Sorry about the size of the images, will fix this soon)

Hey from Australia! The name's Sam, been hunting through the forums for a while learning this and that, however I thought it was about time I joined and said hello. Primarily interested in Armour smithing, knives, swords and bit of leather work on the side. and that's about that! Sam

I will get around to scanning the sketches for hilt design and inlays etc shortly but for now here are some pictures that I shall updates as I go along...... Sam Started from a bar of 9 ml steel, annealed, forged to rough shape and now filling, filling, filling!

First post, so I may as well start with the first thing I built. $2 forge, only cost was in the 44 gallon drum from the local tip, hair dryer pilfered from the wife and the rest I had lying around. These pictures are during the build and it has had three knives and sword through it and works a treat. A few modifications included adding steel mesh over the blue stones with more blue stone on the mesh to help the air pipe flow air through the entire length of the forge and also reducing heat on the kiln cladding. I have also added a slit on one side of the drum so I can bring my sword blades flat to the fire. Strage thing however, last night it was down to 8 celcuis so I had the forge on until 1 in the morning while doing my leather work to heat the shed and in the morning after it cooled the blue stones had somewhat 'welded' themselves together? strange! Anyway, the name's Sam & G'day