julian

good ideas Rich. Knife making should not be made too complicated; concentrate on certain basic steps in a blade and build from there. Tyler: what Rich is getting at is that we, as beginners, should get down some basics and tried and true methods before branching out too much.

very cool piece! nice job

looks like a nice quick hawk for throwing. I really like the pewter bands on the haft, a BP on how to do that would be great!

vinegar is great for revealing very fine patterns in damascus; it takes longer but shows more. Personally I use pool acid to etch damascus, it doesn't immediately burn a hole in your skin as long as you wash it off quickly. Windex or some kind of liquid containing ammonia is very good to have around to neutralize acid.

Ironwood is such a great handle material. Nice handle material/blade match on that one Rich.

I have this bench grinder and it works fine. With rebates and a sale, I got it for $20 at Ace hardware.

all very good things to consider Rich. Making a living as a bladesmith/blademaker ain't easy!

cleaning my work area in the garage takes about 30 minutes at it's dirtiest. All I ever have to do is sweep up grinder dust and put tools back into their right spots.

looks like it cuts real nice great job!

Eric perhaps cheer him up with having him tell you stories about when he was young, maybe stories about you when you were a child. I'm sure that will bring back good memories for him :)

very nice hammer Tyler, it's nice to work with tools you make :)

excellent work jens. the wood looks beautiful with that handle shape, looks like it cuts great :)

I recognize the handle material that you showed me very pretty Rich.

very pretty tek, looks like it cuts great and feels nice in the hand!

nice sam!! glad to see you're doing wood handles! A whole new set of challenges :)

Jeeze Rick, you're really addicted to this blacksmithin' stuff aren't ya! welcome back :)

Bob seems like a smart guy. FDR's New Deal to this day is attacked as socialist but it established lasting programs and helped the U.S. get through the deppression. European countries pay a ton more for gas than we do. And really, back in the 70s with gas shortages, gas was worth a lot more and people paid higher prices (ratio wise, today's dollar is worth a lot more). I think every now and then people should not use any gas or maybe try and drive less. It'd be easier than trying to organize a big no-drive day, anyway ;)

i agree with above posts; bruiqettes will make ya wheeze. Try finding a heap of those wooden things (not sure what they're called) that heavy boxes are put on so forklifts can pick them up. Any ol' wood will work as charcoal, I hear hardwood is preferable. If you have a bulk trash pickup day around your house you might try driving around looking for old wood tables or chairs people set out for the garbage man.

you could also try a hidden tang antler handle by boiling the antler for a few hours in the backyard then jamming the tang into it when it's soft; i hear that works. might try using some epoxy along with it.

Sam is a bit under-equppied for handles at the moment, Dale. But a good grinder is a great investment .. I'm tellin ya, Grizzly all the way ;)

Tek the knife looks great! I like the wood and bolsters, very clean. Great job!

looking good JROSE, i like to see a maker put the best handles he can on knives. Have you started heat treating them yet?

I actually left a couple comments on that titanium video awhile ago, it's a pretty interesting concept. Can't make it all the way out to Maryland though :p

sam...go for the grizzly instead of a dinky 2X42"

nice! A good working blower alone for $25 is a great deal, and now you have a portable forge :)