Askdamice

I've made several knives over the years, and recently added it (among other things) to my "do stuff you like to do and get paid for it" philosophical approach to self employment. Here are a few examples of my work. Rick

I saw these knives "face to face" so to speak... Jimi does great work and I'm really liking this new "unplugged" direction that he is taking. Rick

Well here's my little guy.... 5" x 5" x 14" pc of 1045 burried 8" into a chicken feeder using sand screening (that fine chalky gravel stuff) Works well and is really quiet so I don't disturb the nieghbors at night... lol. Rick

Yes, it has been coated in refractory.... 2" of 8lb Kaowool and finished with 2 coats of Plistex 900F. A friend suggested I put that bit of refractory above the front opening to keep the flames from licking the shell and disorting it over time. I have heard that you can fire it up before plistix dries completely but I'm gonna wait a bit so I don't mess it up. I had it running before I coated the Kaowool and (from a cold start) it heated a 1/4" thk piece of mild steel to yellow in under 2 minutes. I still need to make a door for the 2.5" through hole in the back. Rick

Alright.... so I finally took my time and some advice and made a proper forge. I still use the smaller one but with the MAPP gas torch instead of the weed burner flame thrower.... lol. Made from a propane tank, complete with a Larry Zoeller Side Arm Burner. This one is much more efficient.... and safe!

The original burner port worked well... the "Zoeller Mini Forge" set up... my only complaint was that the MPS/MAPP gas was expensive and LP didn't heat up enough. I will mess around with this new set up a little more to see if I can get it to work... If not, I'll go back to the mini and make a larger LP forge to spec. Thanks for the posts guys. Rick

So, I made a Forge... Scarey! .... 8" dia pipe, ceramic cloth liner with a fire brick bottom. I originally used a MAPP gas torch in the side... but I recently modified it to use a propane burner. The burner is from a commercial roofing torch called Mr Heater that puts out 500,000 btu's... I cut down the handle and mounted it to the forge. I can only run it at a fraction of its capability or the flames shoot out about a foot and a half... the only thing that concerns me is the last inch or so of the burner shield gets red hot after a while.... does this alarm anyone? I could take more detailed photos if necessary. This is the heater I used.... MR. HEATER Rick

Hi, I recently started forging my blades and fell in love with the process... I was a stock removal guy for a time... but forging suits my style better. Thank you to Master Bladesmith Wally Hayes for helping me to get started... here are a few pieces... Thanks. Rick. My Bushknife.... 11" OA My Strife (part striker, part knife)... 2 1/2" OA My Recurve Bushknife.... 13" OA Forgin' pics (at Wally's shop)

I must respectfully disagree with Joe having dedicated most of my life to wilderness living and primitive skills. Trying to remove a broken handle from an axehead in the woods is a daunting task to say the least. Then you have to fit the head and drive a wedge in! tough stuff in my experience. I stopped carrying Gransfors Bruks axes for exactly that reason. It takes a lot less effort to taper a limb to fit a hawk and the teardrop is only needed for the last six inches or so. Historicaly, very few "Mountainmen", "Longhunters" and "Voyageurs" carried a axe when compared to a hawk. Especially when on the move. In permanent camps the axe was preferred for heavier work. That is from my own experience... to each his own, bro. Rick I agree with drifting the eye rather than using a mandrel ***EDIT*** After reviewing the post... I could be wrong in thinking Joe meant the typical straight axe head eye... if he meant to simply use a round or square shaped "tapered" hawk eye... then I agree to some extent but the round hole could allow the head to spin during use which is dagerous.

Hey Normark... Hi guys, I was there that night and had a blast... Wally Hayes is a talented man and a good friend. Normark, is without a doubt the best kydex sheathmaker out there and soon to be great Bladesmith! Thanks for putting me on to this site, bro Rick FYI..... Normark here, enjoys forging in sandals!... the smell of burning hair and flesh and toejam is always a pleasure....

Hey Guys and Gals, This is my first post on the forums... good to be here... I have been using a 4" x 4" x 14" block of 1045 steel burried in sand screening (that chalky fine gravel)... it deadens the ringing and has work hardend a bit with use. I ground a radius on one edge. Its mounted in a poultry feeder.... Ha! Rick