Nick

I sketch things out, but I can't draw very well. I'm much better when I actually start making something in 3-D. So I'll sketch, and I'll make lists, and I'll look through my inspiration file if I need an idea, but I tend to refine everything at 2000 degrees.

Well, I usually call it "the forge," but I also call it "the shop" as well. But the building it's in has been known as "the hanger" for longer than I've been alive, so sometimes I call it that. It's an old barn on my property that at one time in its existance housed a Piper Cub. Lots of names, one place.

You may want a low speed, high torque drill.

Those are very good for not having done it long! What is the length overall and width of the blade?

I want to make a hammer rack for my shop. I've only got three or four hammers I use on a regular basis, but when I need that one I'm tired of digging through my hammer pile. What have others come up with for hanging hammers? Any tips or pics? Cheers, Nick

These are a couple pictures from the Ironwood Renaissance Faire that I smithed at a couple years ago. I shared the booth with my friend Dan (he's in the solid brown kilt), who's primarily a bladesmith. I'm primarily a blacksmith, so we had a pretty well-rounded booth. At the Ishpeming Faire I unpinned the upper part of my greatkilt and let it hang. 6 yards of wool isn't something to be wrapped in when you're standing next to a forge in the blazing sun! I don't forge in a kilt often. Only a couple times outside of faires, and then never in my greatkilt. I know there's one smith that always wears a kilt, but I'd have to dig up the article on him. Cheers, Nick

Hi Julian, I'm afraid I can't take credit for blazing the trail, I got the blades from a good friend of mine who's a bladesmith who uses them quite a bit. They do make excellent knives, though. They're not stainless, but they are quite rust-resistant. I'm not sure how old they are, but at least a few years, maybe four or five. As for forging porperties, it's very strange. It's close to an air-hardening steel, and is difficult to file when cold. Though I actually forged these blades, my friend primarily stock removes when using them. He only forges scrolls of large bends, and I'd have to say that that is probably the best course of action for this material. I'd like to get the exact properties of this steel, I'm probably going to give a piece to a friend who works in the Chemistry dept. at the university to analyze. You can see Dan's work here: www.blackriverblades.com. He uses the skate blades mainly for the bodice daggers. Cheers, Nick

Just finished the sheaths for these two sgian dhus I made for two of my groomsmen. The blades are forged from high-quality hockey skate blades, the roughness was left in the center intentionally. The handles are whitetail deer antler. They are not drilled all the way through, and the blades are inset slightly. The extra width of the hole was filled with dental acryllic to finish it. Also notice the small ricosso at the bottom of the blades, something not normally found on sgians. Both handles have similar curves. And here's the dirk I'm making for myself, forged from a 7" piece of 3/4" roundstock. The handle needs the finishing work and then a finish applied. (This was also posted at www.xmarksthescot.com) Cheers, Nick

Hello all! I'm Nick D, I've been poking around the forums for a little while and joined just recently. I'm 22 and have been smithing for about three years now. I do mostly artistic work, and also make armour and dabble in blades. I'm a member of MABA (Michigan Artist Blacksmith Association) and president of the (currently unnamed) group of smiths who meet monthly at the old Cliffs Shaft Mine in Ishpeming, MI. I'm a student, majoring in History, specializing in Medieval European history (which is part of the reason I make armour). I took the blacksmithing class, which is how I got started, and took a jewelry/metals class and am currently in the advanced raising class. Other than that I'm mostly self-taught. I built a small shop in an old barn on my property, which is where I work out of mostly, though I'm working more in the school forges now. Cheers Nick