Darious

Just to keep everyone a little more up to date: The fires are still spreading throughout northern Alberta. The Athabasca Oil Sands Project 5 KM south of Fort Mac has been evacuated as well. the winds are blowing the fire more southerly as well. There is also another wildfire that has started in North Western Alberta just east of the BC Border. Crews are trying to contain the fires. If anyone has any questions I am fairly close to where I can get lots of information. Just ask.

As bad as it sounds I'm going to say it. There was no better city for the fire to happen to anywhere in Canada if one had to happen at all. Fort Mac is an entire city of Fire and emergency specialists. The entire city revolves around the Oil Sands so everyone who lives there has training in how to deal with potential emergencies. I could have been much worse had it been somewhere else. Still wish it had never happened at all.

Here is my final Character set up and gear listing: Name: Brandon Zwicker Age: 24 Height 6'1 Weight: 210 lbs Hair: Crew Cut black hair Eyes: Hazel Brief Backstory: Brandon grew up on the east coast of Nova Scotia Canada. He enlisted in the Canadian Forces at the age of 20. After 1 year of basic and 2 years of service time working on aircraft at CFB Cold Lake he decided on a vacation. Brandon was able to find an online social gathering that was setting up an unguided hunting trip in Alaska and decided it would be a lot of fun and a chance to get away from civilization for a while. With the click of a mouse and a credit card payment he signed up for the trip and went to the range with his trusty rifles for some final checks. Basic Equipment and EDC: Brandon always has a 550 paracord Wrap bracelet on his right wrist with a Woven in Mini Compass. The buckle on it is a mini Fire Striker. He wears composite toe and Heel 6 inch Dakota hiking boots with the laces swapped for 550 paracord. On his left wrist he keeps his trusted 5.11 Field Ops watch. Strapped to his right hip is his Gerber LMF infantry blade in Coyote. It is attached to his belt which is a Blackhawk CQB Riggers belt. On the back of his belt he generally carries a pouch for a set of handcuffs and a pouch for a single pair of Nitrile medical gloves. For His firearms (If for the hunting trip) Brandon has a Tikka T3 Black Polymer chambered in .300 Win. Mag. with a US Optics ST-10 10 x 44 Scope. He also carries a Beretta PX4 Storm chambered in 9mm for dealing with Coyotes and smaller animals.

@Charles R. Stevens im currently usin 1.5 length on 9 inch tops. I'm looking to get the flint caps to go on the end of them when I can. It works out to be just under 6 feet per lace.

Every Day Carry. for example you'd be hard pressed to find me without my Paracord survival bracelet, S&W Tanto HRK folding knife, and Original S.W.A.T combat boots (Which have the laces swapped with paracord).

I'm in Calgary out of the way. I have a few relatives who had to evac. to Edmonton from there. A lot of people around here are effected by the Fires. Just waiting for the restoration projects to start. A lot of Us are wondering what will be left by the time all is done burning.

Ill flesh him out and give you all of the details. Have we decided on the trip style then? I will also make a general list of what he likes to wear and what he has for EDC. again up to you if you want to change anything. that's what inventory assessments post stranding are for lol.

it looks to be the trademark from JH williams and company circa 1915. I would start there Found it on Alloy-Artifacts.org if that helps at all

I may have to steal that one from you! lol

My grandfather was in the search and rescue in Nova Scotia. He had a deal with the local RCMP. Whenever they got a report of a deer or moose being hit recently he would respond to the accident as well and pick up the carcass. He would take it home and cut out everything that was spoiled then hang it and bleed it. He could usually fill the freezer from what was left over that was salvageable Driving highway on the east coast of NS at night the safest thing to do was find a large truck or 18 wheeler and stay behind it. the moose love to cross the highway at night and their fur doesn't reflect the light. Just their eyes if they are staring at you. you don't even realize they are there until you've already hit them. At least following the larger trucks they had the cattle iron on the front of them to prevent most of the damage to the vehicles.

Happy to help with coming up with a name but like Frosty said naming a business is more then just finding a few words that go together and sound good. Give us a brief history of what you've done to get to this point. what do you make? How do you want to be viewed? do you have images or logo ideas you would like to go with the name? Did you want your name incorporated into the title or is it going to be something unique? the more info you provide the more help we can give in making suggestions. In the end It will be you choosing and designing the name though.

While I don't have a shop of my own yet I can remember from using my grandfathers shop. The issue with selling and buying all new equipment is that It never quite feels the same as the stuff you are used to using/have made yourself etc. most of the new stuff just isn't built the same way. I'd say keep yours and store them. But save the money and add to them when you get back.

Lets see where to start... By Day I'm a full time Security Professional with a long background list of skills. I'm slowly training to become certified in Close Protection/ Executive Protection. I'm just getting into Blacksmithing finally but have been lurking and studying on it since about 2008. Now i'm finally in a position where I have the money/Time/Space to give it a try for myself. I've always been obsessed with fantasy so mostly I want to get into Armorsmithing and bladesmithing. But got to start somewhere. For now I play Dungeons & Dragons every second weekend. Study Weapons, Military tactics, History, and Survival. I break up the off time with some minor gaming (Destiny and Halo Mostly) and lots of reading. 2 hours of swimming every week, Rock Climbing and rappelling on the list to come next, and when I'm licensed hunting and shooting take up any remaining time in my life not dedicated to my Fiancee or sleeping. Cheers.

that is a beautiful piece. Loving the Turks head Tsuba! You will have to let us know how it handles. With that rubberized cord wrap do you think there will be any issues with slipping when wet? Cant wait for the update

I'll solidify my vote with the hunting trip to simplify things. @MrDarkNebulah i find the easiest way is to think about how realistic you can get when designing a character. go to a mall and watch people for a bit then decide what factors you like. For example: if we do the hunting trip I would look at making a character like follows: Name: Brandon Zwicker Age: 24 Height 6'1 Weight: 210 lbs Hair: Crew Cut black hair Eyes: Hazel Brief Backstory: Brandon grew up on the east coast of Nova Scotia Canada. He inlisted in the Canadian Forces at the age of 20. after 1 year of basic and 2 years of service time working on aircraft at CFB cold Lake he decided on a vacation. Brandon was able to find an online social gathering that was setting up an unguided hunting trip in Alaska and decided it would be a lot of fun and a chance to get away from civilization for a while. With the click of a mouse and a credit card payment he signed up for the trip and went to the range with his trusty rifles for some final checks.

Do you have a character sheet you would like us to fill out? My vote is for either the fishing ship or the hunting trip

wish id have seen this one from the start. Was an amazing read and enjoyed it quite a bit. After 15 years of D&D AD&D and 3.5) there are definitely some RP skills you have to pick up. first and foremost don't screw with the DM. Dragons are not fun at low levels! Count me in for the next one!

Frosty You are right in mentioning that I don't have a lot of experience myself and that there are a lot of variables that I don't know. I don't use Youtube or FB for my studying and research as I never know the credibility of the sources. My suggestion of the Gas to air ratio comes from my research here and in BladeSmiths Forums based off of a lot of reoccurring posts involving getting up to and maintaining heat levels with a propane forge. If the advise is wrong please let me know as well because it is something I have flagged to monitor when I make my own gas forge in a month or so as well. Forging Carver My information comes from my own research into the issue. Make sure to verify it with someone who has a lot more experience then myself. As well make sure to post the result as I am interested in seeing what the fix is myself. Thanks everyone in advance for all the advice.

you could make 2 blocks of different consistency damascus and cut them into 1/4" slats. then weld them to a sheet metal base and heat to smooth out the edges. Sand and acid bathe the final board to bring out the different color blocks of the 2 different types of damascus. Say 1084/15N20 for the first set and maybe a 1095/15n20 alternate pattern for the second?

Could also be an issue with the air to propane ratio going into the forge. do you have a way to regulate levels of each on your burner?