Cloudspike84

Incredible work, it is inspiring to see it all!

Haha yeah, I saw that too...I have a friend that goes to FSU, and they have a copy apparently. I may see if I can "borrow" it that way. From everything that I've read and seen, it looks to be a good read.

I am pretty new to posting here, but I have to say that the wealth of information to be found is incredible. I see the kinds of posts you guys are talking about all the time where the same questions are asked again and again and I can see that that would be annoying at least. I felt stupid asking the one question I have because it was to something I KNEW I had read here already but just couldn't find it again. The google + iforgeiron + what you are searching for is certainly the best way to search the site, and if people would read the post about that it might cut back on the repeat questions. In any case, thanks for all of the information; I am going to read and re-read more of the Knife Class thread now!

Very nice; everything about the look of the knife is beautiful. The compass mark is very cool as well.

Really enjoyed the show, it was fantastic to see ancient methods come to life with such expert craftsmanship. I know this thread is old, but in case anyone missed it or wants to see it again, the documentary is on Netflix and I believe the whole thing is on Youtube as well. Definitely worth watching!

Thanks for the feedback! It is a bit heavy; honestly I wish at this point that it had a single edge and would make a decent chopper for camping and it would probably be more suited for that. I considered grinding it down more to bring the weight to a more resonable level but I decided I really wanted to call it "good" for a first attempt and move onto some other projects. I actually think I may have read that book when doing my original research years ago, but I may order a personal copy to keep.

This is my first project that I started working on in high school as part of a senior project. It was originally a Gladius (the smith who helped train me was also the Latin teacher, so it made sense). That was over 10 years ago, and it has underwent a ton of work since then. The original "gladius style" grip broke, and the tang broke, and I burnt it a little. This is the final edition, as I am ready to set it aside and work on some other things now that I have space for it. It is made from a leaf spring that was hammered into shape (bevels etc.). The handle is burnt on and attached with a nut; I cheated and used a tap and die. The blade is quenched (used salt water) and tempered at 500 degrees. I didn't spend as much time polishing the blade as I could have, but like I said it is pretty rough as it is and I'm ready to move on. That being said, it is still functional; the blade is pretty sharp and might use it to chop some small bushes in the yard later :) I don't have any pictures from the original work, but I have a few from the recent bits. Thanks for looking. Blade Length 17 1/2 inches Blade Width 2 3/8 inches Overal Lenth 23 1/2 inches Weight approx. 2.2 lbs

Doing my introduction and saying hi. I have been smithing off and on for over 10 years as allowed by living arrangements and work. My interests are primarily blade smithing and tool smithing. I currently/usually use a charcoal forge, but I have a simple propane one (that is on loan to my brother). I am still pretty new to smithing in terms of actual forge time, but am pretty well read on it. I just finished a blade project (that I'll post in the appropriate forum) and am working on railroad spike tomahawks and a small knife made from a broken ratchet wrench. I have read this forum for a long time, but this is my first post.