Jspool

What Frosty said!

I do my own leather work so don't look too close. I really quite a beginner at it and my cutting, stamping, and sewing skills leave a lot to be desired. When I want a real sheath I go to Paul Long. He's quite s master.

Those are the most sophisticated cable blades I have ever seen.. Great work!

And now a stand.

Suggested reading http://www.marshallarts.co.za/tools.htm

28 layers of 1084 and 15n20. Welded and drawn out. cut into 4. Those are welded, drawn and cut into 4, and then one more time for the process. My ladder dies are made from 5/16 round stock with top and bottom offset. Once the grooves are set, I ground the billet flat.

All dressed up now.

One has to ponder as to how a couple of those links got twisted!

Thats what we all thought! The hook is set.

Thanks guys I appreciate the comments.

Heres a better shot.

Here you go. Sorry its not as good a shot as the others.

Sure.

Here is a Stag handled bowie I just finished up. Ladder damascus is 1084/15n20 at RC62. Guard and pommel are 200 yr old heat blued wrought iron. I learned a lot of recovery techniques on this one!

That would make a great Hollywood prop!

I have collected and designed blades for years. In the last couple years I started to make my own. I have made blades ranging from stock removal, to mosaic damascus, on my own, and at classes I have taken. In my opinion, because the process of making a masterful knife has such a long learning curve, the more folks that attempt to do so on their own will serve to expand their appreciation of what it takes to make a great blade. Hopefully this will result in less balking, and more understanding regarding the pricing of custom knives. Have you pros found sales increasing, and more willingness to pay the price by the knife buying public?

I now prefer to purchase 3 phase machinery, and run it with a vfd, than single phase. the performance and torque is much better than a single phase motor, and as a plus (for machinery where it's applicable) I get a variable speed machine out of the deal. I went with Nema 4 vfds for my 2x72 grinder and my surface grinder due to yhe grit and dust, but all my other equipment is running off of the Chinese VFDs just fine for a few years now. Rotary converters work fine but are expensive and have no variable function. Static converters rob your power and torque.

I love this thread. Thanks to everyone sharing.

Very nice. Is that died buckeye burl for the handle?

Beautiful blade. Great job on the guard. I like the coining

Great. Thanks guys.

Thanks, but I was referring to the spring part of the tool, not the swage or fullering portion. Will mild steel loose its "spring"?

I am about to make a set of spring fullering tools for my power hammer. I see that most folks are using mild steel for the flatbar portion. Before I start, is there a better option to go with if I want the spring to last longer? My hammer is a 55lb Kinyon. I was going to use 1.25" x .125" flat bar for a fuller set ranging from a 3" slightly rounded down to a 1/2" half round

Very nice. You have an excellent sense of form and can execute your vision masterfully. I am a wood turner as well as a blade smith and now I need to find some padouk to play with!

Very sexy!