windancer

I have had my Grizzly for about 20 years and my KMG for about 15. Could not live without both. Hoping to get a KMG horizontal but it will be a while- bought myself an Induction Forge this year. Tools are a GOOD thing! Congrats! Dave

So YOU are the one to fix us up with some more pics!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks, Dave

Very nice work, Steve. I appreciate the thorough explanations at each step in your process. I will never be able to invest nearly enough money for a project the size of yours but it was fun watching and hearing you do it. I use a tiny piece of the Del Sol find in each of my Damascus blades just to add a little 'magic'. There was a heavy meteorite piece on ebay a few years ago that was nearly square. I bid right along on it planning on some thin, killer bolsters. At $800 my interest and means forced me to drop out. When you hold the blade in good light how many colors can you make out? Great projet, Steve. I have meteorite envy! Dave

The easiest fix I would do is to gring a deep finger groove where your index finger sits when holding the knife. and file two or three shallow grooves where the thumb hits on the spine. Not perfect but it would provide a small measure of grip. Dave

Looks like good work to me :) Did it harden up OK? Dave

Value today is exactly $175.00. Dave

I llike the whole package, too. Very good craftsmanship and execution. Dave

I love the bold low-layer Damascus and you nailed this one! The figure in the handle is great- what kind of wood? Enjoyed your site as well :) Dave

Nice job- looks just like a horse head to me, too. You might think about chiseling up a little chip for ears. I like it! Dave

Quint, what area of Puget Sound are you in? I am just south of Olympia... Dave

Watching with bated breath.... Pics for sure! Dave

Thanks to all for participating in this thread. When folks take the time to share everything and post pics and explanations the way they did with this thread it plants the seed of DO-ABLE in my mind. I bought a TH several years ago and loved it, coming from the hand hammer. The ideas here make me want to build another, but I filled the space in my shop with a Kenyon style air hammer. The air hammer vs the TH.... The air hammer will still be in my shop till they find y dead body :) Nice builds! Dave

Super quench will add a little surface hardness but it will never be a knife. Dave

Useful tip, Thanks for posting! Dave

In the pocket, every single day, as is. Think about where it came from sometimes when you use it. Life-long treasure! Dave

GREAT vids! Dave

Makita makes a steel cutting saw that looks like the regular chop saw but it uses better blades that walk through steel and leave very smooth cuts. It also has a capture area that prevents 99% of the sparks and metal particles floating around the shop. In the $500 range and the replacement blades are $100 a pop but last a very long time. Guy at the local tool repair place has one and loves it! Never seen one run myself, but looks and sounds like something to check out. Think I looked at user reviews on Amazon, most were positive. Dave

Love the ice anvil! Dave

Mine has the same shelf but I mounted it so that a firebrick, lying flat, is just 1/8 inch below the forge floor. The bricks take the heat instead of the shelf. I also made my shelf the same width as two firebricks end to end. That provides a wide enough base to stack firebricks on top of the shelf and reduce the opening. Dave

I like the design and the style. Looks like a perfectly usable knife to me. I have maybe a dozen of my first knives all over my shop. When I start having problems with forging or grinding I take a couple minutes and look at a couple of them. I always go back to work smiling. Do get that tempered- This is supposed to be fun- not dangerous. Keep at it- you have some talent for it. Dave

Very nice work all around! Like the non-standard shapes the best :) Dave

Love evrything about this knife! Good job. What is the wrap you used on the handle joint? Dave

Purty stuff for bolsters! Dave

I had some planer blades given to me several years ago. NOTHING I did would soften that steel or make it workable. Never again! The amount of work I put into trying to somehow use that 'free' steel taught me to never use anything I could not identify and get specs on. Dave

Tell her she touched my life as well. Thank you! Dave