Messerist

During WWII my dad was a teenager. They would hold scrap drives out in the countryside in western Minnesota. He told me of hay wagons full of scrap steel and iron they collected from the farmers in the area. They would haul the scrap to the freight yard for loading on the train. One wagon was full of anvils that they had collected. The scrap headed east to the Gary Indiana steel mills. I guess those anvils ended up being smelted down into new steel for the war effort.

Could anyone give me a source for a touchmark? Thanks for any help

I have not seen much of your work lately. So nice to see your hawks and axes!

How did I miss this one? Fan-flippin-tastic Sam!

Thanks for all the kind words and comments. Richard hit the nail on the head by suggesting Wayne's and Jim's books. I would like to suggest two DVDs as well. One is by Tim Lively "Knifemaking Unplugged" and the other is "Knifemaking with William White." If you are just staring out those are four great soures of knowledge and will answer tons of questions you might have. Don't forget to prepare to outlay alot of sweat and elbow grease as well. And if failure is something that sways you from your goal, do not proceed. If I had a dime for everytime I screwed up...I'd have a boat load of dimes

Very fine! Like your set up. Hope to see more soon!

BRAVO!!

Excellent pictorial! Thank you for sharing this. Waiting in anticipation for the finished pictures.

The video is in german so the language might be difficult for some but it is very interesting. My link

I'm liking that ax! A fine job. :)

I just bought some from these guys. Give them a call. My link

I have a weakness for tools/knives made from rasps. That is a well-made ax sir! :D

Tiapan and Matt. Yes, I did anneal the head before starting to forge it. I just heated it to critical temp(non-magnetic) and let it slowly cool in some heated wood ashes overnight. I also had to re-anneal it during the forging process because as I worked on it the steel began to get stiff and hard to move(of course I may have been getting tired and the steel just felt hard to move). The handle came unfinished from R.E. Davis Co. I bought the over-sized handle because my drift is a little larger that most commercially available drifts. I also like a longer handle. It is curly maple as many of you already know. I stained it with Aqua Fortis which is nitric acid cut with steel wool. I did not make the batch I have now but purchased it online. I brush a coat on the wood after sanding and raising the grain several times until it is smooth. I then just heat up a bar of steel in the forge and hold it close to the wood and the color changes to what you see in the photo. I then use some fine 0000 steel wool and boiled linseed oil and rub it in to the wood. I gave this handle three coats. That is it in a nutshell. I am chomping at the bit to get some more made but our weather here has been so miserable and cold that I have not been brave enough to get outside and forge. I need to build a covered shop someday. I hope you all have a Happy New Year!

You don't have a big, white beard and a red suit do you? Aw heck! I missed Christmas. That's what I get for not dropping in more often. Your knives are a testament to hard work and continuing skill development. You should be proud of your work. Now take me off the "naughty list" Cooter!

Great looking knives Stormcrow! I like the use of copper. I use it often for guards and bolsters.

You are in so much trouble dude! Are you married? I was addicted before I got married so The Wife had to accept my insanity.

Hi Brad, glad ya made it. Welcome aboard! This is the place to find a lot of help with your knifemaking. If these guys can't help then no one can. There are many resources available here to get you started and the most important are the people. We all started out just like you did.....except for me, I was born a brilliant knifemaking genius...oh, I forgot, my therapist told me that was just a dream. Don't forget to post some finished pics. :D

Amazing cleavers Sam and Lamey. I need to get on this site more often. I have used 5160 for some big knive/cleavers. I "handled" them like Sam's cleaver. I guess that would be called "Hidden tang?"

You nailed 'em! They should fit the bill.

Well I finally got one finished...almost. I still need to make a sheath and do some finer sanding. I forged this one out of an old leaf spring. The handle is sambar stag with a brass guard. Before After

Superb work! Except for the green handled one(I had to complain about "one")I don't like green. Welcome aboard!

You all are bringing up some great points about draw filing. I have been making knives for about 20 years and for 98% of the knives I've made I have used simply files and sandpaper after forging to shape. I have found out alot of info in this thread that I was ignorant of. You can learn something new here everyday. Possibly the most important is what celtic forge said, keep your files clean, clean, clean. They cut better and last longer

Ok, stop that! You're having way to much fun! That can't possibly be good for you. Just joking. It looks like you are off and running. Just remember that you have to eat and sleep occasionally. And if you are married...jeeesh, don't get me started! Keep at it! :)

That is a fine looking hawk!

That's looking good Ron. I like the spike. Maybe make it a tad longer.