Messerist

Quite a stunner! It is a very complete package and a great design to boot.:)

First knife. You are doing very well!. Keep up the good work:)

Really great work!

Well I finished the knife and have posted a photo of it on the Knifemaking thread. Holy cow was I shocked at the color it turned while working it. Neon green! It has muted in color alot since I burnished it and gave it a coat of tung oil. Thank you all for your help!

Nice job. That'll cut for a month of sundays!

Excellent work. God bless you two!

Here is my latest. I needed a little advice on how to finish Osage Orange. I decided to use tung oil and was assured that the neon-like glow of the wood would age to a nice amber. I forged an old file from my stash and used brass for the guard. Hope ya like it.

Forging rocks! Don't it? Great knife!

Wow! Words do not do it justice.

bamboolongbow. No, it is just the standard Osage block. I glued it up today so I may have some pictures to post by the weekend. Thank you all once again for your generous assistance.

Superb examples of a good heart!

Dat knife don't look like no plane I ever see'd (just kidding) Great looking knife Sam!

Thanks for the help. The Osage I have is straight-grained with no visible knots. I am making it for an archer who wants a knife to match his Osage longbow.

I've never used it before so I don't have a clue as to how to finish this type of wood. Texas Knifemaker Supply says to use a sealer after sanding. has anyone ever used Osage for a knife handle? How did you finish it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

You guys all earned a place in heaven today. You should see how you made a little girl smile with your generous comments. God Bless.

great looking bowie! Sorry I can't help you with the polishing question but I have noticed that when I do a final sanding on my blades, which are differentially heat treated, the harder edge polishes up more than the softer spine. I only finish to a 400 grit wet/dry. Once again I think you have a beauty of a blade there.

Here is my latest blade. It is a collaboration between my five-year-old daughter and myself. The knife started out as a skinner but due to a crack that appeared after hardening I tossed the blade in a fit of frustration in my knifemaking box. One day as I was working on another blade my little one came up and asked if she could help Dad make a knife. So I gave her the defective blade and a marker, showed her where the blade was cracked and said she could redesign the knife. Well here is her modification on what I thought was a lost cause. OAL is 8.5" with a whitetail antler/leather washer hand and brass guard. Sorta makes a Dad proud.

You don't suck at knifemaking. Great blades!:D

Excellent knife! Question, Is a fuller common on seax knives? Again, Capital work!:)

Sam! Good looking sword! Been a while since I've posted(new babies suck all my time away. I haven't even forged one blade this year!). Maybe will have time to light up the forge this weekend. Once again, Love the sword!:D

Since I never make the same blade twice I use the WAG or "wing it method." Using 1X8 pieces should do you just fine. Good Luck and don't forget to post pictures of your work for those of us who surf for "Knife Porn.":D

Has anyone here heard of the practice that when you quench a blade edge down you should have the blade oriented to magnetic north? I have read that it keeps thinner blades from warping.

I have the Lively's video and think it is great. They are a class act and really do give the beginner a handle on low-cost knifemaking. Of course they are evil in a sense that they make you hungry by cooking a breakfast of bacon and eggs on the fire that they make their charcoal out of, so I have to run into the kitchen for a snack everytime I watch it! My DVD is out on a loaner right now for the fifth time this year! It gets you hooked! On the topic of videos/DVDS there is another one which I would like to recommend to you. Knifemaking with Willie White. It was put out by American Pioneer Video a few years back so I don't know if it is still in production. Wille uses more power tools than Tim but nothing that will break the bank to buy. He is the Cousin of Hershel House, a Gunmaker and Blacksmith.

Good idea Kevin! I used a old round file a few years back to make fullering tool. I just heated it and bent it about a third of the way down at a 45 degree angle. Worked pretty well until I stopped messing around with fullering blades. I guess I like a heavier knife that's all. Hope your surgery went well and you are gtg!:)

I agree that vermiculite would be a very stable medium for annealing. I just use wood ashes because I'm cheap.:)