Messerist

I like your blade design! Can't wait to see it finished

Strantor: yes there is a spacer. It is just a leather washer. When I am assembling the handle I use a slightly thinner piece of leather between the handle material and guard when I drill the hole for the pin. When I am ready for final assembly I use a thicker piece of leather. It causes the holes to be slightly misaligned, so I taper the pin, apply a good 2 ton 30 minute epoxy and tap the pin in place. It snugs everthing up real tight. I use the epoxy as insurance and to fill in any voids inside the handle. I make the entire knife by hand with the exception of a hand drill to drill the pin hole and help hollow out the handle. Sometimes I just can't seem to get the handle to lie flush with the guard. The spacer helps fill in any gaps as well. Here is another knife with leather spacers.

Finally finished another one. We have a new baby and I have not been working much on blades. Forged this one out of a file. Used brass for the guard and a piece of curly maple stained with aquafortis for the handle.

I'd say that is a very nice axe! 100% better than my first try, second try....twentieth, you get what I mean. Keep up the good work:)

The blade looks very functional! I love the copper. I work with copper in my "day job" and use it a lot in my knives

Kevin. Keep up the good work. One thing that is use when I sand is a piece of brass barstock 1/4"X1"X6", wrap sandpaper around it and sand away. it does not have to be 6" long but I keep mine kind of long to keep my fingers away from the edge(slices hurt).

My first knife is in the bottom of the Mediterranean sea...good riddance. Nice looking blade you have there!:)

To go out on a limb is something I don't do much anymore, but if I were to classify your blade I would put it in the realm of an early trade knife. Your tang looks alot like a "scalper" knife seen in Madison Grant's The Knife in Homespun America. Scalpers were also use in the indian and fur trade.. Over all it looks like it will be a fine piece of cutlery.

Nice sticker Finnr. Especially the antler wood combination

:):)Don't you feel bad about using leather washers for a handle material. You are in good company. Many famous knifemakers used leather washer handles i.e. Bo Randle, Bill Scagle. I think it is a very durable and inexpensive option for a knife handle. Keep at it and enjoy!

I use old files and rasps almost exclusively. I found a huge supply several years ago and they were free...and rusty. I forge mine to shape. Some knife-makers will just anneal and grind or grind and try and keep the hardness in the steel by cooling the worked stock while grinding. As I mentioned I forge mine. After forging I heat the blade-to-be(I never know if will be a knife until I sharpen it) to non-magnetic, allow it to cool to room temperature and repeat, three times. Then I heat it once more to non-magnetic and put the hot steel in "preheated" wood ashes. Left overnight to cool I have no problems working the annealed steel with hand files and drills. Working with new files is a mystery to me since I have yet to do it. As some of the posts to this thread have mentioned I think the quality may be questionable on newer files. I hope I have helped

I have never passed up an opportunity to acquire an anvil. If I could swing it I would buy it. Around here they are just too scarce to pass up. Of course one has to be the final judge considering your financial position and the quality of the anvil. But as has been said on this thread "you can always find a use for it."

No truer words have been spoken. His passing leaves a void that will take a huge spirit to fill. Godspeed.

http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/12818][img.] A new patch knife.

Banzai!!!!!