tantofolder

Thanks Jim!! That idea(barbs) crossed my mind while I was forging,I had wondered if that might have been a period solution/evolution.I am going to stick with the screw type for now,as this is just a temporary hanging for my shop sign.I think I will make a whole new set,as I definitely need the practice.Thanks for the info on the barbs,I will certainly try them at some point.

Thanks for the responses guys.As Jim was saying I only intend to do a few for now,and they are pretty small stock(1/4"),so machinery is probably out.The method you suggest Jim is about what I did,I was just wondering if there were any variations to it.A fellow smith that I work with suggested that maybe the cross section be more of a diamond than a square.This seems to make sense,and I plan to give it a try.Thanks again!

Hey guys,please forgive me if this has been covered but my searching has been unsucessful.I was working on some screw- in "eye"s and thought I would just use a die and then realized the die might not really work on the taper.So in a rush I just squared the (soon to be threaded portion) and heated,grabbed as small a portion of the taper as I dared,and then twisted.The twisting seems not very even It seems like it will fuction ,but I wondered if anyone had any tips on this way or other methods to try.Maybe the die is okay?.....I didn't bother to try.Thanks.

I was thinking the guard was a little big on my second look also. I always prefer to make something large myself,as I can always trim it down. Nice job!

Fantastic start Momatt! Many folks start out with stock removal and then move more into forging as their skills improve.Your work so far seems well planned and methodical.Looking forward to seeing your finished knife.

I am envious........great score!!

That is indeed a decent first knife.As mentioned the pins do look nice.It is a bit hard to tell from the photo what the angle of the blade is.Some folks like to leave their blades rough from the hammer,while others grind,file,sand to get their final shape.My personal critique would be that the blade and handle both could use some refinement.Your handle seems to be a bit angular and your blade a bit rounded.I think generally speaking these roles are reversed.Great start though and please keep them coming!!Every one of them you make will teach you something about the next one.

Awesome!!

As mentioned by Ron,oil applied to heated metal works very well...especially for an interior finish.I have done this often with linseed oil and a small propane torch.Just heat an area(to black heat) and rub oil on with a cloth.Be careful as the rag may occasionally ignite.This process can give anything from yellow to brown to black.Black taking the longest of course.It does take some time,but I personally love the way it looks.Usually while still warm,I will rub paste wax on it.

THAT is one serious knife!! Can't wait to see it finished.

Thanks guys!! Yes I am doing all this with a single propane burner and a brick pile...its not great,but has gotten me pretty far(minus forge welding).I do have some plans for some table space,but haven't worked out all the dimensions yet.As I mentioned before the firepot will drop down into a frame,so my plan is to make a small table that goes under the lip of the firepot and will be flush with the top.Gravity pulling the firepot down should be enough to hold it in place.I hope my explanation makes sense. I haven't decided on a final shape yet,but I will. Any suggestions for table shape?Here is the hoop that the firepot will drop into and that the legs will be attached to:

Thank you VaughnT and windancer! It sure has been fun so far. Thanks Frosty!I can't really say at this point how long with work,kids,etc.....Also There are some new(new to me) techniques I will be trying.So I may have to work out some kinks there. The frame will be a riveted hoop with three legs,that the firepot/piping drops into.I am toying with the idea of doing some partially forged pipe for the legs,but I need to see if it will work for me.More to come.

I thought I would share the progress of my first coal forge build.My idea is to attempt to make a drum brake forge that is portable and that has an "old world look"to it.I mean this in a generic aesthetic sense,and hope to try some techniques I haven't tried before.I expect this to be an ongoing project/thread( I don't have as much freetime as I used to) so bear with me.The stuff completed here doesn't have its final finish yet....I am still deciding on that. Late last year a friend gave me a brake drum he pulled off of a camper he was restoring,so that is how I got started. Next I decided to go with the 2" pipe method for the tuyere,air inlet,and ash dump.Here is my starting material: And here it is attached: I intend to paint most of this(piping) flat black to make it less in the foreground. Here is my weighted ash dump handle made from a rail spike and some portions of round stock: Next I aquired a decent hand cranked blower(nice,but with a small broken section on fan housing): The air outlet on the blower was a bit large to fit inside of the 2" pipe,(where the casting of the to halfs of the housing join)so the pipe had to be flared a bit. I am trying to keep the original integrity of the blower since it is an antique,yet still have it work with my setup.Sorry I don't have a closeup of the pipe flared right now. Next, I decided to make a bracket that used the original mounting holes on the blower,to connect it to the forge.Here is the start of the bracket with the crumby swage I made to accomodate the cast lines on the blower rather than grind them off: And some thumb screws I made to hold the blower to the bracket: This is what I have so far.Let me know what you think.And thanks for looking.

It will definitely be loud.I have seen pictures of what were referred to as "farm anvils",which were I-beam with uprights welded into the web(as mentioned earlier).I would think that would help with the sound a bit too,but can't say from experience.I started with a piece of I-beam (very briefly) and put some magnets on it to deaden the ring.I now use it as a small welding table and as a flat surface to check work for flat.It is still flatter than my anvil's face.

The first word that came to my mind was:"luxurious"......like a Mercedes or something with fine leather.Beautiful work!!

Groovy!!

Macbruce said it....crisp!! Great job man.

Very cool!! I like the photography too......especially the first one where it is with the other blades(handleless).Thanks for the progress thread.

Organic yet stylized.......beautiful!!

They all look pretty good.Since you have put so much time into these,why not go the little extra and use a heat treatable steel next time?

That blade should be photographed on black velvet or something.....the beauty of the handle gets a little lost against the other wood.Striking work and great detail!!

I have to agree with bigfootnampa.I think it looks great!!....and quite capable too.

Thanks kustomsteel!!!.......you were more articulate about your process than I could have been.It's apparent from your progress shots that its all about the journey. Kudos!

Brilliant work kustomsteel!!! It is obvious that you have an incredible knack for visualization.Even after seeing the completed photos it was hard for me to see while it was progressing.Were you working from drawings/sketches,clay model,or some other means?I am just curious about your method.It really is a fantastic piece.

COOL!!