Prevenge

Fairly certain anvils are very large magnets. I looked for months until i got my first one...75 pound PW. Paid a little over 2 bucks/lb. Less than a month after having it I gave my grandpa a back scratcher I made for him and he goes "Oh ...... -long old man pause- .... some stuff in the old shop you can have". Turns out he had a 137lb PW , coal forge and blower , some tongs and a post vice buried in there. Nowadays people throw things at me almost even if I say I dont really want it haha. Like the monstrous sandstone wet grinding wheel that showed up on a pallet on my door step this summer. Also going to neighbor's place to look at some stuff belonging to an old guy who passed.

Looks really good! ....that also looks like a really handy little anvil what's the make of it?

I like the theme .... Can you still use the pockets in the denim? Would be a great place for a stone or something. Also ...how did you fit that allen wrench pin so tight? Doesnt look like any filler so did you file it to shape? As a side note .... I don't know how many of y'all are familiar with the absolute goddess Ellen Durkan .... but I believe some of her Wonder Bras might very well be 5160. She haunts my dreams.

Thanks for the info and beautiful knife! Have you any experience using it on non pattern welded steel ? Just wondering how it works for bringing out a hamon or getting a black patina similar to blueing.

I hadn't heard of mower knives being boron alloy yet .... only rotavator blades...so I too engaged in google-fu. Which i wish i didn't haha ... xxxx metallurgy. It seems lots of knives,blades and teeth in agriculture are using boron alloys in place of regular carbon due to increased wear resistance. It's essentially medium to what we would consider the lower end of what is considered high carbon steel (0.38-0.54 %C depending on the specific boron alloy) with a small amount (0.0005-0.003%) boron added to increase harden-ability. According to some patents and other info I have found.. They are also marquenched to further increase harden-ability during manufacturing but if I read right this is to get an optimal result and they can still be forged using traditional methods and an oil quench and temper. I mentioned it before in other threads that according to my "research" ...the rotavator/tiller blades are usually either 50B50/50B50H or 6150 ...and from what I have gathered about the mower blades so far is that the boron alternative used in them is 10B38. Hershel USA also admits to using 10B38 instead of 1080 in their sickle sections (those serrated triangular thingys) so I wouldnt doubt it if they also use it in their flail mower knives. I also read that there is a chance of them being made from AISI 9255 if they were manufactured in Europe. All this is indicative of the double edged sword that is junk/farm steel .... On one side it's free material that you know will harden well enough. On the other ...you really dont know for sure what the heck it is. But the way I look at it is that if the alloy was used as a knife for agricultural/industrial purposes, and it can safely be forged and heat treated ..... Then I am going to make knives and sharp things out of it. And I am going to curb my internet alloy delving a bit ....

Rather than a dealer JHCC ...I would go find a consumer. Meaning a farmer. Unless they too are a smith then the old knives are just junk to them. Even if they flip the blades over once after they are worn I generally find that it is just the actual knife edge that is worn. Plus ...with the knives being short as they are I find that there is rarely cracks in the metal unless they are swathing low and doing a bit of landscaping with the machine haha. You can buy em cheap ...but any person who puts up hay every year is likely to have a pile of them lying around for free. Most mowers will have at least 8 of these and they are generally all swapped out at once. Annnd while you are there you can ask them if they have any old plow/harrow disks (1080) , hay rake tines ( 1/4 inch round 1095 ...also used on some square balers) , plowshares ( the detachable leading edge is supposed to be 1080. not sure about the mold board) and rotavator blades (6150 or 50B50 both fairly similar ) .....

Pretty sure those mower knives are 1095 .... I have a five gallon bucket full of them and have been making knives out of them as well. Like your Karambit though...might have to try a couple. looks good...

HIP ....Heirloom in Progress

wow ...there is nothing not to like about that. Burlap micarta scales? I love that fuller!

I wouldn't say it's that rough at all ... looks like you didnt have to grind much off for the blade which means you forged it very close to final shape right? Well done indeed!

Gorgeous knife ..... perfect lines on the cutting and false(?) edge. I love the damascus as well ... the multiple dark layers and sparse highlights are one of the coolest patterns I have ever seen. Nice choice on the carbon fiber ..... flows with the bolster perfectly.

Depending on your proficiency level you could build your own. That is what I plan on doing anyways. There is a blog I frequent which belongs to a Canadian knifemaker and it has to be one of the most helpful blogs ever. In it he provides detailed plans for a DIY grinder generically named as "the BG272". The basic frame is not that hard to build if you have welding experience. The wheels can be bought online or he provides CAD drawings if you know a machinist. There is even a super budget build that uses longboard wheels and bearings and came in under 200 bucks Canadian haha. There are DIY plans for a 2 wheel flat platen, tool rest , small wheel and how to adapt a 10 inch contact wheel from a Grizzly. Check out his blog if that is a route you think you might take. Or there is videos on youtube by alaskabearhawk or something which I believe is what the BG272 is based on.

Can never have too many tongs.... V bit tongs in a couple sizes are very handy to have as you can use them on both round and square stock. A good set of sturdy flat jaw are also a necessity. Check out the iForge section of Anvilfire.com. They have some great illustrated tutorials that show step by step on how to make a few different styles.

I am a relative noob in comparison to most other smiths on here but I found that , depending on what I am working on and what I am doing, I quite often dont even rest my piece on the anvil. Instead I keep my tong hang firmly squeezed but the elbow and wrist slightly slack and "hover" the piece just over the anvil. I think this mainly helps working with a flat piece like a knife. I find that the piece sort of "adjusts itself" in relation to the anvil when you strike it plus I don't lose as much heat via conduction so I can work the metal longer between heats. I still get the occasional wild one but I find that is mostly due to a poor tong choice or fit. Big stuff and certain alloy is gonna bounce regardless sometimes ...make sure you get it as hot as you can safely and maybe soak it a bit at temp and forge your tongs to fit the piece.

Haha ....I was actually designing a window decal based on that first one. Suggestive and I am sure its been done before but it was going to go something like : "Get it hot. Hit it hard. Leave it wet." Firefighters can do it why not Blacksmiths.......

It's beautiful. Very well done Theo. The printing lines might bother you but I think they actually look cool especially on the habaki. Now if you want critique from someone who has never made a sword but likes looking at them ....These are purely opinions of an aesthetic nature. Obviously your craftsmanship speaks for itself. I , personally, don't like the gem thingy in the mouth of the pommel. Some might but I don't think it fits. Secondly ... I am not sure about the menuki or koiguchi material on its own either. It sticks out in my opinion...especially on the saya which is somewhat minimalist in nature. I think carvings , inlays or even something as simple as changing the color of the sageo and tsuka-ito to a mix of blue and black would have tied it together perfectly. You consistently awe me and I look forward to your next projects!

I like it. Looks like it could do some damage and the lines flow nicely from the beard. It's drifted more for a standard axe handle ? I cant tell from the pic but looks like the handle could do with some swelling at the head for durability. What steel did you weld in as the bits?

This reminds me of the time I was brainstorming how I could make a flamethrower that would also electrocute things. The general principle of a taser in practice is that it is not a lethal weapon .... a taser knife to me seems like using a compound hunting crossbow with broadheads to administer a tranquilizer. I don't blame you though...mad science is fun. Hypothetically speaking , I would probably construct it in a laminate fashion. with electrode plates and insulating plates sandwiched around a contemporary steel blade. Tasers work by delivering the shock between the two points right? Just energizing the whole blade probably wouldn't do much of anything.

It wasn't the first Alberta city to burn down in recent years unfortunately. Luckily nobody was killed. I returned home to BC years ago so not really close to those fires but the Alaska highway is now closed north of Fort St.John , BC due to the fires currently burning up there.

I actually thought this was another piece made by Stormcrow at first lol. It looks like the bastard child of a katana and a machete.....and I , for one, would be proud to adopt it. Very nice Kachete...Matana....hmmm

My reply to those giving you a hard time would simply be to remind them of the fact that there was and is many deities other than theirs ...many of which predate "him". Or say nothing and make a damascus Baphomet pendant. I am glad that we have a distinct lack of zealotry up here because I have no tolerance for it. Nice work on the piece...it turned out lovely and pizza and beer are always worth eternal damnation. Enjoy them often.......You can only be xxxxc once right? dont push the language issue

I think it was a fun experiment although I too was preoccupied with day to day life "in the real". Brought me back to my nerdier days in school .... playing AD&D and Rifts in the library or science room. Thanks for doing this Frosty.

I share the bear lore , yes. Pass on the deer berries ....but rendered bear lard makes delicious pastry . I would think we might be able to find some pieces of rubber that would seal and be flexible enough to act as a check valve baffle. Perhaps some old tires tied to the side of the dock we found?

I think that I will let others go on the first trek and stay back to do the upkeep around camp. When the tide is out i check the traps and repair them if needed. I mention being careful with the rock cod....them spines can , in fact, puncture skin. Speaking of which. I give a brief bit of advice about bears. Even without them it is a good idea to not be alone on any sort of venture given out situation. Also bears tend to generally not be aggressive unless they are with cub ..... generally they just want to be left alone and go about their business. Its when they are surprised and on the defensive that they are the most dangerous. When yer out and about ...make noise. Pick a terrible song and sing while you walk. Occasionally bang two pieces of metal together...whatever. You do not want to surprise them head on.They are an opportunistic killer.. not a stalk and kill predator. I have ran into them enough to know that for sure. I was once working for a farmer picking rocks and roots in a field. I sat down at the edge of the field to eat my lunch only to be joined by a black bear doing the same thing 50 feet away. We looked at each other , albeit his gaze was slightly more confident , and then ate lunch. I ate my sandwich and apple and noticed how uncomfortably far away from the tractor I was. He ate rose hips and berries and thought bear things. 20 minutes later we both got up and went about our business. If we keep anything that attracts them... like our food scraps .....properly disposed of, make our presence known and keep an eye out then we can minimize our risks. Also since we are most likely eating the same things then we have a greater chance of an encounter during foraging operations. That being said I have still developed a case of spear envy and choose to craft my own ...except metal on the business end...and an inch longer. Assuming I have the material ; My spear would also be alder..dry this time with a groove or hole in the end to accept the tang. The head would be a large spike or similar chunk. I also want a suitable short piece of pipe to use as a ferrule ...... shave the shaft down to fit it tightly and then neck taper one end of the pipe down to fit the thickest part of the tang. I forge the spear head, fit the ferrule loosely , insert the tang into the shaft and then use something to hammer set the ferrule on tight. It is fairly snug but I chose dry wood so that I can soak swell the business end in water. The rough forged profile of the tang should help make the spear head very secure. I thrust it into the sky while yelling "And thus begins .....the Quest for Butter!!!" .....I do this to keep the bears away.

The reason for my strange actions is that I am familiar with some of the mushrooms that are found in the Pacific northwest. Speaking of which...are there morels in Alaska? Finding a straight willow or anything that size that isn't evergreen might be challenging but I will take a look.