Little Turtle Forge

21 hours ago, bubba682 said:

I like it man I got some axles comin can't wait to make an axe or 2 myself ,did you make the handle as well

Thanks! Yeah, I made the handle out of a hickory board. I shaped it and did the majority of it with my awful little belt sander, then hand sanded it to 400 grit and then took a propane torch and lightly charred it , once again lightly with the 400 grit getting any too charred spots and then a coat of dark wood stainer. It turned out better than I thought it would!

16 hours ago, beech said:

The only thing I can say as "criticism" is that the handle grain might be better off running directly up and down the handle to help prevent breakage.

I totally see what ya mean and I'll be putting it use in future handles for sure!

5 hours ago, buckbrown said:

Looks great. . . What's the diameter of the axle?

Thanks! The Axel diameter is 1 1\2"

Here's the newest one I just finished I have two more left to do handles for. I started with 4 1/2" of axel and went from there. Definitely going to make a few more out of the axel as it was relatively easy to work and took a nice heat treatment and stayed hard so there was no need to forge weld a higher carbon bit in. I quenched in 100degree motor oil at around 1500 degrees and tempered in the oven for two hours at 360. It's slightly modeled to be a smaller variation of the Kentucky or Ft. Meigs belt ax. The handle is hickory. Please let me know what ya think and any suggestions or criticism is welcome!

Awesome thread! Thank you for posting!!

Awesome as always!! Very nice design! I'm looking forward to watching you win 10k on your forged in the fire episode!!

You guys are awesome!! Thank you so much for the ID! I never doubted for a moment that someone on this site would know what it was. Such a great place with such a diversity of life experience someone was bound to know. Thanks again!

Frosty, I totally agree, it was the part that I really wasn't happy with. The friend I was making it for is a short guy like me and he has small hands so he kept telling me to make it thinner until it was too thin for my taste but he loved it. You're right about it being too round, I'm chalking it up to inexperience and learning from it. The next two knives I made came out much better by knowing what to avoid and what to shoot for. I'll be posting them soon! 

Steve, I had planned on doing the fuller as well, I agree it looks incomplete. The guy I made it for was around the shop a lot while I was working on it and he told me he liked the contrast between the polished and unpolished metal. I personally think he got a real sense of how much time went into the sanding and finishing process and got a little too anxious to have his blade. Some people's kids....

Thanks! It was a blast to make! Its my fourth finished blade and leagues better than the first 3. 

Wow, it does look like that hatchet stake!

I've been meaning to post this for two months now. I always seem to have time to read 4 to 10 posts made by other people everyday, but can't find the time to make one of my own. The blade is 5160 and is 10 1/2" long with a distal taper. I made this one for a friend and it's the longest blade I've finished. I poured my own brass for the guard.

Hey guys, today my neighbor brought me two of these and said they were in the garage when he moved in 10 years ago. Neither of us knew what they were my guess and was some kind of harrow or grader bit but it's totally a guess any help would be appreciated 

Worked on my pot rack for the kitchen.

Amazing work as always Stormcrow!!

Very cool! Great job!

Blacksmith Blues by Ella Mae Morse!!!

Love it!! So simple and great lines. Its beautiful! Job well done!

thats great! Nailed it!

I posted a review on my nc anvil in the anvil section over a year ago. I loved mine and it was perfect for the year or so I used it.

I think its because I grew up in the city and was never really around horses at all growing up, and being of short stature (5'4") they are pretty dang intimidating. Also its not so much the animal I don't like, but the side effects of being so allergic. They are pretty awesome beasts, just too foreign to me to be anything but a challenge. I like challenges, just not being covered in hives while trying to solve them. But props to you Charles, the people who can do it are amazing!

Thanks that's a moral boost coming from you guys!! Only having a few chunks of the 1018 kept me reading and studying others techniques until I was pretty confident going into it. Blade making was what got me interested years ago but after farrier school i had a whole new appreciation for the whole craft and how in depth and technical bladesmithing is(and a strong dislike for horses).  I will definitly be trying some more blades and axes in the future it was a lot of fun!! Nowadays I do my decoration and garden/grilling blacksmithing and avoid horses and the hives they cause at all cost.

a couple of me at our local night market. What an empty set up. Of course 4 months later my table was 3 times as full but it being Christmas time i was 3 times as busy and did'nt get a chance to take any pics. i tried to use unique things for my sign holders.  p.s. that's not Dave Grohl behind my table, it just my buddy Andrew .

Thank you Farmall!!! a couple of months ago a friend of mine was able to print this out for me at his job. Love it!!

tried making it as smooth and ergonomical as i could.

one of my wall mounted horse head openers.

Thanks guys!!!

Finally after staring at a 2" x 1.5" x 1" piece of mild steel for 3-4 months I decided to heat it and see if i could make a small bearded hatchet. the body is 1018, the bit is 5160. Oil quenched and then normalized. Many thanks to Steve Sells, Basher, KY BOY, and Matthew Paul for their combined knowledge and inspiration. Thanks for the pics and posts guys!!

4 hours ago, littleblacksmith said:

I really like the touch of the brass and the different mane texturing, I'm assuming that you used different chisels with different grinds?

Thanks!! thats exactly right, i use my old horse shoe fuller and a nice flat chisel for the mane. i love playing with copper and brass for a contrasting rivet, wish i had more on hand and was as good as i am now at rivets when i had it. did this one around the same time but not a keychain.