Chris Pariso

bah, in my haste to respond I use the wrong term. The stock I started with was 1/4" (.635 cm) thick, and the final blade is pretty close to that.

Steve - I apologize for the confusion. When I said 2h machete, I was referring to a machete that could be swung with one or two hands. Originally, I was envisioning a tool about 25 to 30 inches in overall length, that could be effectively wielded with either one or two hands. However, after testing the design, I decided that what I wanted to make was beyond my current skill level, and instead decided to make a tool that will be primarily swung with one hand. The steel I am using is 5160, and I started with flat bar stock that was 1/4 inch in diameter. I hope this clears up an ambiguity in my original post.

Oh, that comment should be read as "epoxying and bolting", with the sheet metal acting as a third layer of reinforcement.

Could be an intentionally heavy training aid - I've got a 30" x 3/4" steel pipe filled with sand that I use sometimes for training Kali stick work. When I switch back over to an ironwood stick, its like swinging a plastic straw. Then again, if the guy is off training Marines in Okinawa, he way have just wanted something that could stand up to whatever punishment he threw at it (or threw it at, as the case may be)

Thomas - That's pretty impressive for a kama yari! What kind of steel did you use for it?

Thanks for the advice Latticino! I had planned on slitting the top of the handle and epoxying/bolting the blade in, but I like the idea of adding in a band of sheet metal for a little extra reinforcement. The handle won't be quite long enough for a decent 2-hand swing, but even still, I'd like to secure that section as much as possible. Given that this will only be the third sharp thing I've heat treated, I do eventually want to torture test it a bit (including the ABS tests), to try and get an idea if the heat treating is indeed on target. I'm happy to destroy a few blades to see if I'm doing things right or not.

So, after sketching out the profile that I wanted to make, and doing a cold run on a block of plasticine, I realized that I was punching above my weight a bit. To date, I've only made two knives, a pair of tongs, and a handful of hooks and spikes. The design I want to make is going to take a bit more control/skill than I currently have, so I instead hammered out a simpler sickle-like blade, about the width and curve of a banana (for lack of a better comparison). Still plan to mount it onto a hatchet handle and carve through some brush with it, the former hopefully being done this weekend. You win this round, kuk-bill... but your day will come!

Starting to read more about anvil identification... when they bring the anvil over to my place tomorrow, I'll take a few more pictures from all sides, measure it, see what the ring is like, etc etc and post all the info in a new thread. When I posted the picture earlier, I was still in shock (and awe) that they had found an anvil this size, actually bought the thing, and somehow managed to keep it a secret for the last month.

My in-laws just won the birthday game... the top has definitely seen some use/abuse, but it beats the 50# chunk of cast iron I've been using. There are no markings that I could see about maker or weight, but it feels like it's at least 125#, if not more. Any thoughts on what make or type it might be?

Also, Stage 1 and 2 are cyclical: Thoughts during Stage 1 - Man, I wish there was a faster, more efficient way of doing this. Production takes too long! Thoughts during Stage 2 - Man, I wish there was more variety out there. Everything looks the same!

Thomas - That's an excellent point, and actually one of the reasons that I got into forging. If you can't find exactly what you're looking for, or exactly the right tool for the job, why not make it yourself? Whenever I get the blade hammered out and profiled, I'll be sure to post a shot of it on here.

SLAG: I appreciate the different perspective on the situation - thank you.

(forgive me, JHCC, I knew not what my actions would bring) SLAG - for what it's worth, I spent about 11 years working in professional kitchens. Knives (and other items that come in contact with food, like cutting boards) with various textured finishes were common enough. Properly washed and sanitized, the texture isn't a problem at all. Again, I was just curious how the texture performed between washings.

Oh boy, I didn't mean to kick a hornets nest with that... To be clear, I'm not worried about it harboring bacteria while sitting in a knife block, or anything like that. So, maybe I should simplify the question: if you just chopped up some carrots, and you're going to move on to chopping an onion, would you give it a quick rinse first, or no?