Chris C

Indeed................and so is skeletonizing. But seeing as how this is my first one, I wanted to try everything I'd read or studied about. I'm a newbie, I can make mistakes or even play around with different ideas. Learning what works and what doesn't.

Boy, I wish I had your eyes, sfeile! Thanks for the critique. Takin' notes.

Whew! Hard times are never pleasant..........especially when the government is involved. A treasure trove of prayer sent you way.

When is your poor mouse going to lose all it's hair?

Man, that looks like a beast! What does it weigh? You said "last". Did you mean it was the last one you'll ever buy or just the most recent one you've bought?

Yup, lot's to learn about hammer control. First thing I've forged beyond a steak flipper!

The choice of woods was Gabon Ebony and Elm Burl. I only wish I owned a 2x72. The majority of the steel work was done on a 1x30 or hand sanding, drilling and hand filing. The wood work was primarily done on the 1x30.............but a lot of hand sanding up to 800 grit before finishing with wax. The wood was stabilized in a vacuum system and Cactus Juice. As you can see from the video, it's a rather small little EDC. Now I have to learn how to make sheaths.

Yes, I wouldn't have known where to strike next if he hadn't been there. From there on, it's been flying on my own. Lot's of "firsts" with this project. Learned a lot. Working on my second, but it's a stock removal knife.

DROOL!!!!!

Thanks, CGL, I'll try. Have a stock removal knife I'm working on. When it's finished, I'm going to get back on finishing up my forge so I don't have to use someone else's.

Well, as promised, here is my first forged knife. It was forged at a friend's shop. (he's one of our Forged In Fire champions from here in central, Oklahoma) I did all the work…………..with his verbal guidance, of course. Thanks to him for that because I could never have done it without his help. (and his forge, anvil, hammer and HT oven) It is made of 80 CRV2 and heat treated in his oven. (I don’t have all the equipment I need to be doing this yet.) First two pictures of the rough forged knife. I didn’t find out until later I’d forged hollows on both sides of the blade, so it ended up being a narrower blade from top to bottom by the time I got the bevels ground in. Third picture is of the design I planned, based on the forged shape. Fourth pictures is of the blade after I’d ground and skeletonized it. Fifth and Sixth are of the finished knife. So there you go. My first forged knife. I had a ton of “firsts” with this knife…………so many I won’t bore you with them all. Can’t begin to tell you how much I learned in the process. There are things I’m not terribly happy about, but like I told David………….”Hey, it’s my first forged knife!”. So now it’s time for me to pour a cup of coffee, sit down and ask all of you knife makers to honestly critique my work. 20200123_133254.mp4

Those are both nicely forged.

Well, what did I do in the shop today?...........I've been working for the past 2 weeks, on and off, on my first forged knife. I'm finally down to the handle. It's been a real "journey". Seems I always try and do things that are considered too difficult to start with. I like the challenge, I guess. Hope to have it finished by Friday. I'll post pics in the Knife forum when I get some taken.

That's mighty good of you to do that, Thomas. I've always tried to "pay it forward" because a lot of people have done that for me. Glad you are over your Thursday night scare.

Glad you're doing better Thomas. Health issues are never any fun.

Fun to watch you work, Jennifer.

Can't answer that question, eric. My "power hammer" is my right arm.

I like the twisted tip concept..........especially the one with the twisted handle. Nice touch. By the way, you've basically forge welded the tip on that one.

Eric, this thread is 4 1/2 years old. I'd be willing to bet he's got dies by now.

You make it sound so easy, Jennifer. Glad to hear that because a hammer is one of those "on my list" things to make.

Nice looking axe, Conrad.

Take some chalk and trace around your cross on the concrete floor of your shop. Then take a trammel point and draw a circle from the center of the intersection of the cross members. Make the circle a little larger than you have in the picture. Simply re-bend the arcs on the circles to come close or mimic that circle. (you'll need to slightly "flatten" their arc) Then heat and re-bend the "feet" that attach to the cross. Shouldn't be a difficult process. Would be easier to show you how than it is to explain how. Oh, and you're probably going to have to remake the cross because the larger circle will make the feet "miss" the upper leg of the cross.

I've just cut down two 60 tall Blackjack trees and have plenty of stump material. Come and get it!

Man, watch out for the treadle sandstone grinders...........they can get you down in the back pretty easily.

Yup. Stand that on end and bury it in a stump about 4 inches and you'll be sittin' in tall cotton!