Kexel Werkstatt

Finished the "Pay it forward" and sell for cheap pile, while organizing the "never gonna get rid of it" section and christened the new Chili forge.

You convince yourself one or two hours less sleep will not be an issue because it would be silly to let this work get cold and have to start all over again tomorrow.

Hey keep it down in here I need my beauty sleep.

Only a couple hours in the shop this weekend, but update on my first Yakut. I ate dinner with it tonight. Sliced through the Chicken Breast and Tomatoes like butter. Hardened/tempered, handled, basic sharpen. More work to do but getting there.

Mine is just the name of my shop.

Randy Griffin - very nice work! Sorry to hear about your situation. Did you ever think of selling them? Would that be helpful to you or is it just something you simply enjoy to pass time? They are very nice looking and appear to be very well made.

The woodwork I'm good with - I have hand carved much over the years. I'll look when I get home... I think have a nice piece of Butternut that might work. Or a piece of Cherry... I'll have to see what's in the bin.

sumtymes i no type so grape.

Thanks Thomas I will go read up on the cutlers resin. And, I agree with you - I'm going tp pitch the Hickory handle and scabbard plan and go pick a nice piece of something "fancy" out of the bin. At first I took the stance of "it's my first one, probably won't turn out that great, no need to waste nice materials on it"... and then realized... if that was my plan, I would get what I feared.

Thomas - I meant min - edited it while you were typing I think. Controlled heat, minimum char. Coat tang with an epoxy (ideally something natural, haven't decided yet), before installing tang in to handle and torching the protruding end for heading. That should keep any wiggle away. After watching one of my favorite blacksmith/bushcraft YouTube guys (Bertram - this guy and his videos are great) make his Yakut I've decided to do the burn fit handle, and the two piece leather wrapped scabbard. Hopefully I can work on it some more tonight.

I was going to use the burn method for both handle and scabbard. For handle, drill a hole at about min thickness of the tang. Heat up tang. Burn it into the handle so that about 1/4 is peeking out on the butt end. (Remove and then Harden/Temper knife). Torch that 1/4" nubbin when knife reinstalled into handle. "Rivet" it down, or bend it over if heading it doesn't work. Finish handle and final sharpen knife. Scabbard - drill a series of small holes to match the width of the blade. Again burn it in bit by bit as far as it will go. Use pen chisel to carve out last 1/3. You are right, it will be hard to do with hickory but it looks like I have the right sized pen chisels so maybe not so bad. We'll see! I have seen it done before and I think I can make it work, even if it is my first time trying. I may, for the handle, drill one hole about the width of the tang. Take a wood dowel, cut it lengthwise, shave the halves to fit on either side of the tang down into the handle like wedges, friction/compression fit. If I go that route I may just make a two-piece scabbard and affix them together with glue and wrap the whole thing in leather. Decisions, decisions... Frosty - no, completely allowed. Thomas - are you referring to Shirisaya?

Yes I got a little aggressive with the belt grinder... got caught up in the profiling and before I knew it, it was an edge. I'm going to knock it down a bit before I harden it for the reasons stated and I want to change the tip a bit anyway. I'm just surprised how dang sharp it is from just profiling it. Yes it is an old file George... scrap, dull file that I figured would be perfect stock for this. Nice convex side profiled, flat side with the fuller done. Thomas - I might go for a matching scabbard made from the same hammer handle so it just looks like a chunk of wood with some leather on it. Thanks guys!

Little more work done on my first Yakut knife. I don't like how the shape of the tip ended up, but I can adjust it somewhat. Otherwise it's almost done. There is a scary sharp edge on it and I haven't even hardened/tempered/finish sharpened yet. Handle will be a spare piece of hammer handle I have stuck aside.

Fingers are crossed daily that I can turn the plan into reality. Thanks Thomas, and sorry to hear of your troubles; glad to have you around after having to go through all that.

So hey here's the edge of my anvil now (poor attempt at quick distraction). How does it look guys? I could do more but I figure a more time drawing tapers and less time flap discing will get it truly tuned. :-)

Kalispell has great medical which will probably be useful as I age. I have spent much time in all 4 seasons in the area over the decades, I am good with everything listed. Plus it has all the big box stores if needed, my business is portable, the land is paid for, excavation underway, building permanent cabin starts next year, I have a few decades of executive business experience in downtown Chicago... I joke about just getting a manager job at Baskin Robbins just for the health insurance. I'm basically planning a younger-than-average retirement there with a couple small business, a few favorite hobbies and a solid resume. The summers in the Chicago area far exceed Kalispell as far as discomfort goes, and the winters here are just as bad if not worse considering the "wind chill". I've backcountry camped in Northwest Montana for extended periods of time in all seasons, and the home i am building is modest, efficient and has a nice workshop. I'm 46 now and plan on moving when I'm 50 so I have some years to enjoy what I've worked for. Thank you for your offer - I would be happy to meet your nephew.

Thank George - I have a 10 acre wooded lot on the top of a nice hill with a small cabin (for now) about 20 minutes west of Kalispell, or about 50 minutes from the West Glacier entrance to GNP (my favorite place in the world). I've been going out there all my life... but like you said family/kids, etc. are still keeping me here for a few more years. I drive through Glendive and Havre on my way out there and back, actually. Thomas - ball moulds are easy... it's the dog spring that's impossible find! But, we can always make our own now, couldn't we ;-).

Yep that's why it's just a picture!

I have a place in Montana being built... I've lived here most of my life due to the same reasons GNM mentioned, but I am growing out of that now so hopefully in the next few years we just make the move and be done with it; it has been a long time coming. Paul - wish I could help there but my company deals in odd-ball stuff that most people have never even heard of. I roll all my own ammo... if you do not I highly suggest you start; but a lot of components are hard to get right now, too. If there's any way I can help let me know, and I will if I can.

Oh I don't have a physical retail store, sorry... but thank you! That is quite kind of you.

"Was that wrong? Should I not have done that? I tell ya', I gotta plead ignorance on this thing because if anyone had said anything to me at all when I first started here that that sort of thing was frowned upon"... George Costanza from Seinfeld when he got busted "fraternizing" with the cleaning lady at his new job.

In all seriousness I've been looking for a good set of ear buds... I'll look those up, thanks. I use motorcycle glasses for the most part. Edited: Like these:

https ://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/efft/efft67.htm

I always wear a hat because it's cold in my shop and it helps keep scale from flying into my ears.

Or telling the upset wife to "calm down".