colorblind72

Sorry I have been away for a while.

The skulls don't take long maybe an hour or so once the stock is tapered

I've been working on carving the inlets for tangs and making habacki and finally doing some sort of a wrap on the handle.

I tend to start with minimal plans and see where the process takes me.

This piece I attempted to deferentially heat treat with clay. It through hardened. No hamon but I went on with it anyhow.

I hot forged and hand peined the habacki. Then inked it and sanded of the high spots.

The wood for the handle is poplar that I wrapped in hemp and then wrapped again with two pieces of paracord with the cores taken out.

The knots are terrible. I didn't follow a traditional Tsuka knot because of the inlet I filed in the end of the handle (again, just and experiment.) 

All feedback is welcome.

Thanks guys.

I've been out of town for 2 weeks and hadn't had a chance to check the forum. 
I love the Icepick idea.

That's a productive 3 days.

Very cool

I have posted a tutorial here.

http://forums.dfoggknives.com/index.php?showtopic=26388&p=249031

Getting there. Got to get back to the horizontal attempt

So I finished this one tonight. I have been using a fuller tool under the power hammer  to make the cheek to jaw transitions and then developing the eye sockets and cheek bones with the punches.

Brilliant!

Sounds good

That is indeed practical blacksmithing.

Way to go.

Man, those are nice.

Great looking pieces.

The snakes are great especially that cobra head!

I'm sure you will get it pretty quick.

The photos would help.

I appreciate the diagram but school is long behind me and I didn't go very far in it.

thanks again.

JJ

Yeah you are rocking it.

Keep posting please.

That book is on my list! Very good.

Thanks guys.

A lot to take in and try to improve and incorporate.

Thanks guys.

@Beth, the lack of irregularity is due to me using a one sided fuller under the PH.

If I use my cutter under the PH then it makes it more irregular based on my drawing on the hammer.

The challenge with these was to get a method for creating the pattern.

Once I get that down then I will start playing with spacing, twisting so the skulls face different directions.
I want to do a counter twist with the skull in the middle horizontal to the bar or two skulls vertical facing opposite directions etc.

I'm going to the scrap yard tomorrow and looking for some bits to make into fullering dies in different shapes and sizes for under the PH.

I'm hoping it will improve my control in this project.

Thanks again for looking.

I will reread this several times in reference with your diagram. Which I really like and am impressed by.

It seems to me that operation (F) is where your make or break is so to speak. Because it looks to me that this is where you are creating the elongation of the jaws.

The major problem that I have had is creating a cheek bone. Everything else is just using your chisels appropriately.

What I did the last time I make these is like your operations (D) and (E) I made an inlet to provide spade for the jaws and eyes.

And instead of focusing on narrowing the jaw to create a cheek I did a, pin punch with a punch that was very sharp and had approx. a 45 degree bevel, then I made a deep punch in the eye hole with a long punch that was approx. 80 degree bevel, then I moved the eye sockets out which basically makes a cheek out of the inlet cut from your operation (D) and (E). That punch is long and has a 15-20 degree bevel. That is really the most important punch for creating very big and wide eye sockets and on the opposite a cheek.

I then go back and forth with the 80 degree punch and the 15 degree punch. All of these are cheap harbor freight cold chisels/punches.

If you could post pics of your operation that would be really helpful.

Thanks for the feedback and interest.

JJ

I will have to see how I can add something like that to my work. If I have the Skills,  :rolleyes:

So a couple more skull things. A little more refined idea of the spikes. I don't know what they are for other than home defense but they are fun and guys seem to like pointy things.

Also a key ring and a bracelet that is too small to wear.

Feedback is welcome.
thanks for looking.

Thanks Phillip.

The next one will be better.

Very nice tongs!

Very cool. Post whatever you end up making.

I can post a pic journal of the process.

I need to build an anvil stand for my Mousehole so I can make a third hand. Right now I'm working on a post anvil and the workpiece will fall off etc.

I like the ideas for production pieces. I could defintely do them bigger and make belt  buckles pretty easy.

We were talking about them as chopsticks. You would need strong hands, they are fairly heavy.

Hair sticks would be cool.

@Chinobi, yep I messed up the horizontal ones. I used a tool I made a while back for my PH. It is a double bevel cutter that comes into square shoulders like you are describing. So If you can imagine this. There would be a cut which would partition the skulls and then square shoulders for the sides of the jaw. The issue I ran into is the bar was not tall enough in the X axis and then the material left for the skulls was so small that punching the eyes was almost impossible. They ended up too close together.

Under the PH I do the same operation in a row.

Once I'm punching and have moved to the vice I punch whatever section is loosing heat the quickest, because the material is so small it losses heat really really fast. So I cut the mouth slit on all of them first to give me a base for building the rest of the skull. Then I pin punch the eyes. Then I pin punch the nose then I widen the eyes with a large round tapered punch which pushes they eye sockets outward. Then I set a deep punch mark into the back of the eye socket with a long slightly tapered punch. 

Then I chisel the teeth in and lastly I take the pin punch and punch the nose hole again. Flicking the tool upward after the hammer strike to pull the bridge of the nose up.

Usually they are done at that point. I make and adjustment I see and then wire wheel them hot.

Thanks for the feedback.

Any ideas for making them into "Things" I'm interested in.

I'm going to do a bracelet and as the stems for the other rose/skull projects I'm doing I think they would be cool.

JJ

Been working on some more skulls.

I am working on a way to do them both vertical and horizontal on the bar.

I messed up the vertical ones.

Forged the last little bit to a tapered point just for practice.

All feedback welcome

thanks for looking.

So this is what I came up with for my next combination of images.

The cobra is pretty beat. The next one will be better. 
This was the first success and the thirds attempt. 
I also almost made a shark out of the point of a RR Spike but really struggled to do the fins.

Feedback is welcome.

Thanks for looking.