devins

I just welded more weight onto my exhaust stack shield, super easy and you can make your extra weight an extension for easier reach, just buy the size that will fit your pipe. Great looking set up. I didn't know about the hood and how much you want it to cover so I am glad to see people's input. I hope to convert my brakedrum soon. I have everything but the sheet metal and every time I am in buying steel I price it and think I will head to the scrapyard. :D

Thanks for posting. I am about to try my hand at my first pair and you are inspiring me to go ahead and try.

That is looking great can't wait to see the final product

I know this is the bladesmithing forum but I think this will still be found helpful. The pictures attached are after 80 grit belt sanding and the rough shape of the handle has been layed out. Voids in the mammoth molar were exposed in the layering of the material. A simple fix would be epoxy but you will have a transparent fill of the void. I used some older and darker shades of dental composite and filled the voids prior to taking the pictures. I will try to point out where they were placed(in the first close up image there are two repairs visible in the middle of the picture, if they are hard to see at this magnification I think it will work for you). They have not yet been polished. I will post final pics once done also. I am placing this post because it is not that hard to come up with this material because it does have a shelf life and shades that will work in handle material are not necessarily going to be used before the shelf life is approaching the exp. date but will still work great in a handle. It can be placed with simple tools, (I set it in place and then used my bare finger to rub it into the voids). It must then be cured which setting it in direct sunlight will do in aproximately 5 minutes or an ultra violet light does very rapidly. The material is delivered only by the direction of a dentist but ask yours if he or she has any darker or gray shades that are getting old that you could use for this purpose(the assistant wil be able to help you), and you should not need the bonding agent if the void is dovetail shaped, and they should be happy to ablige. I will be away from the computer after tomorrow so I will answer any questions and post more pics when I can. I hope this helps and I can help on other materials as well. A final note, all material in the handle was professionally stabilized prior to use.

Really good looking. The pattern is very interesting and the handle flows very nicely.

Very nice! Great job on the file work. Really something to be proud of on both of them.

Wow!.... what else can you say, Wow!

Awesome, great shape and phenominal pattern! Can't wait to see with handle.

That is great!

Ah the carefree days of youth....We who are old enough still have to think back to the days when that was the norm. Come to think of it we used to have to spend a lot of time on preventive maintanence didn't we. We could sit around visiting while we polished and oiled everything(preventive or a whole lot more if restoring LOL) So is Stainless the problem with society today? Just Kidding, but you gotta love a good patina.

The knives are great and that stitching is very impressive. The total package reaaly works with the wrap handles too. Great job!.....How do you do that stitching? wow

Well one thing a bout it if producing that kind of work doesn't make you feel young it ought to at least make you feel good. I look forward to seeing the progress too. Its hot hear too but I can't get myself to go out and even try yet. I keep saying I would burn the house down or something like that but that sweat and wet thing is probably more like it. Thankfully triple digits will be over before too long. And are those from the new post anvil?

That is what I was thinking too, you could check down the length with your scribe and if it wondered to one side or the other shim until straight and then scribe the mark. You will probably be ready to try it before me so let me know how it works, LOL. But I think it will.

I drew this out very quickly but hopefully the pictures will give you an idea of what I am talking about. It should be adaptable to most situations.