JD V

Not perfect, just noticed the handle is twisted a little relative to the blade, next one I'm thinking I'll use 2 1/2 inches of material for the blade and 3 1/2 for the handle. I want to shrink it down from spine to edge but keep the length. It's a bit heavy towards the blade. Started out as a leaf out of a horse drawn buggy spring pack.

My first knife. Parent material was leaf out of a horse drawn buggy spring pack. Quenched in oil, tempered holding the spine on a pre heated piece of grader blade, quenched in water when the edge got a light blue. The example I followed said 3 inches for the handle and 3 for the blade, next one I will try 2 1/2 for the blade and 3/12 for the handle. I want to forge the blade smaller from spine to edge but same total length. Handle is a little short to balance the blade weight as well. But I'm happy with it for a first. I'll see how it holds up in the kitchen of a bachelor cowboy.

I'm not happy with the proportions on the axe bottle opener. I think I'm going to make a bigger, longer handle, I'll make a couple and try to bribe the loggers to set aside some fir tops out of the slash piles for my firewood supply. Then made some towel racks to utilize my leaf practice.

Thanks guys, you've got me on track to get this little forge heating steel. Just play with a little dirt, add an ash dump and light some coal.

I picked up this little farm forge to try to move into coal forge work. Blower and all related mechanics work well after a little cleaning and lubrication. My questions are: What all am I missing? I assume a grate is needed to be made, Does the little bowl seem right? It doesn't sit flush. Line it with some clay I assume, but should I bevel the clay down to the grate that I'll make, should I use the clay to form more of a fire pit? The holes in the pan look like they were intentional, as in something was bolted down to it. Any idea what? Any other thoughts opinions or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks JD

Thanks for the compliments, as a cowboy horseshoer (not a farrier mind you) I'm really enjoying using the forge for something a little less like work. Nothing like going from shoeing a draft team to making a bottle opener. I had a friend say it was a backscratcher for a leprechaun. As someone who grew up near the Pryor mtns and the Apsáalooke (Crow) reservation I thought it would be a good offering for the 'little people."

My handy bottle opener made from a valve lifter rod off an old steel wheel IH tractor. The fingers kept bending after about a six pack so I heated and quenched in water then tempered to a straw color and no more bending.