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Hi all, this my first axe/hatchet project. It is mild steel with a W2 bit. My forge welding skills are crap (especially in my gas forge) so I TIG welded the bit on after a failed attempt, thus the marks (I'm pretty new to that too). I kind of like it rustic anyway. I normalized once in ash and quenched once in warm water, then let the colour run back up the piece and cooled it again. Seems to work (no immediate chipping yet).

Just finished up this puppy. I had a lot of fun forging this blade; W2 high carbon steel blade with integral guard. Handle is my own cast Impregg handle material (sanitized crushed egg shell, mica powder, and G-Flex epoxy) and ebony. The Impregg material is translucent in the thinner areas around the guard. The hamon came out almost exactly as intended - a little closer to the edge in spots but still very serviceable. Comments and critique encouraged! Theo

Howdy all, I'm back with my newest 3D printed shenanigans. Blade is W2 and pure nickle twisted together, wrought iron spine - can you guess what fellow IFI member inspired the pattern? The frame is printed in plastic then lost-wax style cast in bronze. I designed it so the locking arm is built into the frame. The action is quite smooth, and the release pressure is just where I want it. Several flaws stand out to me about the fit n finish and the action could be tweaked. I am considering a more modern pin; I've had to repin several times to adjust the action. Obviously this is the prototype, so I would love to hear input/critique as I make improvements for a series. Theo

Hello again, Here is the piece I've been working on for several months, and even have a patent pending for aspects of. The honeycomb mesh is lofted 1mm-2mm, and allows for air flow under the palm in an attempt to maintain a solid grip through sweat/blood/etc. Swinging it around you feel a slight breeze under your hand. Here it is with the folder version (that I've been using heavily): The blade is W2 with a random hamon. After polishing to 1200 I gave it a quick hot blue, something I want to start doing for all my blades... however I then made the mistake of wiping it down after with 1200 grit in random directions, fudging up the satin finish a bit. Wood's stabilized burl for easy cleanup when it does get dirty, which it will; I plan on putting this design through it's paces after some more glamour shots. This'll probably be the first knife I send off to Sharp's or Point Seven... then I'll beat the living snot outta it. This is a prototype, and I can already see there are areas that can be improved. Where the ring join in the subhilt area needs to be perpendicular. I have to print and cast a thinner mesh to reduce weight and reduce the offset of the lofted mesh. The flow from the blade to handle could be smoother. While the edges of the printed components are rounded off and comfortable to hold, only once I start using it will I know for sure if they will need to be rounded off more. Let me know what ya'll think, Theo

Evening gents, Tonight I bring you another wharncliffe in W2. Differentially hardened with APG-36 and Parks 50, you can sorta make out the hamon in the first picture. Black G10 and cocobolo where each layer is the same thickness for a more dynamic reveal. Copper pins... I should have done copper liners too...right? Lemme know what you think

Recently I wrapped up a similar W2 blade '?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>> that the customer decided halfway through he didn't like the triangulated guard and pommel. SO the old fittings went on a smaller blade, and I reprinted a smoother guard n pommel (I was dead-set on 3D printing the fittings on this girl). Ebony scales and brass pins. 14.625" OAL, 4.75" handle, 1/8" at guard with distal taper, 1.8125" at widest The stepping on the printed components is quite visible on the curved surfaces. I flubbed up somethin good on the finish on two pins... at least they are both on one side so there's a pretty side haha The guard and pommel were printed with cavities to reduce weight. The color is an interesting mixture of the stainless steel powder and the bronze that is cast around it. Conveniently similar to brass. Went with a smooth gradient of hamon clay, which was an error in retrospect because the blade is so wide the grain transition/boundary was spread out resulting in a BORING hamon... so I took the sanding a step back for a satin finish with hint of hamon ("satin finish with hint of hamon" sounds like a food). Comments/critique encouraged :) Theo

Howdy guys, It's been a while since I've posted - been busy at the new job. Had the opportunity to wrap up this puppy; W2 with hamon, cocobolo scales, 3D printed bronze guard and pommel, brass and copper fittings. I'm very happy with the results, although my fit n finish needs some more work; some bits still bother me, but I'm living with it. Experimenting with 3D printing has been a blast. I think this is probably my best application of it to knifemaking yet. Comments and critique appreciated, Theo