another pwelded seax

[kevin (the professor)]

Hello everyone,
I never actually posted this one here. I made it about a month ago. I have been out of comission due to equipment failures. Both grinder and forge bit dust, but have been ressurected. Better, stronger, faster (ok, at least better).

This is actually the first thing I have ever sold to a total stranger. Most were either gifts to friends of "deals" for friends of friends. Not to mention the big pile of stuff I had to keep because I was too ashamed to give it away.

So, I sold this one really easily. I need to improve, TREMENDOUSLY in terms of handle work, fit and finish, etc. In fact, much good advice allowed me to reform this one a bit, which is probably why people were interested.

Now, I need a stamp, so I can mark 'em.

Seriously, this is the first thing I have made that I would send to anyone else as being an example of "my" work. The rest are better kept among friends.

Hopefully, I will keep getting a little better each time... Hopefully.

Thanks for looking,

Kevin

[Bentiron1946]

I like this a lot! Nice straight pattern, looks good and you have improved but don't be too hard on yourself, let others do that for you, after all that's what friend are for. :rolleyes:

[junker]

ilike the pattern... looks like wood grain, very cool. also te design of the sword it'self looks like a giant prison shank lol

[kevin (the professor)]

ilike the pattern... looks like wood grain, very cool. also te design of the sword it'self looks like a giant prison shank lol

Oh man, that was not expected, and made me laugh really, really hard. thanks for that.

I actually tried to make the core complex. It has two counter-twisted rods, with two parallel laminate rods outside of those, with layers of mono 1095 outside of those, adn finally, layers of 1080 for edge and spine.

The problem - I could not guess the right amount of material to use for what I wanted, so I drew the twisted rods too thin and had to cut and weld them back on themselves to get enough thickness. So, the twists were loose to begin, and then draw out twice.

So, you really can't see the twists. It was a learning experience. I need to start with a LOT more material to begin when I am twisting and welding. The welds went well, and it does look like wood grain, but it is a compromise between what I wanted to accomplish and what I could accomplish.

Live and learn. I love forging and welding, and don't mind doing it over and over.

If it was my livelihood, I can imagine I would be more upset.

thanks for comments. I learn a lot and get a lot of encouragement from you guys.

Oh - and I polished it a LOT better since I am selling to someone. I realize that I am pretty obsessive about what I want to have out there representing me. I can imagine that this could really become something I have to keep in mind.

Kevin

[Ed Steinkirchner]

i know what you mean about a better finish for a selling piece. my knives have a lazy finish on them, but anything that goes out into the world has to be near perfect. i don't go so fine on knives i use every day, but if there is a chance someone will see it, i may go a little finer. if i had a belt grinder that would probably change. hand sanding isn't my best friend and i know what you mean about needing a touchmark, i just cant seem to shorten Ed Steinkirchner :D

[Bentiron1946]

"Edward Steinkirchner" must have a definition of some kind, it must mean something. I know it is easier to get the meaning of a name like Fletcher, Hunter, Cooper or some other trade name but if you find a meaning to your names you can make a touch mark that corresponds to that, a pictograph of it.
OK, I did some looking around and investigating on your last name, Stein= stone, kirchner=caretaker of the sacristy or church, or in simplified terms Stone Church Caretaker. I guess that you could make a touch mark that looked like a small stone church.
And Edward means happy or prosperous guard, so maybe a little armed warrior jumping for joy.
Kevin= kind, honest and handsome, I haven't a suggestion for a touch mark for that. ;)

[kevin (the professor)]

my name is kevin colwell, with the last name being Old English or Celtic for cool river or well.

I am also a forensic psychologist by day, and our field uses the Greek capital Psi to abbreviate it.
I plan to do something with the Psi. Maybe some symbol for well or river. Or since I post as kevin "the prof", maybe my initials and the Psi.

thanks for input.

Kevin

[kevin (the professor)]

You Won't Believe This!

OK - I have mailed a pretty good number of knives and seaxes to people in the last year. They have all been mailed from my same local post office.

So, I have a deal to sell this blade to a fellow in Florida. I wrapped it carefully in cardboard. Duct taped everything together. Stuffed it in priority mail tube with paper in and around it so it could not move. There was no way the point or blade could have come in contact with anything.

The tube was packed so full that the seax could not move or rattle, and there was enough to cushion any impact. Add to this, really strong packing tape over both ends.

I bought delivery confirmation.

Guess what? The tube arrived, but it was EMPTY! The packing tape was torn and the metal cap removed from the end with the point. NO SEAX INSIDE!

I suspect that a worker at the post-office overheard me talking loudly with the mail clerk about how fancy this particular short sword was, and simulated a lost item.

That was the immediate impression of the buyer, too. I don't think anything but a person could have torn the tape without crushing the tube. Also, if there had been some way for the thing to come out honestly, it would not have gotten totally separated from the tube. An honest worker would have been able to see that the item belonged with the tube and repacked/resealed it.

The buyer said he could not remove the cap on the remaining end to get the paper out without cutting the tape, it was too strong and too well sealed. So, both ends were the same, or should have been. most likely, human intervention.

But, I can't prove anything.

I am going to make this fellow a better seax, but he will have to wait.

Somebody, somewhere, has a really nice knife. I doubt that the fully appreciate what they have, though.

As you can guess, I am really upset about this one.

kc

[kodiak93657]

:angry: DUDE.. GRRRR... w... f... s... xxxxxxx BLARG!! It's not even mine and I'm xxxxxx with a capial P... that's so xxxx wrong. did you insure it? I think I'm mailing stuff FedEx from now on... omg... blargidyblarg...

sorry. just had to be said.

-B

[Bentiron1946]

Have you talked to your local Postmaster about this? A friend of mine was an inspector for the Post Office before he retired and they take this kind of thing very serious. It may take awhile but if it was an employee they usually find them out and if it was the buyer they find that out too. That is a shame that you lost that blade to theft! May the thief cut his finger good and proper on that blade. :P

[clinton]

We used to send packages to new york, my x had family there and no insurance= no package every time we would send something with out insurance it would disappear with out a trace

[Akad]

Nice work! I like the simplicity of it, it's not too crazy and extravagant but still looks good. And that picture with the pillows makes it look like it's trying to be seductive hahaha!