here is my first

[WILDKNIVES]

Well, Ive never done this before so tell me what you see wrong with it. It was heated in a brake rotor forge that I may post pics of in the other forum.

[edge9001]

looks like a good place to start.

I would draw more out for the blade. the remaining grip area will look too short, thin and draw it out just enough to get a handle area the right length. then twist the handle. work on evening out the thickness as best you can at the forge, as well as flatten it. as for finishing, I see you sanded or ground the blade, keep working down the through the grit sizes, finer and finer to get a good finish on it. as help with the processes, check out youtube. there are plenty of videos of guys doing the same thing.
A wire brush or wheel will help with the forge scale espeially on the handle after it is twisted.
keep in mind take your time and do as much work at the forge as you can, the closer to finished it is done with a hammer, the less correcting you need to do on grinder or sander.

there is some controversy, especially on iforgeiron, as to the quality of a RR spike knife. I;m not going to get into that right now, but know you can make a descent blade from a HC spike and as nice looking as you are willing to make it, by that '
I mean how much time are you willing to put into it. just keep in mind it may or may not hold a good edge.

like i said be patient with the materials, the forging and your learning curve, but looking good so far.

[WILDKNIVES]

Wow, thanks edge

"A wire brush or wheel will help with the forge scale espeially on the handle after it is twisted.
keep in mind take your time and do as much work at the forge as you can, the closer to finished it is done with a hammer, the less correcting you need to do on grinder or sander."

you said a mouthfull there, I love my dremel tool ..

I need to find a brake drum the next time I'm off, I got the rotor and then stopped looking. I need to get the thing hotter and the rotor just does not have the room for fuel. I banged on it until my elbow needed ice and then I had to go to work (on a boat, so my tools are limited).

I will not work on it any more until I'm home around the 18th. By then I hope my elbow feels better.
I agree about the length issue and the next one will be a little bit longer but this one feels good in the hand to me. Because this is the first one, I will probably never cut anything with it you know? So I dont much care about the quality.

[pkrankow]

You can pickle overnight in vinegar to remove scale after heat treat. Dip or spray with dilute ammonia (I use 1/4 cup household ammonia to a gallon of water) or baking soda and water immediately to neutralize the vinegar, then wash with soap and water and a stiff brush.

Phil

[edge9001]

My first spike knife looked similar to that one, except my blade was more curved. my cousin wanted it before it got finished so I gave it to him.

[pkrankow]

I need to find a brake drum the next time I'm off, I got the rotor and then stopped looking. I need to get the thing hotter and the rotor just does not have the room for fuel. I banged on it until my elbow needed ice and then I had to go to work (on a boat, so my tools are limited).

You can attach a piece of sheet metal from an old appliance or a steel shelf to the edge of the rotor and get more space that way, granted that is horizontal. You can then use a couple of bricks and make a channel that is deeper over the tue. Cut a hole in the sheetmetal, drill a few holed through the rotor and sheet and bolt them together.

Phil

[ThomasPowers]

DANGER if you have messed up your elbow continuing to work it can cause much worse issues! (last time I had a bout of blacksmith's elbow I couldn't smith for 6 months!) Are you using too heavy a hammer? Are you using correct body mechanics swinging it?

Far better to not mess it up than to mess it up and pay the price!

[ironbudd]

i had a problem with the old rust spots (divots) on my knives on the handles if you grind the spikes prior to forging it will give u a smoother finish