That is a very nice knife, I would have been proud to make that! I think you did a great job, everything I see you post on here looks great.

Yeah, no accounting for taste is there Mark. We like it just fine and we know something about the craft, well done. What'll you think next time he should get a gift?

Michael: That's a fine first hammer, sure the eye could've used some tweaking but being square it'll be plenty secure. It'll do good work and you get to enjoy the feeling of using a tool you made with your own hands. It'll be one of your go to hammers, honest.

Well done.

Frosty The Lucky.

I needed a smaller crosspien for leaf making because the only one I had was a 4 lb I found at lowes. That one is much too large. 

Yeah, I have a too heavy straight pein I almost never take off the rack and it's about 5lbs. One of these days I'm going to put it on a longer handle for serious drawing when I have a striker available or working something I can use a hold fast on. 

What's your weigh? Light hammers are really useful, I have an old tin knockers combination "straight, cross" pein, "Creasing Hammer" I use for veining and texturing all the time, heck I've even used it on sheet metal!  It weighs maybe 8-9 oz. one of my go to hammers.

Another little tweak you'll find helpful in most cases is to curve the pein SLIGHTLY, less than an axe blade for sure. That's for the next one though, just don't straighten the natural curve the steel takes when you forge the pein down as much.  A LITTLE curve.

Frosty The Lucky.

2 hours ago, Daninghram said:

That is a very nice knife, I would have been proud to make that! I think you did a great job, everything I see you post on here looks great.

Thank you very much!

1 hour ago, Frosty said:

Yeah, no accounting for taste is there Mark. We like it just fine and we know something about the craft, well done. What'll you think next time he should get a gift?

 Im glad you like it, I do too. Thing is, is he is a "blacksmith", ( I personally think I have more skill, he only forges like 1 time a month, me this summer its been almost everyday all day, and during school forging in the evenings and weekends). Now he has never made a knife.....I guess thats part of the contributing factor, everybody seems to think a knife is the easiest thing to do. Al, it is is a sharp pointy thing? Right? Yeah sure. Im not making him another gift. I tried my best with that knife and my best wasnt good enough. He said other things to me that would get me baned from here. I also gave him a gift card with a substancial amount to a leather store he goes to. He wants to return that and he knife to me. I think he is just trying to be rude. I could MAYBE  understand returning the knife, but I dont see a reason to return the gift card that he would use. Now he said he would like to return them, but part of me doubts he will.

                                                                               Littlebacksmith

That's too bad Mark but some folk have to try to diminish others to make themselves feel better. Wait till you get to work FOR a guy like that, talk you down regularly but you're the first person they call if they need something done right. The world is full of them, I found the best revenge is being good. Engaging them in their petty games is a loser. Leave them be, they aren't fooling anyone. 

If he gives your knife back it's because it shames him and returning the gift card is his way to get revenge. Bummer really but it's good when folk let you know what their friendship is worth. I have a few cash in advance only acquaintances myself.

Let's talk about something good, we've wasted enough time. 

Frosty The Lucky.

 

"Art is long. Life is short. Get going!" -Francis Whitaker

And if you want to achieve this "art" thing there's no time to argue with people who don't understand, and don't want too.

Great knife Mark. Just some jerk that can't appreciate the time, effort, materials, and knowledge involved. Atleast you still have the sage block!

2 hours ago, Frosty said:

What's your weigh?

I haven't weighed it but judgin from losing a 12oz drink can in one hand hammer in the other (and swapping hands to be sure) it's at least 16oz but idk an exact. 

2 hours ago, Frosty said:

Another little tweak you'll find helpful in most cases is to curve the pein SLIGHTLY, less than an axe blade for sure. That's for the next one though, just don't straighten the natural curve the steel takes when you forge the pein down as much.  A LITTLE curve.

I ground in a very slight curve in the pein. I may find it's not enough and address it once I get to using it. 

On 8/28/2017 at 9:50 AM, littleblacksmith said:

Thank you very much sir. The guy I gave it to said it was basic at best, that it would be lucky to fetch $50, and that there was no craftsmen ship involved.

What an appalling response to your generosity, Mark. I have admired your work on this site for some time and you are a very talented young blacksmith. That guy really has some serious issues. Don't dwell on it, and continue to be confident in your abilities. Like Frosty said, don't waste time on him.

Greetings LBS....   ( The abreviation for pound is LB go figure. LOL) 

          "There is a big difference between doing something wrong and something one does not like"

      As a past vocational teacher and a present mentor in a trade school I can honestly say that I have learned many things from my students and employees..  He is just jealous.. Always keep an open mind and a closed lip.   You are doing just fine ... As I always say.

FORGE ON AND MAKE BEAUTIFUL THINGS 

Jim

Hi Mark,

I couldn't say more than Frosty, Aus and Jim said. I feel your surprise and hurt but just let it go and nevermind. There are enough people who like and are going to like your work, that's what counts.

Bests to you!

Gergely

A decent knife made at a factory with 0 craftsmanship will often bring a good 100 bucks if not twice that. I LOVE that knife. Next time you talk to that guy, tell him he can sell it to me for $60.

Just doing a bunch of miscellaneous projects in the shop the last couple of days -

Made a quench tank from an old outdated oxygen tank. As a bonus I'm making a bell from the top piece.

Slumping wine bottles into dishes in my heat treat (multipurpose ) oven.

Finished my "ultimate" tongs.

And varnishing a violin.

11 minutes ago, John in Oly, WA said:

And varnishing a violin.

Spirit or oil?

Aged, oxidized turpentine and boiled linseed oil. William Fulton's varnish recipe.

Cool. Pictures?

I'll get some posted tonight.

1 hour ago, John in Oly, WA said:

Slumping wine bottles into dishes in my heat treat (multipurpose ) oven.

Those are cool. If I had a heat treat oven I'd probably have to do that kind of thing for my wife and inlaws more than I could use it for my own projects.  

Thanks. Funny you should mention that. In this case it's for my aunt.   She brought over 18 wine bottles (All EMPTY! What's up with that?! ) and asked if my oven got hot enough could I melt them into trays. I should get a bumper sticker for my heat treat oven - "I'd rather be heating knives" LOL

Tell her to leave a little in one next time lol. 

My father in law saw some of the old glass coke bottles that were slumped and had a thermometer attached at a "junk store" a couple years ago and asked if I could do that. Of course he still thinks I melt metal to make what I want. What's really bad is he's not the only one who's made comments along those lines.  

What can you do, huh? You try to educate people.

Anyway, more pics -

My finished tongs - messed up the rivet a little, one side the head is big and, of course the other side it's just a lot smaller.

The varnished violin. Pic of the cooked, brittle turpentine. A jar of the final basic varnish - the color comes just from the cooking.

First attempt at something architectural. 

Not sure on outcome but wife loves it and I must say, I enjoyed it. Made second half of trellis today. 

John, what technique did you use to forge the violin??

wood you share??

hehe. 

Get it???

wood

 

1 minute ago, 58er said:

Not sure on outcome but wife loves it

I'm not showing it to my wife or I'd have another project to do.  Nice work!

Nice trellis panels.

Very low temp forging on the violin.  Heated until the seams could be parted. Cold work on the front and back plates thinning the material. Welded back together with hide glue.

The varnish - also low temps. Turpentine to 575F for 60 minutes after the exothermic reaction subsided, cooled until brittle, heated up again, add linseed oil, back up to 575f for another 30 minutes, cool to 340f, add fresher turpentine to thin.

Nice trellis, 58. The collars look great.

What's the thing on the glove??