that space looks amazing bery nice.

Working on a handle for this knife I started at least 2 years ago. Still some shaping to go, then finishing the blade and edge. 

What materials?

Goods,,  WOW is all I have to say..  You completely transformed your shop area..  Funny how one would never know from any shop photos.. 

Das,  it's best to sneak up on it..  Looks great. 

DHarris, to be quite honest, I forget. At the time I never thought it would sit this long to get finished. Then it got kicked around with some others. I Think it is from a file.  The handle wood is some hardwood from a pallet. Pins and tube are brass.  

Kind of a good idea to mark a knife if you might not get to it right away. 

 

17 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

Any contact chilling?

Possible, it was 20* F or so out yesterday.

Marked and started cutting a flat side on the pitch bowl(ing ball), after making a doughnut base from tightly wound inner tube rubber.  

Scrapyard in the morning and fired up the propane forge and did a rasptle snake this afternoon while a friend did a bottle opener (works!)

Today Iron fangs visited and brought a propane grill to be turned into a forge. We got that built then got a log for a sledge head anvil stand and spike tool holder from up on the hill. Little electric chainsaw did well enough. 

I didn't get pictures but maybe he will when he gets it all settled. 

20 hours ago, DHarris said:

materials

As I'm sanding it more a pattern is emerging. Apparently this is one I forged from cable damascus. I'm actually more excited about that lol. 

Flattened one side of the pitch by lashing it down and cutting in with a circular saw:

Breaking off the waste:

And grinding the surface flat (also with the circular saw):

Just need to mix up some chaser’s pitch, and I’ll be good to go. 

(Hanging onto the scrap, which might make a nice pair of knife scales.)

Also re-riveted my double caliper, which now works much more smoothly:

And in the afternoon, made some pitch. This is half a cup of rosin, a full cup of brick dust, and a few squirts of canola-oil based cooking spray. Melted the rosin in a thrift store pan on the induction cooktop (no open flames), which worked well. 

Seems okay so far, and I’m looking forward to giving it a try. 

JHCC  you are always out there trying new things and experimenting..  So inspirational.  Can't wait to hear how you like it and how it works. 

Well, so far, so good. It’s pretty chilly in the shop, so the pitch is probably harder than it should be. Given much removal and repositioning seems to be a part of this process, I think I should invest in a heat gun. I can also see I’m going to need some more chasing and repoussé tools. 

Heat guns are good for a bunch of uses and well worth the investment for how little they can cost. 

They are also good for heating pieces before paint when it is cold out. 

I did some cleaning, assembled a cheap shelving set I had laying around, that led to some light organizing. I’m a poor housekeeper. 
Went to the store to exchange propane tanks. Then went back to return them for faulty valves. 
 

I’m not sure how commonly people use the small propane cylinders you can pick up or exchange at gas stations but I’ll say this, there’s a particular brand that I will NOT be using anymore. Not sure if I can blast a specific brand on this forum, but I’ve experienced about a 50% fail rate with this brand. Faulty valves and missing/broken o-rings. 
 

I saved one empty tank. I may make a better propane forge out of it. I’ve got the little Mr. Volcano forge right now and to say it’s inefficient is a little generous I think. 

It’s entirely appropriate to review equipment, including by name. No live links to commercial websites, though. 

Most of my propane tanks I bought new from Tractor Supply Company, and I refill them rather than exchange them. 

I get my tanks refilled, no exchange. 

JHCC, i really wish i knew what was going on with that bowling ball and all. 

Made a swivel hooky thing for my chain today. 

A swivel gambrel? Ive made a few gambrel hooks before. 

I have picked up my tanks in different ways but I get them refilled instead of exchanged as well. 

22 minutes ago, BillyBones said:

i really wish i knew what was going on with that bowling ball and all. 

Chasing and repoussé are methods for shaping metal (often nonferrous sheet, but not always) with punches and chisels. In simplest terms, chasing (or embossing) is working in from the front, and repoussé is pushing out from the back. Chaser's pitch is used to hold and support the workpiece; it can be softened by heating, which allows it both to conform to the piece's shape and release it as needed. It's usually put in a heavy iron bowl called (oddly enough) a pitch bowl, although I (like a number of others looking to start on the cheap) am using a bowling ball with a flat cut in one side. The bowl (or ball) rests on a shot-filled leather bag or on a rubber doughnut -- again, I made my own.

I don’t forge with propane but I use a bottle top heater occasionally to help out in the shop on really cold days, 

I’ve never bought one new though,

I just pick them up at yard sales for a couple bucks and then get them refilled at the feed store lol,

I think I’ve got 6-7 settin outside the shop that I swap out, when half are empty I take ‘em up an get them filled, 

BillyBones, I really like your shop!

JHCC, what’s the gooey stuff do for your repousse project? 

It holds the project in place. Think fly sticking to fly paper. In other words it holds it still while he can use two hands to work it with a tool and hammer.

Ahhh! Okay that makes sense,

does the resin not harden over time though? 

Yes. Why he mentioned a heat gun to soften it a bit. 

I mean wouldn’t it be rock solid if you left it all week? Or a month in between projects? 

or will it just soften up even after extended periods of time between use with a heat gun? 

I don’t know much about resin but I thought it gets really hard after it sets?