Determined to make my kid a new tool for Christmas, I diligently forged a bolster into some spring steel, drawing out either end to make a tang and gouge blade, respectively. It was going swimmingly, until the very last possible moment when the tang broke. Or crumbled, or burnt off. Twice. Too hot? Too cold? Just not paying attention? I dunno.

Anyway, I blew off the idea of making a bolstered tool and forged a tapered tang instead, with a bent, 5/8" gouge on the opposite end. I turned a simple handle out of lignum vitae [my first experience with this stuff - what a blast!], and used a 3/4" copper pipe cap for a ferrule. Polished all the metal parts (leaving a few dimples in the gouge to indicate forging, rather than machining) and waxed the handle. Boxed it up and gave it to my son on Christmas Day, as a gift to inspire his continuing efforts in woodcarving and blacksmithing. The way his eyes lit up you'd have thought I'd just handed him Isildur's newly-remade sword.

I looked around the living room Christmas night, and the gouge was missing. It was upstairs; he'd put it on his nightstand before going to sleep.

All the best for the New Year,
Leland

Pictures! we need Pictures!!!!

All right, let's see if this will work:

http://s473.photobucket.com/albums/rr98/ghostlyshows/Blacksmithing%20Projects/


I don't know why, but the "upload" button to the Gallery isn't working, and this is the best I could do. Eh, what are ya gonna do -- that bolster didn't turn out right, either!!!!

Edited December 26, 200817 yr by Leland

That looks awesome! Excellent job.

The upload issue is probably the same as the one posted about here;

http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f20/problems-posting-gallery-8674/

It has to do with the Adobe Flash plugin.

All the bolster chisels I have seen "proffesionaly" made, have the bolster wraped and welded, not upset and necked. I dont do much carving but I do make a lot of "saddled" chairs. If you have any prototypes or seconds I would be willing to take them, or I am possibly up for adoption.
Paul.

Coolest post I've seen all day...good for you.

Very nice, congratulations.

That's a beauty, I probably would've taken it to bed with me rather than make it sleep on the nightstand. Alone.

Frosty

Very nicely done. I would be proud to get that for a gift.
Finnr

I know of one lucky kid and one great father. Nicest gifts are those from the heart & hearth.

One word...GEORGEOUS!

If you will hot seat the tangs (black heat... melted in rather than burned) or set them in epoxy, you will find the bolsters are not needed anyway... save perhaps on tools meant for heavy mallet driving. I misdoubt your son will ever miss the bolster.

Thanks for the kind words, guys. I built a parting chisel with a cocobolo handle the Saturday following Christmas:

ghostlyshows/Blacksmithing Projects - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

And, maybe one of these days I'll get a REAL lathe instead of this little ShopFox pen lathe :0)

Very nice! If I might ask, what finish did you use on the lignum handle? Whatever it is the color made a nice, slightly subdued, complement to the copper ferule. I might have to file that combination away for future use

-Aaron @ the SCF

Very nice work!

The finish was something that caught my son's eye in the Rockler store:
Sunwax? Outdoor Furniture Wax - Rockler Woodworking Tools

I wanted beeswax, but didn't want to shell out 22 bucks for a block of the stuff. This product is a blend of waxes in a petroleum solvent...and, oh boy, didn't it make that wood buff out nicely?

Edited January 1, 200917 yr by Leland