Blacksmithing Lin Rhea Style...Finished

[tippit]

Everyone already knows it...but Lin Rhea is one heck of a generous fellow!  I've been wanting to forge up one of his Blacksmith Knives.  He walked me through his process with pictures, text messages, and a phone call.  Even though I'm not finished, I had to show off my start of one of his Blacksmith Knives.  

This morning it all started with a 5" piece of 5160 1 1/4" X 1/4" bar stock.  That ended in a 14" blade ready to be bent and riveted. Hopefully I don't blow the next steps.  Thanks Lin for all the help...Grasshopper Tippit

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[Lin Rhea]

It looks great Jeff.    

[just_a_hunter]

Can't wait to see the finished product.

Todd

[benny]

Heck yeah....looks great.

[gudspelr]

 

Super cool


Jeremy

[tippit]

Got it put together just now and the blade ground.  Will quench tomorrow.  It's not a Rhea Blacksmith knife and except for one set back of Not having the rivet long enough on my first try to connect the handle.  I managed to re-cut a longer rivet but I lost some of the over hanging flare end.  Anyway I like it and will try to get picture up tomorrow.  I gotta say I learned a few new blacksmithing skills getting everything in palace. Lin thanks again for your coaching.  I really enjoyed making this knife...tippit

[Thadbow]

Looks great Jeff, I cant wait to see it all together!

[Lin Rhea]

Jeff, I tell my guys in the shop that "we're not just building a knife, we are working on a process". The knife is a byproduct of the process.

It will take you two or three tries to get it the way you want it but when you get it right, you have the process tweaked to the point that the end result is pretty consistent and satisfying.

I spent three months making axes till I thought I had the process down. I hardly made any knives during that time which means I had very little income from it. But the learning time spent was worth it. I figured it to be the cost of education.

[tippit]

Blacksmith Blade (aka Lin's Blacksmith Blade Design) is quenched and in the tempering oven.  I like it even though it needs improvement...but that's the fun of the journey which started April 8, 2005 when Doug Campbell gave me my first lesson on Trad Gang in the form of a series of PMs.  That was even before Terry put up the Hunting Knives and Crafters Forum.

I owe a great deal to the help and friendships I've received here    

Another side note on finishing this knife.  At the ABS Great Smokey Mountain Hammer In this year, Jason Knight did a seminar on Forge to Finish where he is now forging some of his blades to finish, quenching, tempering, and putting an edge on the knife...done!  The reason being to bring the blacksmith back into the knife.  I ground this blade a very little and put an rolled edge on it before quenching.  When it comes out of the oven all I'll do is put a sharp edge on it.  The final finishing touch will be to skin and process my next bow harvest...tippit

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[KSCATTRAPR]

Thats pretty neat!

[tippit]

Changed my mind, decided I put too much time into this knife not to finish it....

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[TrackerNy]

Nice work Jeff!

[FerretWYO]

So cool. Awesome work.

Randy

[Lin Rhea]

God job Jeff!

[just_a_hunter]

Looks great. I can tell it is Rhea influenced but it certainly has "tippit" written all over it.

I think you did an awesome job of keeping your style.

Todd

[Thadbow]

Excellent work Jeff, love it!

[bjansen]

Awesome Jeff. Thanks for sharing your tips and trick Lin.

I am getting the forge out tomorrow!

[wisconsin wood butcher]

thanks for all the inspiring pictures and information that you have been putting on here