To give you a sense of the timeline of making this knife.
I forged the blade last Sunday and finished it this Sunday. I had to spend one day away from the shop. So six long days and lots of steps it is done. There is really no way to fully explain the steps. I forgot to take pictures at some of the places I needed to. I was just moving along and forgot. I spent 3 days on the blade, 1 1/2 days on the guard, and the remainder on the ferrule/spacer and the handle and butt cap.
I tell you this to give you an idea of what goes into a custom knife. Some might think I spend too much time on one, some might think I'm fast. I don't know. I struggle with being "too close" to my work and picking at every flaw and obsessing with little details. It's the "process" along with the discipline it takes to wait that I am really working on. If the process is perfected, the object reflects that. I enjoy drawing the knife and seeing if I can make it the way it is drawn, trying not to cave to the temptation of simplifying it for speed or ease. I can do this only a few times a year.