Project Ideas

[Lin Rhea]

OK this is the blade etched and hand polished with Semichrome.
   
   

This steel is definitely the old school steel. It has black streaks, band, speckles, and what appears to be flux spots in it. Sounds bad but not necessarily. This is the stuff they had then and it worked great. It will still work great. I do have to get used to the natural features and the wood grain look. When I hammered the blade tip to a point you can now see the material grain flow to it.

Another thing. I don't know the carbon content so when I started drawing it back, I started at 350 degrees. It tested too hard by using a file. I upped it 25 degrees and cooked it again and still too hard. I stepped it all the way to 450 degrees in 25 degree increments.  At 450 a file will start cutting it with some effort and that's what I want. It took parts of two days to dial it in but I should be able to save some time with the rest of the batch.

I left the sides of the ricasso forge finished.

[just_a_hunter]

Man you are talented...

Todd

[ron w]

Cool stuff right there!!!

[Lin Rhea]

This is the file work I put on the top of the ricasso. The picture is not too good and it was before the finish was complete but it gives you the idea.
   

[D.Ellis]

Cool looking blade Lin. I like the arrowhead.
Darcy  

[Roughcountry]

I like that blade Lin, can't wait to see how you finish it.
I had a buddy in the shop awhile back that went nuts over your axe. He brought his whole collection to show me yesterday.

[gudspelr]

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I'm loving this thread.        


Jeremy

[2treks]

I REALLY like this. My kind of tool right there. Impressive Lin.

[Lin Rhea]

I decided to forge another guard from the same piece of wrought iron as before. This time it is thicker and I forged it a little closer to final shape. I will include the make shift tools that I forged to slit the guard slot.

Pictures wont work. I will load them this evening if I can.

[Lin Rhea]

This is the guard still on the bar. I slit the guard slot from the back to "bell" shape the hole. Then I used a small punch I quickly forged and punched it.
   
Front of the guard has the smaller slot.
   
I made these in a hurry and they are just mild steel.
   

A sharp hot cutter cuts it like butter.
   
Here it is after I tapered the bottom lug a little.
   
I refined the slot and centered things up and finished the surface to a 220 grit finish. I intend to now put it in the forge and let it scale in a similar way the ricasso sides are. Here the guard is slid loosely on so the fit is not right yet.
   

[D.Ellis]

I like the forged guard. The blacksmithing aspect of your blade smithing is really neat to see. Slitting and drifting holes is not easy to do and get nice and clean(at least for me)....you make all the hard stuff look easy      
Darcy

[Lin Rhea]

Thanks Darcy. That means a lot from you.

I almost wimped out and put rosewood or something on it but I just got the wagon tongue wood on it and setting up. I may have a picture this afternoon. The wood is porous so I'll seal it with something. Maybe tongue oil.

Get it? Wagon tongue?    

Seriously, may use tongue oil. The only thing not from the buggy is a thin spacer and the pin. I needed that for shine.

[Lin Rhea]

The front of the guard is clean as well as the finger curve. The wood is the wagon tongue piece. I filled any natural fissures that would hold it with super glue. There is some light spalting but it is very solid.
     

It's different but I'm happy with the way it turned out.

[Greybark]

Hey Lin , the wagon tongue handle is a perfect match . Indeed a Traditional Classic !!!!

Cheers from the Country that has everything except the Stanley Cup !

[just_a_hunter]

That turned out way nice....

Todd

[akaboomer]

Very nice hunter out of some unique materials.  It's pretty cool to think of the former life of the parts that make up this one. Thanks for taking us along as this one unfolded.

Chris

[D.Ellis]

That has so much appeal. As much as I like the intricate detailed knives with fancy Damascus and carved fittings, there is still something about a knife that is just the basics, and this one is so natural and earthy. I really like this one.       :D  
Darcy

[gudspelr]

Awesome! Loving the whole package, Lin. Thanks for sharing this project with us.

Jeremy

[Fallguy]

I always thought that "tongue oil" was what I got when I show the wife pictures of these knives and tell I could sure use another one.    That is one beautiful knife Lin. If we had a category for knives that equated to a finely crafted selfbow that knife would win top honors.

[tomsm44]

I want one.