Recently I saw a photo of a 19th century sword hilt and decided to try to forge something similar out of stainless.
This was my inspiration:
I started with a piece of 1 1/2" round 304 stainless:
The most difficult part of the forging was getting the correct length between the wider portions of the D-guard. You can see some soapstone lines on the anvil which were guides in this.
Once I had the bottom of the guard to it's basic shape, I constructed the wooden handle:
Here's the final hilt:
If you've not tried forging your handle fittings I recommend it. It can add a new dimension to your knives.
Good job Gary! I can attest to your words! It will force you to study the smallest details in line and flow. You will invent ways to get it done.
Well done Gary! A masterpiece.
Good Job Gary
Scott
Beautiful Gary! It certainly adds a lot to the look of an already nice looking blade!
Simply amazing.
I feel like I'm getting good at forging when I don't have to claim that an errant hammer blow on the flat of my blade is my maker's mark. LOL. Seeing the forging precision of guards like this and the one Lin posted recently, just dumbfounds me.
Great work!
