Nice handling of a proven design.

Joshau cool looking Knife. I always liked the look of a full tang knife with bolsters

Thanks guys. I used to make a lot of full tang knives. More times than not, the general public thinks they are somehow "stronger" than partial tang designs, which is a myth that has proven difficult to dispel. This one was a first for me in that I soldered the bolster on instead of peening with pins. There are 3 blind pins to keep the bolsters lined up. It worked well.

With the show coming up in November, I figured I should finish another one of these. This one is Cable/1095 San Mai with 416 SS bolsters and stabilized buckeye scales.

I like that bolster. Sweet.

Very nicely done. I see bird and trout's that look like any other hunter but that one fits the title.

Thank you gentlemen. I think I will make this one of my standard models. It has enough room for minor variations in the handle profile (thin or wide, round or square heel)) and it's a fun one to forge.

I made another one of these today. I thought I'd show the forging process. I picked up a small piece of 1095 scrap and thought I could forge this knife out of it.

The scrap piece measures about 3 inches long, 1-1/8 inch wide and is anywhere from about 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch thick. I welded it to a piece of 3/8 inch square for a handle for forging ease.

Then I set about making it into a uniform bar. Here I have gotten it to 1 inch wide, 1/4 inch thick and however long it wound up (approx. 5 inches?)

I tend to work my blade first, because I have a set blade size & shape in mind.

Then I thin down the handle area and stretch it out.

For the finger groove I work it on a round bick I made. The belly curve in the handle is done on the anvil horn.

I want to point out that I always work from a template made from 1/8 inch mild steel. I lay that on a flat surface (I have multiple anvils in the forging area) and draw the perimeter with a soap stone.

I can lay the forging on top of the soap stone drawing and see where it needs to move. I want to cover the entire drawing to allow for profile grinding.

The final forging is a series of planishing and straightening heats until I am satisfied with the bevel development and the profile.

Here is the spine and distal taper.

Here is the edge.

Here is the finished forging next to the template and drawing. This blade and handle will be a little wider than the template shows.

I find the template is a little too narrow in the handle area and I like to keep the blade/handle proportion matched.

That looks like a very handy and useful knife.

Well done.

Your process shows adjustability which is a sign of expertise and a well designed... well, process. You simply must make the parts, where material will be removed, bigger so the size settles into the actual profile and thickness of the intended blade.

Thank you Karl & Lin. I decided earlier this year that I was going to focus more time at the anvil than I had been. When I say I am a part-time maker, it's because I typically average only 4-6 knives per year. Most of my knife making time is in the finish work and I have very limited time to devote to the craft. This year, I was able to rearrange my work schedule and devote one day a week to forging. The results are clear. I have made a lot of tooling that I needed for various tasks/projects, and I set a personal productivity record. I made 10 completed knives in 2019.

Nice forging Joshua!!!