Here's one I just finished right in time for hunting season. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> This has a very slight and subtle upsweep to the point, I guess making it a trailing point of sorts. This one is slim in hand but quite stout in the blade. It would take a beating.
Claude Scott provided the fine leather for this one.
Specs:
Hand forged from 1095 steel, differentially hardened with time and temp control of my salts.
8 1/4" overall, 3 3/4" blade, .220" at the ricasso with a full radical distal taper ending in a very nice point
800 grit bright hand satin finish
Bronze collar, carved and textured
African Blackwood handle, contoured w/palm swell and carved/textured
Textured bronze finial
Heavily Rounded spine and ricasso edge for comfort
Rounded filed thumb grip
All comments and discussion welcome.
Beautiful work.
Nice work John! Your getting pretty darn good at that carving/texturing!
Ed Caffrey, ABS MS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
www.CaffreyKnives.net
Wow, John. Really like this one. I'd be curious what an etch would show on that 1095. I've seen your time and temp salt pot blades with hamon <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />.
Jeremy
Jeremy Lindley, Apprentice Smith
Great looking knife John!
Bob
Thanks guys. I appreciate it.
Ed- I'm starting to experiment a bit more with the carving and texturing. I'm buying and making some better tools that help do a better job and it's coming along. I'm experimenting more and more with the carving and will be utilizing that more as I progress.
Carving the fluted fuller on the butt end of this one was a good time. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//biggrin.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' /> The inside curve presented a few tricky spots. A couple special tools had to be made for that.
John that is a beauty. Is that silica bronze or phosphor? Or is there a big difference? It looks so much lighter of brighter than the stuff i have seen at my local metal shop.
Quick question, i remember hearing or reading somewhere that if you forge bronze or copper or brass and use your regular forge as a heat source, that you won't be able to forge weld steel in said forge anymore. Any truth to that? Or does it only pertain to coal/charcoal forge? I im running propane. I can only get bronze in either heavy wall tube or large hex bar. It looks so amazing in your spacers and other parts, id like to try it, but not at the expense of my Damascus. Any light you could shed on the subject? Thanks.
Jesse
Beautiful, clean and precise work. I bet it sits well in the hand.
Awesome John, thank you for sharing.
Thanks again for the comments guys.
Hi Jesse- this is silica bronze but I don't think it matters too much as far as working them....they all seem pretty much the same to me. I have at least 3 different kinds of bronze and they all work the same, they are different colors though and can be noticed side by side that they aren't the same.
I think it is true that forging copper or bronze in your forge will make it tough if not impossible to weld with your forge though admittedly I have no first hand experience with that. A couple of my friends who have much more experience with that told me that same thing so I just don't do it.
Rio Grande Jewelry supply has thin sheets of bronze and a couple online places that I'm drawing a blank on right now have thicker sheets that work well for guards.
Thanks John,
I figured if they all work about the same I'd just go grab some then. Ended up with a 1"x 12" round bar of 660 bronze. I got to thinking i could probably just use my blade forging forge since i don't weld in it anyway, i haven't heard of any detrimental effects of bronze or copper on just regular forging of mono steels, or even on pre welded Damascus.
Anyway, thanks for the info and the Rio Grande tip. Take care.
Jesse
