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Just watch it. Shot at Firth Rixson Forgings ltd. in Sheffield. No dialogue. No explanations. Just great machine forging and two almighty steam hammers, plus a few smaller ones.

WIP of how I forge welded the hilt. Starting material was 1/2 x 1 inch mild steel. Pierced for tang then sawn and filed to shape. Everything aligned and forge welded Then filed. Pommel forged from 1 inch NPT black pipe

I was in there on Friday! - I found the floor plate with ''barry can't arf weld' on it! The big drop stamps are Massey 8 - 10 - 12 ton, the counterblow is a biggie, a Beche DG40. One of my best customers, I do a heck of a lot of work on the stamps.

1770s Smallsword I finished up recently. Forged and heat treated triangular blade with hand etching. Forge welded loop hilt and pineapple pommel hand filed with pure silver accents. Mahogany grip. 30.5 inch hollow triangular blade 37 overall Balance 1.25 from hilt 20.4 oz total weight

Yeah, work with a non-refundable deposit to sign up for a class, which is sufficient to cover any costs you may have made in case of cancellation. And if he passes up a chance to do a course in bladesmithing, then that's definitely his loss and him being an idiot. What person doesn't want to learn to beat and shape hot steel, play with fire and make sharp implements? That's like saying you don't like food or something :)

Last week I stopped into my friend Tom Tasker's forge and we worked on this blade together. It's stretched out of a rail clip like the one next to it by hand which I've heat treated many times and it takes a pretty impressive hamon. They are higher carbon that the spikes and growing up with a railroad through the property was something I used to use a lot. The fuller was done pre beveling with the guillotine tool pictured, its offset 45' to its frame so it can be used to draw material lengthwise too. There is a little bar and tube on the post that can be swiveled to act as a backstop or guide to help stay in the groove. Its pictured here without the lower die or hardie peg on it yet. Will update with a complete pic of the tool later. Kind of stressful forging ha, would be very easy to make a big unfixable ding in the fuller groove but it worked out well. Dies are gapped about an 1/8th inch so the fuller is a uniform depth. Will be grinding and posting pictures of it as it progresses. No grinding has been done to the blade yet so that is all forge work shown. Tried to get as much blade as I could out of the hunk of steel

18th century Cuttoe or small hunting sword with green grip as popular in the time period. Grip of green dyed curly maple, hand made solid brass hardware with gadrooning and liver of sulfur patina. Thrice folded carbon steel blade with heavy fuller on both sides. Blade 19.5 inches long Over all 24.5 www.irontreeforge.com

Tomorrow my little shop turns into a working classroom as my first two students arrive to learn some of my Damascus techniques. Tomorrow their goal will be to design & build a mosaic billet and cut it into tiles ready for the canister which they will weld up on Saturday and forge into a blade to take home with them. The propane tank is full and I have a good supply of 1080 & 15N20. Time to make some steel!

Bogaczewo culture,warrior set plus oryginals. Main belt + knife + whetstone + spear with tip + two javelins + ax.

A few in the handle rack today. These are spec ones I did to please myself so they will be for sale when the sheaths are done but will get more definitive pics up next week. From left is desert ironwood and brass, leopardwood and buff horn, black palm and brass, maple, walnut and buff, desert ironwood and buff and on the right is gidgee.

Sometimes you just have to decide you're a bigger, badder son of a bitch than the demon.

Finished this up yesterday. Little Yakut as raw as possible with bamboo

I set out to the forge this morning with a puukko in my head but changed my mind at the last minute to a wood carving hook knife. I have been watching videos of kuksa and spoon making and want to give this a go and if possible without power tools and it seems I needed a hook knife. I used a small piece of leaf spring for this and forged it as thin as I could with the blade geometry being flat on the inside with one beveled edge on the outside. I am sorry I did not get pics of the forging but I roughly forged to shape and finished with a file and sandpaper. I then carefully bent the blade over a medium sized hammer head (seemed about the right diameter) which I clamped in the vice. This blade is very thin esp at the tip and I did not want to overheat it so I turned my forge right down and carefully heated it and did my 3 normalising cycles before the oil quench. I fully expected it to warp twist to some extent or crack but it held true and Survived. The scale along the edge blew off in the quench and when I did a file test with a small rat file it skated nicely (it took a few strokes as expected to get rid of a bit of decarb on the fine edge before it skated. Anyhow it is in the first temper cycle at the moment. I may end up taking the tip back a bit later but thought it was better to make it longer than too short. If anyone else has made one of these or carved a kuksa or spoon I would love to see your work too. As always any comments, feedback critique etc appreciated

I got blade #1 almost ready for H/T. I changed my mind on the handle for it. I think that I'll go with a sub-hilt.

I finally got back to this project yesterday. The red bronze cast fittings on that small hunter had too many air bubbles when I sanded them down. I kept chasing voids. I recast them and had the same problem. So, I scrapped them and replaced them with 416 SS. Then I got the hardware for three more blades done. I had to redo a couple of the guards. (please don't ask why) I also got the frame handles laid out, profiled to 220 grit and ready to fit on the tangs. Just in time too. The mill's Z-axis broke and I still had two More pin holes in the Bowie frame to drill. I managed to redneck my way through those before I called it quits.

Hello, Recently commissioned Yakutian blades. Multilayered damascus blade from carbon steel and wrought iron and the other two from bearing steel. All roughly the same size: total length 230mm, blade length 150mm, width 30mm, thickness 5mm Thank you for looking. Jacek

I think the theme should be seasons. Pick a season you identify with or like the most, and create something that thrives in that element. For instance I am partial to Winter and would make something severe and cold. Perhaps a spring theme could be that of renewed life and warmth, and fall decay and darkening, and summer warmth and sun. I think it could be a great exercise to create something thematic that doesn't necessarily have to relate back to mythology or history, but can be influenced by them all the same.

Almost done with this first bevel on the full flat bushcraft knife, we are 4-5 hours in and I’m very close to being done. Then I have to repeat it all on the other side..

Just chillin' in the hotel room after two great days with Gary. This was well worth the trip out here, and Gary had done a great job planning out the two days. I've done a fair amount of pattern welding, and even some mosaic work, but Gary managed to squeeze a lot more knowledge into the old noggin.

Class dismissed: Both participants left with a smile on their face, numerous new skills and a quality mosaic blade. I thoroughly enjoyed the class and look forward to doing it again.

There's a lot of alcohol addiction in my family history. I honestly understand what it takes to beat it..........................most aren't able to. I found myself drinking far too much (maybe not by some people's standards but it seemed too much to me) I finally looked at the glass recycling tub and realized how many "empties" of Crown Royal there were in it.............and how I'd be embarrassed for anyone to see that. I hadn't been feeling good, so I decided "my liver is arguing with me over the booze" and stopped cold turkey. That was Christmas Eve 2018. Had some Egg Nog this Christmas Eve and it made me kind of sick to my stomach. That was a true sign it was over. Sometimes you just have to admit and then do something about it. Is it easy? Do I point fingers at those who can't quit? Nope. Everyone has their demons.........everyone. Might not be booze. Might be addicted to work. Heck, an addiction is an addiction. Every individual just has to make up their mind they are going too do something about it...............no-one else can do that for them. Good for you if you've beat an addiction. May God Bless you if you still have one you need to beat. My 2 cents worth.

Just got home and figured I'd do a quick photoplay of where most of my files live. Keep in mind I've been busy at work for a year, sick for the last month, and am by nature an organized slob at best... First, a head-on and an oblique shot of the main file storage. Secondary files are behind the junk-covered stool on the right, and are mostly chainsaw and three-square files, although there's a hoof rasp on the long end. Some of the long ones stay on the bench top leaning against the wall: The needle files live on the portable bench. The red ones are for steel, the blue ones are for nonferrous. The wood rasps and large nonferrous files are on the floor leaning against the engraving tool case. The stain on the big 14" second cut is what happens when mice get into the shop. They pee on anything of value, leaving a trail of rust and shredded shop rags. The flat file on the floor is deceased and awaiting conversion to edge tools. Good files are never flat on the floor! There's also a mailbox full of hoof rasps and a pile of dead files behind the bandsaw, not shown since they are not working tools at the moment. There's also a pair of two-tanged drawfiles in a tube on the bench that are not shown.

Looks like a good wet, and a good reason to stay inside usin that cool blade................

Hey Nice work Johnathan and I will take your advice and take the point off as it has already got me 3 times. Here it is finished. Wood is Australian Ironwood from my yard. I cut one down about 3 years ago and seasoned it in my shed. Great for tool handles. The wet season has kicked in well and truly. Here is a pic of my yard and after 5 minutes of downpour

How do you folks usually store your files? Most of my older files were stored on some simple hooks and rubbed together for about 30 years. As I learned to appreciate files more and more over the years, I tried to take care of the newer ones a little more. But I always found them just laying around. I have not yet gotten handles on all of them either, just the main ones and use an adjustable file handle for the other ones. Surprisingly, in an old wood magazine I saw a very simple solution for the time being. Again such a simple idea I feel dumb. I know Mr Aspery recommends to store them in a old hose, but at least like this their not in a pile.

I’ll post a photo of one I did over the summer below. I’ve only carved two spoons since finishing it. But it carved nice and seems to retain its edge well. If I were you I would cut the point off of the one you forged. I started with a Mora hook knife that had that sharp tip. The only thing the tip was good for was puncturing the user.

First off - It is never to late to quit smoking. To answer your question: yes and no... Smoking causes all kinds of problems: inflammation of the lung tissues, thicker mucous production, decreased ciliary movement (the little hairs that help bring stuff back up out of the lungs). These things have been shown to repair themselves after you quit, not to mention the general decrease in Carbon Monoxide taking place of oxygen molecules in the blood... There are all kinds of other problems smoking causes. Increased cardiovascular risk (Heart attack), decreased tissue repair (like healing after surgery or a injury), and lung cancer risk... These things also improve when you quit smoking. Unfortunately, the lung destruction I showed in the pictures up there do not. Those holes will stay, and that part of the lung cannot exchange oxygen anymore.

So this thread is definitely crossing over into my “other life” - I debated posting this but maybe this will help someone quit smoking. I spend most of my day looking at the insides of people. I can spot a smoker within seconds of pulling up the pictures. Their lungs are full of holes. Of course this is multifactorial so there are a ton of caveats here; however, from my perspective it is consistent. Here are two pictures I pulled. This isn’t the extreme trophy case you see in textbooks, I see much worse on a daily basis. These are just regular people, both in their 60s. (Btw - this is a CT scan, your looking at axial slices of the right lung - basically if you sliced a person like a loaf of bread. Air is black, fat and muscle are various shades of gray, bone is white) Not great images, as a result of taking a picture of a screen, but I think the message is clear... Notice all those black holes in the first picture, that is lung destruction, oxygen exchange can no longer take place in those spots. The second image is an example of more normal lung tissue, same age.

There's a layer of ice/sleet on the ground but the gumbo pot is simmering and the cornbread is in the oven. Time to relax & enjoy the rest of the day.

Now that my damascus class is over it's time to start thinking about my next project. This time I'm reverse engineering it and creating a knife to fit the handle scales which in this case are some beautiful mastodon ivory scales.

A forge welded face should work well. I thought you were down in your back. How've you been since your last surgery?

Some notes about a press, http://matthewdwalker.com/visit_my_studio/forging_press.pdf

It's a nice size for traveling so I'm not overly excited about selling it but if someone really needed it I would take $600.

My experience is only with this product. I have spoken with other blade smiths who use similar products. "Survive" is a relative term. It turns a grayish purple in color, and most wipes off with 400 grit paper. If I get it too thick in spots, I use the wire cup wheel on my angle grinder. Let dry, or use a hairdryer, before heating. I just hang my blades in the sun for a couple of hours while I do something else. Once you get it to quench temp, it goes straight into the oil. Most of the stuff blows off. My quenching operation always involves straightening while the blade is still fairly hot (just below 400* F) between copper bars in the jaws of a vice and a final quench in water. By that point, almost all of the paint comes off with a handheld wire brush.

i know what you mean, Alex. His PH EDC is just about my favorite of his designs. Been really fighting the urge to just flat out copy it!

Asymmetrical spear with central ribs and hexagonal sleeve. Forged based on finds from Nydam, Jutland. Length 45 cm, width 4.5 cm, hole 1.9 cm, weight 445 grams. Knife, 28.5 cm, walnut handle, leather sheath, bone tip. Length in sheath 30 cm (Illerup Adal, Nydam) Spear, length 37.5 cm, width 3.5 cm, hole 1.9 cm, weight 210 grams,hexagonal sleeve (Illerup Adal) Ax, iron welded, length 16.5 cm, hole 3.5 cm X3 cm, weight 450 grams (Nydam). Ax plus spear, . Welded ax, length 17.5 cm, hole 3 cm, blade width 6 cm, profiled blade eight wall, weight 540 grams. Spear, length 31 cm, hole 19 mm, width 3.7 cm, weight 220 grams. Iron Age (Illerup Adal) set.

At what point did they switch from tachi to katana? Anyone? Cool stuff, Steve!

Really nice, Gary. Like your work, as usual.

So I had a minute to check, and here are two places in the U.S.: https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Grindstones https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grindstone_City_Historic_District I know there's a lot of nice sandstone in Kentucky and Middle Tennessee, but I haven't yet found anything about using it for grindstones.

Decisions on the fly so often bring about a better outcome than that "seen" during the planning stage.

Also interesting is how many of the grinding and glazing processes we enjoy watching in youtube videos of the Japanese knife industry are Sheffield (okay, maybe Thiers and Solingen too) technologies that survived as cottage industries in Japan while all but dieing (sp??) out in their country/s of origin.

This one I made for around camp and general tasks where a small axe is needed. The head is a tapered friction fit for easy replacement in the field and the poll is hardened As well. I put the leather to protect the haft and it makes for a comfortable handle when gripped up for finer work.

That is some great forging. That eye is wonderful

If you really like that grindstone, here's a 48-minute video (with sound, in German) about how they made them: These same guys have a BUNCH of smithing videos and other "old ways" videos. I'm glad they filmed these old guys before it was too late.

I decided to make small gentlemen's Bowies from this billet. Hopefully I'll have enough steel for two with six inch blades. For the first I started with some handle work. The interior squares of the raised checkering will get some silver wire inlay.

I was thinking of bluing the blades to increase the contrast, but after putting a cutting edge on and applying a liberal amount of Flitz, these sure do look purdy. I just wish that WI hadn't produced those small voids. I guess that add character.

Funny, my little wife never complains about when I'm in the shop making...................well, making anything. What she complains about is all the time I spend here at the computer talking with all you guys. Of course, I spend a whole lot of time just "learnin' stuff" from all of you. Still, she truly resents the time I spend here. Guess everyone can't be happy all the time, huh!

Well, I got one of them done. Stats: 1095, hollow ground blade. 3-9/16" from bolsters to tip, 3-1/4" cutting edge. Nickel-silver bolsters and flush pins, stabilized Box Elder burl scales. It still needs a little clean up and sharpening, but let me know what you think.

My workshop so far has been a converted garage with no chimney, so no indoor forge. I finally got tired of digging out the forge and having to move it outside and re-establish my work area every time I wanted to do some hot work. I got hold of a large crate from work, and turned it into a mini workshop. The anvil, vice and hammers goes back into the garage when not in use, and the side and top goes back on the crate to protect against the weather. How does the rest of you get around lack of space?