Doug Lester

Take a look at some historical pictures featuring people with that size seax and you may notice that the handles were longer in proportion to the blades. If you make another you might want to take that into account and add a few inches to the length of the handle. Other than that, great work. Doug

Very nice. I too am limited by the size of my oven as to how long of a blade I can temper. That's a great job on that wrap around sheath. You did well free handing the tooling. Doug

I agree with Joshua, that is one fine looking EDC and the tooling shows some real skill and sophistication in the design. Doug

That's a sleek looking knife. How was the mastodon ivory to work with? Doug

I like the way that you took a simple design and made it fancy. Good work. Now make another. Doug

Sometimes it will work to re-heat treat a thin edge and sometimes it won't. If you think that it's a non-starter to grind the edge of the blade back, cooling frequently in a pan of water, then risking warping by re-heat treating the blade might be a last ditch effort to save the blade. Doug

Great work, John. I really like the handle shape. Doug

From what the Atlas add said the 67 lb anvil is a modified sawmakers anvil. It has multiple radius' on the edges and on what would be the heel. I ordered one because it's reasonably priced and it's light enough that I can wheel it away into the garage and lock it up between forging sessions because thieves have stripped me down to four tongs (just out of luck they were my most used tongs). They gave me a target delivery date of July 31. I'll see how it goes. Doug

Fantastic. Is the wood on the art deco one walnut? And I assume that's it's some sort of burl on the other one? Doug

Always a good idea to choose a steel that you have the equipment to heat treat. The higher alloy steels pretty much need to have a regulated heat treating oven to get the most out of them. Doug

Thanks for the sympathy, guys. Security cameras will go in before I put anything back into the shed, and the anvil and tools will be locked up in the garage when I'm not forging. I also noticed that one of the forges was damaged when they were trying to get a propane tank detached from it but that will be an easy fix. Alan, checking the pawn shops sounds like a good idea. We only have a couple in town. My problem is going to find a good leg vice. They seem to be pick-up only in places 1000 miles away, they want almost as much for shipping as they want for the vice, or they want almost as much for a used vice as you can get a new one for. Plus the new one ships for less. Anyway the man who I strongly suspect of taking them has been bumming money off me for years; probably pushing close to $1000 by now. I've also caught him steeling from me before so it's long overdue running him off my property. If I knew where he lived I should get a no trespass order against him.

I just went to the Atlas Tool and Knife site and they are taking orders for their 67 lb cast steel (4150) anvils for $311, shipping included, it's not a bad deal. They've also increased the size of the hardy hole has been increased to 1", if it matters. Doug

The shed is right next to the garage and doesn't have a locking door, might have to change that. I've already ordered two replacement hammers and I'm going to lock up the remainder of my tongs in the garage tomorrow. I'm also going to go down to Staples to check on a wireless security camera system that they have. The middle of next month Atlas Tools and Knifemaking should have there knifemakers anvil back in stock. I've go an idea of how to make a leg vice portable. I just have to find a good deal on one that I don't have to pick up locally. Doug

You might give Old World Anvils a look-see. They carry a variety of anvils, plus they can make you a post anvil, and I know they carry double horn models. Doug

I don't know if this is the correct board for this but I've been robbed again. All my hammers and my flatter, about half of my tongs, my leg vice, the base for my quench tank (turkey fryer tripod) and a propane tank turned up missing along with the block of H13 that I used for a knifemakers anvil. I have a strong suspicion who it is though I can't prove it but regardless I'm going to order him off my property. If I can get his last name and address I'll swear out a no trespass order against him. Doug