SteveShimanek

I am a retired former Army captain, carpenter, marine and industrial maintenance technician, and maintenance shop manager; my current shop is on Olotele Mountain in American Samoa, hence the name of my shop, Olotele Forge. My interest in Japanese sword technology has led me to take up sword forging, polishing with water stones, and I am working towards smelting steel. I have done some limited restoration work on koshirae, shirasaya making, habaki making, and bringing neglected blades back to life. I am making a junkyard power hammer, and learning to use my 1972 Clausing lathe. Thanks for looking.