Dave Stephens

Thanks man. That's a great compliment. I've still got a lot to learn, like all of us.

Still going!

Bruno: The forum belongs to us all. Don Fogg created it, and he made it clear that he wanted it to continue in the spirit of joint ownership by the Bladesmithing community. Legally, I guess, I own it, because Don had to give over financial responsibility to someone. I don't feel that way, however. I've had several offers to purchase it from investors, given our very large traffic, and offers to advertise on it to make revenue, but I've turned them all down because that's not what this place is about. In the event of my death my estate will continue to pay for the forum until it's formally transferred to another admin who has generously offered to take over if I get an anvil dropped on my head (not as unlikely as it seems in our profession, right?) In terms of a digital archive: That would be tough, I think, since the content is in a database that is formatted for this particular forum software. Niels would know more about this than me, but it does occur to me that the Wayback machine at Archive.org auto archives a lot of the interent. Perhaps it backs up our forum? At any rate, we're going to keep this thing going for a long, long time. Don't worry. We'll be here. Dave

Thanks again, Niels. Once again, Niels to the rescue. Wonderful timing on this one. . . with me halfway between Florida and Alaska in a camper and spotty Internet. Sorry for the problem guys.

Hi guys. Day 5 on the road from FL to Alaska. 6 or 8 to go. . . Kennebec, South Dakota on my way through Montana. Hope you all are well. Dave

Lol. I've got it, plus a very long sword I made a few years ago in the rig. I've read about some pretty strict Canada gun laws, nothing so far on the sword laws. Fingers crossed. Thanks man.

Thanks, Bill. Skill is good, so are tools, but patience conquers both. I really think this is the secret to our craft. Patience. Cheers, and luck in the fight. Dave Thanks Jerrod. Man, I wish there was a road through the AK panhandle to Anchorage. Unfortunately, I cross the AK/Canada border in North Dakota (hopefully).

Thanks guys! I appreciate the kind words.

A sad day. I finished this . . . no project to work on in quarantine now. So, the hell with this: I'm driving to Alaska. I start tomorrow. I just bought a 5th wheel camper and got diesel truck to tow her. Should take me 12 days. Wish me luck crossing the US/Canada border. They have closed it, but rumor has it they are letting Alaskan's through if they can prove they are residents. I'll post some photos. The handle on this one is copper, African Blackwood, moose antler, and more copper. Hope you guys like it. Dave

Do you notice frost forming on the outside of the tank? If so, you might not have a problem with the regulator. Sorry if you already know this, but on the chance you might not, if you convert the liquid propane into gas very quickly you cool the tank. This is the way in which RV refrigerators keep cold using propane. If you freeze your tank, the PSI drops dramatically. A good way to fix this is to just put the tank into a tub of water. Pro tip: Cans of beer in the water around the tank get chilled this way while you forge. Dave

I've been looking everywhere for those thing!

Ah! i see. That makes sense. Thanks! Missed that bit. Thanks, Josh.

I like it, but . . . You're making a grip with a perfectly round hole through it. This seems to imply that the tang of the sword would also be perfectly round (like the all thread rod of the jig). If so, what's to keep the grip from spinning? Just epoxy? Dave

Yeah, but do you do it while it's hot, or cold?

Josh: I think I've heard others say the same. So, just a thought: If you wanted a finer grain (personal preference, I'm not a coarse grain guy) it seems like you could start with a much larger stack, just do one weld, and then squish the stack to the thickness desired (for those who have a press). Question: Do you reduce thickness hot, or cold forge/anneal/repeat? Thanks. Dave