Gary Mulkey

It was a little too hot to do any forging today but was a good day for checkering handles:

I got my first real look at the pattern tonight. I decided to remove the ricasso from this one. I think it looks better without it. I'm still debating one what style of guard to give it. I have enough of the blade steel left to do either a guard or a butt cap. What do you think? Use it or make them from 416?

Thanks, Alan. Hopefully it will turn out ok.

I've been working on other projects recently but got time to forge this blade this evening after work:

I started on the forge today but didn't last long as the summer heat & humidity convinced me to do other things. I opted for handle work and got my ivory handle cut out, slotted and one side checkered before calling it a day.

The shop temperature was approaching 105 before I finished but I got the cannister welded today:

All of the pieces are now in the canoe. I'll try to get the canoe capped (after a coat of white-out) and welded tomorrow.

I didn't manage much shop time today but got the canoe started. Those of you who have taken my class will recognize what I'm doing here.

Tiles cut and in annealing oven.

Yes. It also added the wavy aspect to the lines.

4-way welded pattern (I'm still debating on whether or not to do another 4-way) Handle material

The weather here was so hot & humid that I only managed a couple of hours of forge time today. This first photo shows three layers of 30 x 4 "W" pattern separated by multiple layers of both steels. This will give me two layers of 15N20 separated by one layer of 1080 between each of the three W layers. I didn't bother to trim them to length so you can see the back ends of them flaring out on the scrap end of the billet. Normally when preparing to square a billet on the bias I will forge it 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" square. This time in order to bend the added layers of the billet a little more just for effect I forged it 1" x 3" and then squeezed it on the bias in my squaring dies. [ I don't really know how much this will effect the pattern but should help.] Here's the billet squared on the bias (1" x 1") and ready to be cleaned up for a 4-way weld. I'm not positive and will etch the end after the 4-way weld to see what I have before making a decision, but I'm thinking that a second 4-way weld may be called for. Either way it will end up in a canoe for the final weld.

As I'm waiting on a delivery before I can proceed with my rapier, I've started a new Bowie project. I'm needing something to place in the Best Bowie Knife competition at the AKA Show in Sept. so this hopefully will be my contribution to the competition. This is the start of a cannister mosaic which will eventually get a semi-checkered ivory hilt. I'm doing this one after work, a couple of hours at a time. Hope you enjoy the trip through it's progression.

It seems that I've had so many different projects going now that I haven't had time to devote much to my rapier until today. I've finally gotten all of the wire basket bent & welded. It's still very rough and will require a lot of time grinding & polishing but I think that you can now call it a basket. While bending & welding the various round rods required for this basket hilt made me reflect back to a time when a glass blowing friend used to turn glass rods into pieces of art. This guard wasn't a whole lot different.

Thanks, Joshua. I'm still amazed that I decided to take this on. Wish me luck as I'm not a swordsmth.