Gary Mulkey

Blade: W1 Handle scales: Ironwood Fittings: 416 Inlay: fine silver wire

Something like this: I've yet to hand finish the blade and I may add some simple filework to the guard like a fuller running around the middle of it.

I have refrained from posting here intentionally in order to get past any initial reactions. It has become obvious that this has become a serious situation but not one that needs to create the panic that many have shown to it. We have gotten past the outbreaks of ebola and West Nile and we will get past covid-19. Please do a little due diligence and don't be too eager to believe all that is on the net or media. There has been a lot of misinformation out there. And as been suggested by our president, "Don't make the cure worse than the disease." Just avoid close contact as much as possible. Wash your hands and disinfect surfaces that you touch often. Use your head and we'll get through this. I'm in one of the most vulnerable groups being over 70 with an pre-existing heart disease and will continue to be cautious but I'm not going to let stress & worry over this cause even worse ill effects. Be smart. Be safe. And keep the forge fires burning. Gary

Here you can see the blade (as forged) with the old handle. I'll probably clean up the profile a little with the 2x72 but I think it in general will work with the handle. I haven't decided about the guard yet whether to go with an "S" guard or classic oval.

I got a start on a new Bowie blade today for my existing inlaid handle. This one is from a piece of 1 3/4" W1 round rod. I haven't decided yet if I will give it a hamon or not. [ W1 does a very nice hamon should I decide to do a differential H/T.] My old elbow wore out today before I had the forging complete on it. I'll try to do better tomorrow.

As you can see here, I ended up giving this dagger/toothpick a simple, traditional style hilt. I'm saving the wire inlaid hilt for a future Bowie knife.

This year's hammer-in will be held at "The Tired Iron of the Ozarks" in Gentry, AR on Sept 12. This will mean that there will also be saw mills, hit & miss engines and tractors being used on the grounds at the same time as the hammer-in & knife show. This year's promoter, Allen Newberry, has asked me to demonstrate forging a guard for a knife. For this I will be forging a D-guard for a Confederate type Bowie from some antique wrought iron using only the traditional blacksmithing tools shown here in this video. (coal forge, hand tools & possibly the 25 lb Little Giant hammer) This will include the design, shaping & hot punching/slotting of the guard to fit a pre-made Bowie knife blade. I haven't heard what other demos will be done. I know that Tad Lynch is doing handle shaping. I'm quite sure that multiple ABS Masters will be doing other demos as well. If you enjoy traditional methods and equipment, you should consider putting this event on your calendar. It's going to be memorable!

I got a pommel made and roughed out the new handle. As you can see I'm going more traditional this time.

This may surprise some of you after I've spent this much time & effort on it but I've decided not to use this handle on this blade. I like the handle & will save it for future use on another but it just doesn't fit this knife well enough for my taste. Maybe I'll put it on a large Bowie some time. Back to the sketch pad for new design ideas.

First dry fit-up: I think that I'll etch this one a little deeper.

Counting the connecting pins, this hilt has 52 pieces.

Getting started on the handle inlays:

Joshua, I believe that you're seeing pearlite or retained austenite. 1095 is always a tricky quench and it's hard to get a high % of martensite. You didn't say what your quench oil was. Also you didn't say at what temperature you had the quench oil. All can play a part in this. I don't believe that it's an auto hamon as they're usually more linear than this. I believe that it's probably an incomplete austenitic conversion. Just my $.02.

Working on handle fittings: Hot bluing the center piece: I don't know the temp for sure as the needle has gone around a second time.

Chris,. No secrets here. Check Flayderman's book for the historical. ABS masters for the contemporary.