C Craft

Kudos to you for restoring a piece on a nearly lost history. I cut the last one I had up and made knives out it! In my own defense, it is when the knife making kraze first hit me! A two man saw doesn't really make shavings but, if it is not producing the cut you are expecting. It could be the dry wood! Or it could only be angle of tooth filing or, set of the tooth. I watched an ole timer actually set the teeth on a two man saw with a small hammer over the edge of an anvil. However I am going to bet it was not his first rodeo! I wish I had better advice!

Absolutely fascinating! Makes me know I was born in the wrong time period!!

Wow I really like this one and the wip was great!

Never had a problem with my forge. I use one of these! Now years ago I lived an old off grade house and the heaters were propane. The one in the kitchen you turned in just an 1/8 of a turn and you lit it and let it go for a minute or so and then you could cut it on full throttle. Of course back then I was using matches and one very cold morning, I failed to wait, just a minute before it warmed for a second, I cracked the gas valve wide open. The gas flow blew itself out. So I figured it has been no more than a second and I lit a second match. When I bent over to light the heater again. The heater blew me across the room, I landed on my butt, my mustache, eye brows, and even the front of my hair was singed! I sit there a minute smelling burnt hair and I hear my wife holler are you OK. Yeah I think so I replied and I went to the bathroom to look in the mirror. There was this silly fella with no hair on his face and even the front of my hair was gone. I thought to myself now I know what that burnt hair smell was!! I learned my lesson about how fast propane could spread in just a second when wide open!! So I am more in the camp of Alan! Start small !

Mine came with a sound change! My brain is working on wth am I hearing, to kpow . Then wow that hurt, what the, oh the belt broke. Oh, that was the sound change!! It seem like it all happens in slow motion, when it is so fast your brain has to catch up! Mine was up above the wrist and it turned black and blue the next day!! Put some suave on Alan!! May not help the boo boo much but it helps the ego!!

Sorry to hear the hijacked your pictures. It is pretty much a given that anything you post of the net is going to be stolen at some time! About the only thing you can do is put a watermark on your photos but that still doesn't stop someone from stealing them and posting with the watermark on it! The only recourse is usually more trouble than it is worth! https://www.visualwatermark.com/help/ I am nobody in the world of knifemaking but I see photos of mine popping up all the time. I even ran across one of my photos that had a Photobucket water mark the other day! I haven't used Photobucket in years since I told them to take their greed and stuff it.............. I have to agree with Alan, at least you know they were good! Sorry I don't have better suggestions!

Alex, here is a couple of links to my Hay Budden. They contain some info about Hay Buddens in general!! From the info that Alan shared with me I was able to determine mine dated back to 1914 and or prior. Mine weighed in at 143 lbs. Here is a pic after I restored the inlay that had some wash out over the years! The first image came out blurry and the second one I cut the top of the shot off! Just like a youngun, anvils don't want to stand still for a good photo! LOL There was just enough of the origional writing and by looking at pictures of those sales pics they used to sale anvils I was able to restore the writing on the anvil!!

Thanks Doug my brain was having a this morning and could not come up with the correct terminology! Bolster not ferule Bolster not ferule Bolster not ferule Bolster not ferule Bolster not ferule Bolster not ferule Bolster not ferule Bolster not ferule Bolster not ferule How many times was I supposed to write this teach errr, I mean Doug!!

Dang I like that. Hey did I mention I like that!! Wow that is mindwork! I love both of them but the top one with damascus pattern extending back into the ferule (is that right term for a folder, FERULE?) is out of this world!! Definitely top shelf work!!

Do you have a pressure regulator?? If it is blowing itself out there is so much press Sounds like you may be having so much pressure on the gas that it blows itself out! What pressure are you running to the burner? If the pressure is so high that it blows itself out you should smell the unburnt propane it is expelling!! Here is a link to Trex support. https://hybridburners.com/new-help.html As with any burner it is the mixture of gas and air that makes the right flame! There is a link to support on that page as well!!

My wife's nurse came about the time I was posting the thing about the Hollywood making it look different than it truly was! Wick Ellerbe would be quick to tell you that most of what Hollywood portrays was wrong! Such as there were few brass pins used during the fur era. However would say that as a knifemaker, I have to sometimes take artistic license much like an author take Grammatical license in a book! It spices up the book! The original knives of the period were pretty plain! Just like a dull book, a dull knife is hard to sell! Therefore sometimes I take artisan licensing with some of my knives!! His knives to me are like taking the time machine to that period and bringing one back to today! Now don't get me wrong he doesn't age his knives but his finish product looks like it would have new back then! Love that man's work!! Do yourself a favor and check out his web site! http://www.wickellerbe.com/ here it is but I can't make it a link as the forum won't let me!! So copy and paste to your search engine!! When I first started he was the go to man for me. No matter how dumb the question he would give me an answer and not make you feel dumb for asking it!! I like to say he is my adopted mentor. I adopted him!!

I will say this. The pieces that are true of the period for early American period, fur trade and western expansion are even different. And nothing like the film industry portrays them!! Contrary to popular opinion not everybody carried a Bowie!

Ok it wasn't as hard to find as I thought!! American Primitive Knives: 1770-1870 Fur trade cutlery sketchbook Making Native American Hunting, Fighting, and Survival Tools: The Complete Guide To Making And Using Traditional Tools Knife Sheath Construction (3 DVD Set) with Paul Long The last one is a good reference for sheath making, for that period! Also here is a web site for a man that does a lot from that same period! http://www.wickellerbe.com/ For knowledge he is hard to beat! I probably have more but I will have to look for them!

The book of Firearms, Traps, and Tools of Mountain Men is a good read. It has pics of recovered pieces. As well it has a lot of info about the manifest's of traders that was taken west for the Rendezvous! I have another list given to me by Chuck Borrows in a conversation we had years ago before he passed. I will try to find that list! Google Chuck Borrows knife maker and it should bring up Wild Rose Trading Company. That was his!

Posted 8 minutes ago (edited) A few months ago, my brother-in-law shipped his father's old delta table saw to me without any warning. In addition to the table saw there were a few odds and ends of stuff. A lifetime supply of plastic trash bag rolls (used as padding) some hickory sticks, and some metal objects, including this old axe. I finally got around to taking a good look at it and called him about it tonight. He thinks it came out of his grandfather's (also my wife's grandfather) shop on the old farmstead in Ohio. Now the Carlier family was known as expert woodworkers, and apparently Joseph and his brother Frank also had a blacksmith shop of sorts. A lot of farms back in the early 1900's had a small forge and anvil with the requisite tools for making a variety of tools and useful things. This axe appears to be hand forged to my eye. I can make out the forge welded seam along the blade edge. So I know it was folded rather than punched an drifted. The eye is hardly symetrical, and the blade looks like it has an intentional (?) curve to it. I cannot be sure, but it looks like the poll may have had some forge welding action as well. There are two parallel seams or cracks running down the inside of the eye. Looking at the that last shot, it looks like someone readjusted the axe to get the blade to line up center with the handle! It definitely looks forged!! Real nice piece of history!

Wick's knowledge has always amazed me from the moment I meant him! Or I should say from the moment I meant him on a muzzle loading forum. His work is implacable and his knowledge of history and knives is better than an encyclopedia! OK so I dated myself with that statement!! Your knife work is fantastic!! I can't believe those were in the "I'll finish them later box" I like the use of the copper on the top two! I have a question about the skinner style! The ricasso area of that one. Is that like a finger print texture?? I was admiring that particular accent and then it struck me that was what it reminded me of!!! Top shelf work!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parang_(knife) His Parang is more the style of the second one! Like the machete, the parang is frequently used in the jungle as well as being a tool for making housing, furniture, and tools. The parang has been noted in John "Lofty" Wiseman's SAS Survival Handbook[3] for this use. Wiseman points out that by grinding three different angles in three separate regions along the Parang blade—a narrow angle at the tip for skinning and fine cutting work; a wide, chopping blade angle along the bow in the blade for ax work, and an all-purpose hunting/survival knife angle along the edge nearest the handle for general purpose work—the parang becomes a very useful, and compact all-purpose tool in the bush. Parang are recorded being used in attacks against the British and Japanese. They are typically carried as weapons by gang members and robbers in Malaysia, Singapore, India, and Sri Lanka, due to these countries having strict gun laws. Parangs were used by Chinese forces against the Japanese in the Jesselton Revolt during the Japanese occupation of British Borneo.[4][5] The only reason I had an idea of what he was talking about I remember an episode of FIF. At least I think that is where the Parang jumped into my vocabulary!! As to a pocket parang! I am not sure what he means there!

Jake I don't think I have saw one of your knives I didn't like and this is another great one!!

You can start the cut with thin cutting wheel such as for right angle grinder! Move slow and take a thin bite! Then slowly define cut with a dremmel cutting wheel! Such as this one in this link! https://www.amazon.com/Dremel-932-Aluminium-Oxide-Grinding/dp/B00004UDIT Be aware there is a learning curve to using a right angle grinder or a Dremel stone. Don't fight the tool and don't try to cut to much or too fast. You will loose control and that usually results in a busted cutting wheel or Dremel stone! Or you can use a chain saw file. To sharpen the gut hook you work from the point of the knife back towards the spine of the knife! Here is a link to info on a gut hook! https://knifepulse.com/how-to-sharpen-a-gut-hook/

Jake, I always follow your work but that one is special! Really nice work, you knocked that one !

Jake you knocked that one out of the park!!

Y'all got me to thinking now! I will have to get him to let me have one. Try to heat treat and then I will have an idea if they are worth messing with!! Hmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Billy he says he has pile of them at his house. That is why I was trying to find out if the steel is any good so I could make him an offer on them. I know nothing about the Bassoli brand. So many of this stuff, files and rasps have gone to crap! Nicholson used to be among the best, if not the best. However since they moved their plant to Mexico there aren't worth bringing home!! Like everything else case hardened a few strokes and their gone and the steel isn't any good for anything! I was hopping someone knew something about the Bassoli brand! When I found them on the centaur forge I was hoping for good things!!

Can anyone tell me if these Bassoli 14" Black rasps are good quality steel or are they case hardened?? I talked with a guy who is a local farrier! This what he uses in his work. So I looked them up on the net and found them at centaur forge. Here is a link, but I can't find anything about the steel!! https://www.centaurforge.com/Bassoli-14-Black-Rasp/productinfo/BLACK/ I know Heller rasps are supposed to be good as well. Anyone used any of these in knife or tomahawk making?? Anyone have a line on quality steel rasps?

Just cut the wheel band part of the way thru and fold it open. If it looks like this inside it is wrought!