Bob Hewitt

No, no pictures here either...

That was well worth watching! It’s a poor day when you fail to learn anything, and my education has just had a major boost. Thank you very much for posting this, I’ll certainly be watching it again!

I was born into the butchery trade here in the UK and have probably made tons of sausages over the years. We first processed the meat from fresh then mixed in all the bits and pieces until we had a suitable mix. The sausages were then stuffed and hung in the fridge overnight. They were ready as soon as they were made, but the overnight refrigeration was to stop then spitting all over the place and splitting when cooked. The overnight thing allowed then to dry out a bit to make them easier to cook!

That's a hell of a job you've done there, Matt, seriously impressed!

Love that San mai! I've tried doing that myself several times, as my scrap pile can verify! A great piece all round, lovely woodwork! one day...

If it's just for bladework, I'd clean the top off with a flap wheel and just get on with it! Have you got any engineering works handy that could mill or surface grind the top flat and then weld a new top to it? I believe this process uses molten lead between the two surfaces. the numbers 1 0 5 will be the weight in cwts qtrs and lbs, so that's 112 + 0 + 5 = 117 pounds.

That's the finest bit of craftsmanship I've seen in a good long while!

That's a thing of beauty and no mistake! The contrast between the bog oak, the copper and the antler really works. All round an excellent job!

You've gotta love that, recycling at its best! Your only likely problem is being a bit underpowered, but what the hell, sort out the bugs with what you've got and when it burns out or you start to bog it down while grinding just swap it out for a 2hp'ish motor and then it'll eat anything! i love it!

Hi, Charles, I forgot this bit in my previous post. Yes, the blade does rise up from the handle creating a thumb ramp. The filework I just made up as I went along, viewed from above it looks like a row of dog bones!

Thanks for that link, I missed it first time round! That's a really helpful, informative post and I've bookmarked it for many future reads. I'll be doing more leather carving so I'll certainly be trying out Peter's methods. I'm glad you like the dragon, I thought it was rubbish when I finished it, but that's just how my mind works, as soon as I finish anything I immediately think it's useless and want to fire it in the scrap pile!

Here you go! This is my first attempt at carving leather, the knotwork didn't come out too badly, but the dragon could have been a hell of a lot better! the brass was aged with Clarks antiquing fluid. I immersed the bits in the fluid before fitting them. They were sanded completely to remove any oils or protective coatings and then cleaned with isopropanol beforehand. Why they came out patchy, god knows, but I decided to leave them as they were.

I don't post much on here, or any forum come to that, but I thought it was time to expose some of my work to the world! First is a hunter. 1095 and Sambar, 100mm blade and 210mm overall. The hamon could be a lot better, but I'm trying! Next is a San mai brokenback seax. 240mm blade, 130mm grip. Wrought iron, 1095 and stag antler. The scabbard has some knotwork on one side and a scrawny dragon like thing on the other. The brasswork has been aged a bit! The last one is a skinner/utility. Ramshorn and 15n20. The sheath has an "antique" finish which I'm not sure' worked. thats it for now guys, what do you think?

Liking that! The "ivory" and the old cable just seem to work together. Definitely my kind of knife!

Every day I come here and it's very rare that I don't learn something new! I've often wondered how to do that without making a complete mess of it so there's every chance that I'll shamelessly steal your excellent method at some point in the future. Thanks, Gary, a really good read, your post, but then again, they all are! bob