Alex Middleton

What Zeb said. That's a pretty knife. Can I ask why you decided against a pin?

This weekend was Michigan's Youth Deer hunt. It reminded me that I told my buddy's 3 daughters that I would make a knife for the first one of them that shot a deer. Since I already had the forge out for a different project I banged this out so I would have it to work on when I have the time. Even though the tip dropped a bit more than I wanted, its probably my cleanest and closest to shape forging yet.

My first few tries were with some very used up HCl, and I was getting inconsistent results at best. This FeCl was recommended to me on this board and I have had very good results with it. https://www.amazon.com/MG-Chemicals-Chloride-Etchant-Solution/dp/B008O9XMYA/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2RXRVBKLLDVGZ&keywords=ferric+chloride+etching+solution&qid=1568396762&s=gateway&sprefix=ferric+ch%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExQ0xDNE04Mkc2NzZUJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTg1OTg3NFZDVDFES0dPQjk0JmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA1NTQyMDkzSkRDR0QyOUpSUVBOJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ== I dilute mine 4:1 with distilled water and etch for 15 minute cycles, cleaning thoroughly in between.

Before I finish forging, I wanted to sketch up the idea that I had in my head. I'm going to make a wood template first to make sure I'm happy with the feel of the handle before I get too far. This is my rough thoughts as of right now. Any and all comments or critiques are always welcome.

Bill, in the past I have shared that same opinion, and still do to some extent. I recently attended a presentation by Kevin Cashen and asked him what he considered to be the most important piece of advise that he could offer a new/hobbyist knifemaker. He barely even hesitated before he said, "Spend the couple of dollars and purchase known, high quality steel. You'll make better knives and save yourself time and money in the end." Out of all the tidbits he could have shared given his wide knowledge and expertise, he chose that one. Couple that with the advise given over and over again on this site and it really set me to thinking. Even though I am at best a mediocre bladesmith with very little money to spare, the more I think about it, the more I can start to understand the logic behind the opinion.

Picked this up for $2 at a local thrift shop. Even if its past its past its life as a tool, I can get a couple of knives out of it.

Very nice!

That right there is one gorgeous blade.

Thanks Billy. I was thinking as I was hammering that some type of jig would make things much easier. Good to know I was on the right track! Something like those will definitely be on my list before I try an integral again.

I started on this today for a young man who was just inducted into the army. The intent is to be a working knife for him as he is planning on specializing in horizontal construction engineering (MOS 12N). I want to give him a tough, durable blade that will serve him for a good long time. At the same time I want to try to up my game and attempt something I've never tried before. I've had this chunk of 1" round O1 that I've been saving for the right occasion. Breaking it down by hand was a royal PITA! I didnt take any pics while I was forging but this is where I got to before I ran out of propane. Those angles look pretty decent, but this one really shows how much work I still have to do. Its going to end up with a blade length of 5-5.5" and most likely have a clip point before I'm done. I don't know if this one will make it all of the way through or not but if I have to start over again, I'll probably start with the tang first instead of the blade. Please feel free to chime in with any critiques or suggestions.

I can't help you out with any information, but I like the idea of it. Assuming it's in good shape and has a hard face, itcould be a very handy thing to have on a workbench. Good luck!

I've used Garry's hot waxing technique a few times. I've been very happy with the results. It leaves the sheath formed right to the knife and water beads right off.

I'm pretty sure I didnt put enough hardener in the fiberglass resin. 30 hours later and they're still tacky. It doesn't much matter though, the test scale I did with the Cactus Juice came out awesome! Way less messy and doesn't make the shop stink. Plus the leftover resin is reusable. I have a video of clamping it in my vise and hammering on it, but I'm not sure how to post it. Either way, I'm going to make up a couple more and use them on my next knife.

Keep at it. Your first is a couple of notches above where mine was. Brian's advice above is spot on. Pick one discipline with every knife and focus on doing it as best as you can. When it comes to your bevels, draw filing is a good bet. Somewhere on here is video of Don Fogg demonstrating hand finishing at Arctic Fire 2012. After watching it, it totally changed my approach to blade finishing and saved me a ton of time.

Thanks for the tip Gerhard, I'll keep that in mind for the future. The jury is still out so far. I had them curing under a bunch of weight for about 15 hours last night, but I don't think there was enough air getting to them to actually cures I had them wrapped up in plastic to try to contain the mess. I also went light on the hardener to give myself some more working time. I've laid them out to finish curing in the shop. Hopefully I didnt go too light with the hardener. We'll see how they turn out.