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What did you do in your shop today?


Joshua States

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Some new Karelian Birch handle blocks arrived from Bogdan Drevetskiy in the Ukraine this morning. I am quite partial to the gold flecks in the blue and green blocks and the red and black will have a variagated finish that will make a nice visual on the handle.

Karelian Birch.png

 

 

I have traded with a taxidermist friend in South Africa for these and he is just waiting on the cites paperwork before getting them away to me. Costly but my customer base loves giraffe bone with the previous lot I got being used in short order . Makes for a very nice handle either on its own or complemented with contrasting bolster

271867561_251467883794721_2565187971302863629_n.jpg

 

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Von Gruff

http://www.vongruffknives.com/

The ability to do comes with doing.

 

 

add resized.png

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I took the day off and spent some time forging. A day's work in four photos.

 

4 billets.jpg

 

Dross & Scale.jpg

 

Readout error.jpg

 

4 bars.jpg

 

It doesn't look like much, but it sure feels like a lot.

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“So I'm lightin' out for the territory, ahead of the scared and the weak and the mean spirited, because Aunt Sally is fixin’ to adopt me and civilize me, and I can't stand it. I've been there before.”

The only bad experience is the one from which you learn nothing.  

 

Josh

http://www.dosgatosdesignsllc.com/#!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdJMFMqnbLYqv965xd64vYg

J.States Bladesmith | Facebook

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I etched the end grains of two bars I forged out yesterday. Planning to try my hand at mosaics

 

Two bars V2.jpg

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“So I'm lightin' out for the territory, ahead of the scared and the weak and the mean spirited, because Aunt Sally is fixin’ to adopt me and civilize me, and I can't stand it. I've been there before.”

The only bad experience is the one from which you learn nothing.  

 

Josh

http://www.dosgatosdesignsllc.com/#!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdJMFMqnbLYqv965xd64vYg

J.States Bladesmith | Facebook

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https://www.etsy.com/shop/JStatesBladesmith

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Some work on what I've been calling a "fighter" knife.  Goodness knows this very different from the recurved "norm", but I don't know what else to call it, lol!  It's mostly an excuse to practice fullers, a flat grind, and a guard all in one. :)

FIGHTER WIP.jpg FIGHTER HANDLE PKG.jpg

FIGHTER HANDLE PKG1.jpg

Pretty happy with how that top guard turned out, it's actually two pieces of 1/4" brass flatbar lapped to 1500 grit, pinned, and soldered.

 

 

Also got a chance to work on another fun knife that has no direction in mind in particular!  Playing with a threaded tang and pommel on a bit of leftover material from last year's KITH of 80CrV2 edges with a wrought iron core.

DAGGER POMMEL WIP.jpg

 

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Had some down time this afternoon in between projects.  Threw this together as a thank you to the buddy that donated the .30-06 brass for my most recent build.

 

20220122_142104.jpg

 

Pretty simple really, but a nice little distraction from flat surfaces and sharp edges.:D

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1 hour ago, Jaron Martindale said:

I don't know what else to call it

 

Subhilt fighter is the term the guy who popularized the style called them. Bob Loveless, who also popularized the drop-point hunter.  I like your blade shape better than the usual recurve or bowie. 

 

1 hour ago, Alex Middleton said:

Pretty simple really

 

I dunno, bottle openers have to be tuned to work well.  Usually requires at least two beers to make sure. ;)

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15 minutes ago, Alan Longmire said:

I dunno, bottle openers have to be tuned to work well.  Usually requires at least two beers to make sure. ;)

 

I'll have to break it in with 4 or 5 then I guess.  I always have been a stickler for quality control! :D

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Yesterday I rough ground, quenched and tempered these two knives.  This is what I found this morning.

 

V2 January HT.jpg

 

Then I finished coating the big HT forge with Mizzou

Now to go work on the Dirk pommel cap.........

Edited by Joshua States
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“So I'm lightin' out for the territory, ahead of the scared and the weak and the mean spirited, because Aunt Sally is fixin’ to adopt me and civilize me, and I can't stand it. I've been there before.”

The only bad experience is the one from which you learn nothing.  

 

Josh

http://www.dosgatosdesignsllc.com/#!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdJMFMqnbLYqv965xd64vYg

J.States Bladesmith | Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/dos.gatos.71

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JStatesBladesmith

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Those are quite cool. Gotta ask, what's with the bottom one?

 

Today I sorta finished(will need touch ups) the first chef blade of the pair. I started to machine the bolster but I realized it was too narrow and I'm going to have to start over...no big deal.

PXL_20220124_020602771.jpg

PXL_20220124_020458761.jpg

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10 hours ago, Joël Mercier said:

Gotta ask, what's with the bottom one?

1095 blade. I decided to go for Hamon and at the last minute, I decided to scratch some figures into the clay and see what happened. They are duplicated on the opposing side as well.

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“So I'm lightin' out for the territory, ahead of the scared and the weak and the mean spirited, because Aunt Sally is fixin’ to adopt me and civilize me, and I can't stand it. I've been there before.”

The only bad experience is the one from which you learn nothing.  

 

Josh

http://www.dosgatosdesignsllc.com/#!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdJMFMqnbLYqv965xd64vYg

J.States Bladesmith | Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/dos.gatos.71

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JStatesBladesmith

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18 minutes ago, Joshua States said:

1095 blade. I decided to go for Hamon and at the last minute, I decided to scratch some figures into the clay and see what happened. They are duplicated on the opposing side as well.

Oh, this is going to be interesting to see if the characters make it past the decarb. 

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2 hours ago, Joshua States said:

1095 blade. I decided to go for Hamon and at the last minute, I decided to scratch some figures into the clay and see what happened. They are duplicated on the opposing side as well.

Indeed......I was waiting for this answer as well Josh.......mind blown! :DB)

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I kind of got this idea from David Lisch. He made this W2 blade with a round Damascus plug in it. Then he arranged the clay so the hamon looked like a mountain range. The round plug looked like the moon rising over the peaks. 

 

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“So I'm lightin' out for the territory, ahead of the scared and the weak and the mean spirited, because Aunt Sally is fixin’ to adopt me and civilize me, and I can't stand it. I've been there before.”

The only bad experience is the one from which you learn nothing.  

 

Josh

http://www.dosgatosdesignsllc.com/#!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdJMFMqnbLYqv965xd64vYg

J.States Bladesmith | Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/dos.gatos.71

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JStatesBladesmith

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experimenting with shirogami...

its hard.

everything turns into crap, even tho it should be good

and I cant figure out why.

 

spark arrestor didnt work, mesh was too fine and the ash and smoke and gases got pushed in my face.

everything is going wrong 
which is good, cause that means I'm on the right way.

wait........yea no, that makes sense.

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14 minutes ago, J.Leon_Szesny said:

which is good, cause that means I'm on the right way.

wait........yea no, that makes sense.

It's a Zen Thing.

“So I'm lightin' out for the territory, ahead of the scared and the weak and the mean spirited, because Aunt Sally is fixin’ to adopt me and civilize me, and I can't stand it. I've been there before.”

The only bad experience is the one from which you learn nothing.  

 

Josh

http://www.dosgatosdesignsllc.com/#!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdJMFMqnbLYqv965xd64vYg

J.States Bladesmith | Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/dos.gatos.71

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JStatesBladesmith

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My oldest grandson was given an old pair of spurs. His great grandfather on his dad's side used to work with horses and accumulated a lot of tack. These were in a pile in the barn. Leather completely dry-rotted and the rowels were rusted til they wouldn't spin:

before.jpg

 

I cut, punched, and riveted all new leather. Two days soaking in Breaker and a good wire brushing and I got the rowels spinning freely:

 

spurs2.jpg

 

spurs1.jpg

 

boots.jpg

 

His new t-shirt:

 

shirt.jpg

 

I suppose I should not encourage their obsessions with cowboys and mountain men and such, but it gives me an excuse to play like a six year old again.

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With no expectations of it working, I forge welded a small billet of wrought/1084 laminate held together with steel wire and without any flux And to my surprise it worked. It will be drown out and made into a small wood chisel. 

And here’s some cutting boards I’ve finished up recently

62382650-BDDD-42BE-B2A2-C84D67C28855.jpeg

503F4390-DC02-4A2C-8971-E21A85F17B46.jpeg

 

Edited by Conner Michaux
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9 hours ago, Don Abbott said:

Those are beautiful... top one especially.

 

Is that bloodwood down the center?

Thanks Don! It’s super similar in color but it’s actually padauk. 

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Started working on a filet knife handle and everything went sideways.  Bandsaw cuts were wonky, holes drill crooked, tension pins wouldn't go in the holes, etc.  Apparently the shop gremlins were out in full force.  Decided to shelve it for the day and try again tomorrow.   

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Smart man! Gremlins are strange creatures. Sometimes all it takes to satisfy them is a short coffee break. Other times its best to walk away for a day, maybe more. My theory is they need to borrow the shop to sharpen tools or make a knife. Give them the time they need and things go right. The bigger their project is in direct proportion to the trouble they create.

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