James Helm 119 Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 It's been a busy year, and difficult to keep up with everything. Here's some of what I've been building. It's all 80CrV2 steel with various cord wraps impregnated with marine epoxy and sheathed in Boltaron. I like to focus on getting geometry, balance, and ergonomics right without playing around too much with materials. :D Apologies beforehand for the massive wall of pictures. Mini-parang. miniparang01 by James Helm, on Flickr Barong. barong01 by James Helm, on Flickr barong02 by James Helm, on Flickr Ko-katana. kokatana01 by James Helm, on Flickr kokatana03 by James Helm, on Flickr kokatana04 by James Helm, on Flickr Wakizashi. waki03 by James Helm, on Flickr waki04 by James Helm, on Flickr Sasquatch for scale. pose03 by James Helm, on Flickr Carcass splitters, two big, two small. carcasssplitter01 by James Helm, on Flickr carcasssplitter05 by James Helm, on Flickr carcasssplitter06 by James Helm, on Flickr Sasquatch for scale. carcasssplitter03 by James Helm, on Flickr Another barong. barong by James Helm, on Flickr An elvish forester's blade. forester by James Helm, on Flickr Snake chopper. snakechopper by James Helm, on Flickr Orange and black bush sword and companion small recurve. orangeset01 by James Helm, on Flickr A tenegre bush sword. tenegre01 by James Helm, on Flickr tenegre02 by James Helm, on Flickr A prototype for an upcoming project. Obviously not a cord-wrapped handle on this one, but TeroTuf slab handles with stainless steel flared tube rivets. ed01 by James Helm, on Flickr ed02 by James Helm, on Flickr ed03 by James Helm, on Flickr Taco Ninja for scale. ed04 by James Helm, on Flickr Another carcass splitter. carcasssplitter01 by James Helm, on Flickr A tiny tanto. tanto01 by James Helm, on Flickr Sasquatch for scale. carcasssplitter04 by James Helm, on Flickr A lamb splitter with TeroTuf scales. lambsplitter01 by James Helm, on Flickr lambsplitter02 by James Helm, on Flickr lambsplitter03 by James Helm, on Flickr Sasquatch for scale. lambsplitter04 by James Helm, on Flickr A small-ish camp chopper. campchopper01 by James Helm, on Flickr campchopper02 by James Helm, on Flickr A small-ish ginunting. ginunting01 by James Helm, on Flickr ginunting02 by James Helm, on Flickr Another small-ish camp chopper. campchopper03 by James Helm, on Flickr campchopper04 by James Helm, on Flickr And finally, a decent-sized bush sword that went to a good repeat customer. I could picture Professor Smolder Bravestone picking this up in the bazaar while outfitting for an expedition in Jumanji. :mrgreen: bushsword01 by James Helm, on Flickr bushsword02 by James Helm, on Flickr And now I feel tired. :D :D :D This is a good bit (not all) of half a year's forged blades (not mid-tech). And, of course, I have any number of projects currently underway. 4 James Helm - Helm Enterprises, Forging Division Come see me at the Blade Show! Table 26R. Proud to be a Neo-Tribal Metalsmith scavenging the wreckage of civilization. My blog dedicated to the metalwork I make and sell: http://helmforge.blogspot.com/ Link to post Share on other sites
Gerhard Gerber 482 Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 I like your style James, no cooking-clue what a ginunting is but I like that best of all! Link to post Share on other sites
Alan Longmire 3,881 Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 You've certainly made that style your own! And come a long way as well. Seems like yesterday that I got on the net, found a site called keenjunk.com, and encountered some high school kid from Texas going by "Stormcrow" asking the same questions I was. But that was 1996! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
James Helm 119 Posted October 18, 2019 Author Share Posted October 18, 2019 Thanks, guys! Gerhard - A ginunting is a Filipino design. This is my take on it, a bit shorter than I usually do. Alan - I think you were a bit more advanced than I was at that point, and still are. Back in the early days, I would use the dialup modem on the family computer to connect long distance and race to learn as much about blacksmithing as I could in an hour so I wouldn't rack up too big a phone bill. Truly, they were primitive times. James Helm - Helm Enterprises, Forging Division Come see me at the Blade Show! Table 26R. Proud to be a Neo-Tribal Metalsmith scavenging the wreckage of civilization. My blog dedicated to the metalwork I make and sell: http://helmforge.blogspot.com/ Link to post Share on other sites
Fox Creek 5 Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 STORMCROW! I remember Stormcrow well. Do you know Tai Goo James? Link to post Share on other sites
Bruno 103 Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 Looking good StormCrow. You've certainly made a name for yourself over the years. I wish you continued success. Link to post Share on other sites
Alan Longmire 3,881 Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 I may have done more research, but I didn't put hammer to steel until 1998. You beat me to that! Link to post Share on other sites
James Helm 119 Posted October 19, 2019 Author Share Posted October 19, 2019 Thank y'all! Fox Creek - Tai is one of the biggest influences on my work. I had five hours worth of lessons with him in the summer of 2007. Alan - I didn't realize that. James Helm - Helm Enterprises, Forging Division Come see me at the Blade Show! Table 26R. Proud to be a Neo-Tribal Metalsmith scavenging the wreckage of civilization. My blog dedicated to the metalwork I make and sell: http://helmforge.blogspot.com/ Link to post Share on other sites
Will Wilcox 263 Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 You definitely have a recognizable style, James. And you obviously have that style nailed down! I really like the big choppers. That would be super handy for butchering. Link to post Share on other sites
Charles dP 602 Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 Loving the shape of this one James "The way we win matters" (Ender Wiggins) Orson Scott Card Nos, qui libertate donati sumus, nes cimus quid constet. Link to post Share on other sites
Rob Toneguzzo 839 Posted October 28, 2019 Share Posted October 28, 2019 Fantastic stuff James. I have always loved your work. I especially love the Elvish Forester. "Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes" - Tom HALL - Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon wine. Link to post Share on other sites
James Helm 119 Posted October 28, 2019 Author Share Posted October 28, 2019 Thanks, guys! James Helm - Helm Enterprises, Forging Division Come see me at the Blade Show! Table 26R. Proud to be a Neo-Tribal Metalsmith scavenging the wreckage of civilization. My blog dedicated to the metalwork I make and sell: http://helmforge.blogspot.com/ Link to post Share on other sites
Michael Stuart 9 Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 Ha, I also remember you (and Alan too of course) from Keenjunk! I only posted occasionally, as mstu, but I read it almost every day. I've enjoyed watching your style develop. I hope to make it to more shows and with any luck one day I'll manage to see you and your work in person. Link to post Share on other sites
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