Joshua States Posted December 11, 2019 Share Posted December 11, 2019 I just got back from a few days off-grid. Awesome job Rob. 8 hours ago, Will Wilcox said: you could say that the ravens are Huginn and Muninn, Odins ravens, +1 to this idea. I love adding the symbolism/mythos to a project. 1 “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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerhard Gerber Posted December 11, 2019 Share Posted December 11, 2019 That fully lived up to expectation, excellent work Rob! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Toneguzzo Posted December 11, 2019 Author Share Posted December 11, 2019 Thanks very much. Now I hope I can pull of a fitting sheath. I will be drawing on the info Josh posted in tooling leather. Just got to make a few more tools. "Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes" - Tom HALL - Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon wine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEzell Posted December 12, 2019 Share Posted December 12, 2019 Excellent concept and execution man! 1 George Ezell, bladesmith" How much useful knowledge is lost by the scattered forms in which it is ushered to the world! How many solitary students spend half their lives in making discoveries which had been perfected a century before their time, for want of a condensed exhibition of what is known."Buffonview some of my work RelicForge on facebook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Toneguzzo Posted December 18, 2019 Author Share Posted December 18, 2019 Thanks George, Well I have done as much researching on making these sheaths as I can digest and now it is time to learn from my own experience and mistakes. I had the dilemma of wanting to do some tooling but also knowing I had to wet form the leather at the subtle bend at the break of the blade. I know the tooling would be easier on the flat leather before folding but I thought I would distort it when I try to form the leather. In any case I have done some rough patterning at the round handle bit and will try to do a tooled pattern on the blade area once the sheath is formed. Then of course there will be the metal fittings which will be another adventure to be had. I learnt a lot of good info from Jesus Hernandez Blue Ridge Seax video which answered a lot of questions I had. I know there is more than one way to skin a cat and I will learn as I go but In any case I have at least taken the first step . As always any feedback, advice etc greatly valued. 3 "Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes" - Tom HALL - Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon wine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua States Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 Oh yeah. Go get it Rob. You got this. 1 “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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Toneguzzo Posted December 21, 2019 Author Share Posted December 21, 2019 Thanks for the faith Josh! As Yoda said “Do or Do Not....There is No Try” I found this picture and will draw my inspiration for this sheath from that! Well so far so good. My plan from here is to work out a design to tool on the sheath and then make the fittings from copper and hope it all fits together as planned in my mind(which BTW is a bizarre place) I have a couple of questions for anyone who may know.. Q1. Is it necessary to run a stitch along the edge or will rivets be enough on their own? I plan to have the copper fitting run the length of the sheath. Q2. Anyone have a good way to age copper? 3 "Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes" - Tom HALL - Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon wine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua States Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 (edited) Stitching is optional, as it was in ancient times. I think I posted something one of the History forums about a find with Seax sheaths that were stitched with iron wire. A lot of the makers around the Forum just use a little glue and the rivets through the clasps. Looks like you plan to cover the edge entirely. You can skip the stitching. Copper takes patina very well. Mild acids (vinegar, lemon juice, PH Down, etc.) can be used to clean (also called pickling). There are loads of commercially available patina products from Brownells, or Sculpt Nouveau. Copper oxidizes pretty fast. Homemade patinas I do not have much experience with. Edited April 10, 2020 by Joshua States 1 “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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Longmire Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 What Josh said. Copper left to itself will turn a lovely brown. I too have faith you will do this properly. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Toneguzzo Posted December 26, 2019 Author Share Posted December 26, 2019 (edited) Thanks For the Faith fellas. Well keeping with the dark theme of the raven I tried my hand at drawing up a design and gave my first try at tooling leather a go (Thanks Josh for your tutorial). As with everything there is always heaps of room for improvement and I will need to make more tools but in any case this is where I am at so far. It would have been much better and easier to tool the leather flat before moulding but I had to mould the broken back hump in and could not see a way to do the tooling first. Next is stain leather and make fittings. Edited December 26, 2019 by Rob Toneguzzo 5 "Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes" - Tom HALL - Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon wine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Wilcox Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 Very nice, Rob! That's coming together nicely. That's going to look really good when its finished . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua States Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 looking goooooooood 1 “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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Longmire Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 Do y'all smell burning hair? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeb Camper Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 Yeah definitely. Looking good Rob! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Toneguzzo Posted December 29, 2019 Author Share Posted December 29, 2019 Thanks guys, on to making copper fittings. It is so humid here. Just standing in the shed and cutting up copper pipe and I’m covered in sweat. Hopefully have more to show soon "Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes" - Tom HALL - Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon wine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Toneguzzo Posted December 31, 2019 Author Share Posted December 31, 2019 (edited) On to the fittings. This is how I did it. Cut the copper pipe and flattened it. I then cut the pieces to size and marked the fold creases with a bluntish cold chisel. Then just opened my vise a bit and used a bit of scrap brass the same thickness of my leather and hammered it down to get my u shapes. To make the rings I cut strips from some thick copper plate and heated them up in the forge and then quenched them to soften them before bending them around some steel pipe and brazing the joints. Here are the fittings so far laid out in order. Still got some cleaning up esp on the point end which I will grind to fit the bottom end once riveted. This sheath build is as much work as the blade. Making this gives me such a great sense of awe and appreciation for the craftsmen of long ago. Edited December 31, 2019 by Rob Toneguzzo 6 "Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes" - Tom HALL - Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon wine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Christenberry Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 Rob, that's really looking great. Impressive work. 1 Chris www.chrischristenberry.com WHEW!!! If I could only know now what I "thought" I knew back then.................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michal Plezia Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 On 12/26/2019 at 10:12 PM, Alan Longmire said: Do y'all smell burning hair? Yeap One of the best seax projects I've seen lately. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clifford Brewer Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 Rock on with it Rob !! I too smells the smoke .............. 1 If ya can't be good don't git caught !! People who say stuff can't be done need to git the hell outta the way of people who do stuff !!! Show me a man who is called an expert by his peers And I will show you a good man to listen to ...... Show me a man who calls himself an expert and I will show you an egotistical asshole...............!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Toneguzzo Posted January 2, 2020 Author Share Posted January 2, 2020 Thanks Guys, I got excited when I could smell smoke too but then I realised I got too close to the forge when brazing and it was my shirt. Almost done. Just one final fitting to make before it all goes together. I decide I would make a decorative Raven skull for a sheath fitting. I wanted to make it rugged and did not want it to be too refined. I love the look of and would have loved to try casting but I just don’t have the equipment so I decided to carve one out from some thick copper plate instead I cut a rough shape and roughed it in with a worn flap disc on my angle grinder. I then moved to the Dremel and various burs before finishing it with some light hammer taps (to give a bit of texture) and sandpaper. I then heated up the forge and brazed in some pins so I can rivet it in place. 3 "Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes" - Tom HALL - Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon wine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary LT Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 All of the workmanship is superb Rob. For me, I am really impressed with the way you have stylized the raven concept throughout, real artistry. I could not conceive and design such, we all are looking forward to lots of picts when you do get finished and enjoy watching this progress. Gary LT 1 "I Never Met A Knife I Didn't Like", (Will Rogers) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua States Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 (edited) I am totally and completely unable to find the words. This is absophucenlootly amazing. Pure finitiob Rob. Edited January 2, 2020 by Joshua States 1 “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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Longmire Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 Yeah, what Josh said... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clifford Brewer Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 WOW !!! ............... 1 If ya can't be good don't git caught !! People who say stuff can't be done need to git the hell outta the way of people who do stuff !!! Show me a man who is called an expert by his peers And I will show you a good man to listen to ...... Show me a man who calls himself an expert and I will show you an egotistical asshole...............!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Christenberry Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 Well, I'm not quite sure WHAT Josh said, but I think that's a pretty cool rendition of a raven, Rob. Was really impressed with how you approached it. 1 Chris www.chrischristenberry.com WHEW!!! If I could only know now what I "thought" I knew back then.................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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