The left most knife is the first one I made, guess it's 40 + years old
The center one is the first solegen steel knife that My dad gave me. (stuck it in because it was on the table and I wanted a pic of it just because)
The one on the right is maybe a month old if that.
I think I have improved in making them a bit, but tbh, I still like the simple ones better than a hollow grind / saber with fancy stuff and wood.
I think I'm gonna revisit basic simple stuff like green river , and kephart and such and see If I can make the best of that kind with a great heat treat, and then focus on perfecting that one style and see If I can get any two to look similar.
Or not, I kind of do my steel beating in hit or miss fashion, for some reason I'm really in the make a blade mode right now.
And it takes me a long time to get one done anymore, both because I'm trying to turn out better quality work, and because with my stroke I measure like 10 times then grind a dab then measure again. I find it very hard to put metal back on.
As for actual forge work, I have a simple hammer that I can use with a pedal as a kind of trip hammer. When I get tired of stomping the hammer pedal, I stop work, so I have to be feeling good to beat steel or have one of the kids near by to help me if I get tired.
I can still use a hammer but I'm afraid Ill end up whacking it harder and mess up stuff the cable drop is just a #20 head so not hard to work, but sure not a power hammer. Still it lets me keep doing stuff that I'd otherwise just be sitting and waiting to die.
I have the belt sander and grinders and drill press etc, but I tend to use files and sand paper a lot more because it is harder to hurt myself, even though slow.
I find myself rigging up a lot of jigs and such so I don't make motor control mistakes.
I could never turn out blades fast enough to sale any, but I can still please myself. My son , now he can work metal wonders, but focus a lot more on farm welding and selling window bars (treatments is what the yuppies call em) to the mc mansion owners who are afraid of getting robbed and rely on 911 dial a prayer instead of a 1911.
Anyway I know this pic is kind of stinky, but its dark out and I am not a great camera guy on my good days. Still at least you can kind of see I have made a couple knifes (well a few more than a couple to be honest) and in the last 40 or so years have even learned to make them at least passable.
Every one is still a new lesson, I understand why so much mysticism attached to smith work. I know Ill never be even a journeyman but at least I can appreciate the art of it.
Thad.
Sorry part is cut off, bad camera skill
ETA, sorry realized I should have laid a quarter or ruler in for scale. The left blade is about 4.5 inches long if that helps right one around 3.75 and center about 5.5 inches.
Also sorry My typing is off it's been long day, we put up hay, and also I had to deal with folk in town, that always leaves the brain frazzled. T.ETA #2, Im hating that picture, i couldn't even get them to lay even so they look all wrong size, maybe I need to only take on blade in a pic at a time, or find a better surface than a blanket on a bed :-)
first, dad, recent.jpg
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