[TheForge] need help on a project

[Mike Spencer]

PF wrote:

> I don't have much interest in knife making really...  looks to be a
> saturated field without enough room for my creative misdirections.

I don't have any desire to compete with the guys who are Real Serious
about knives.  I feel fairly confidant that I can knock out something
useful if the need arises, though.  Made a set of knives for a 100
year old shaper lathe -- the thing you rough out wagon spokes or axe
helves on -- that held up okay  and a tine for my tiller made from
truck spring is now several seasons old.

Made a nice little pattern-welded paring knife for myself, though.

And of course, the Cape Breton Liberation Army Utility Knife [1]
that I gave to Peter Happny as a house gift because he'd put me up so
many times back when I was traveling that way.  Mashed the top of my
old tin trash-burner stove into a wad under the power hammer,
forge-welded that to a 1890s double open end ca. 1-1/4" wrench and
half of a pair of wrought iron blacksmith's tongs.  Worked one end
into a pattern-welded billet, forged and ground out a (admittedly not
very elegantly styled or detailed) sort of Bowie-type blade and etched
it.  Bent the rein-end of the tong-part around into a handle [2].
Left some of the stove-top wad and one end of the wrench sticking out
on one side.  The wrench should be handy if a CBLA trooper needs to,
say, work on the limber of a field piece or the like.

It took an okay edge -- that wrench was good steel -- but peter has
never reported back on how well the thing stands up under field
conditions.


- Mike


[1] See "creative misdirections", supra.

[2] Way too clunky to merit any proper cutlery nomenclature.


-- 
Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada       .~. 
                                                           /V\ 
mspencer at tallships.ca                                     /( )\
http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/                        ^^-^^