[TheForge] need help on a project

[peter fels]

Have made a few knives and most of my wife's Tai Che sword, plus a number of tools, 
but nothing quite as amusing!

On Aug 1, 2011, at 9:53 PM, Mike Spencer wrote:

> 
> 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/                        ^^-^^
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