Well after reading everyone else's I figured I'd start mine. No pics just yet. I'm leaning towards a small seax. I'm thinking of trying out W1 for the blade material. I actually roughed out a shape from a ferriers file so I'll be playing with it until my next trip up to the forge. I've got a bunch of white tail antler so I figured I'd use a bit of that and try my hand at carving in the handle. All things I haven't done yet so it should be alot if fun. I'll get some pics posted of the design soon.
Well I haven't got any pics up yet but I've been working on it. But I don't think I will make the 1st cut off date. it's still rough forged and almost ready for heat treat. I'm going to have to back out if an extension isn't possible. I've only got this weekend to try and get a chunk of it done because I have to make an unexpected trip out east to vsist a very sick family memeb. So appologies to everyone involved in the KITH. heres a rough paint sketch of what its supposed to look like. the light areas at the guard and pommel are anlter and the center handle area is oak.
Hey Ryan. Sorry to hear about your family member. Hope there okay. Neat design. Definitely has seax inspiration. I could also use a bit of an extension. Another week or two would help a lot and still have the knives delivered under the Christmas tree before Santa gets there. Keep at it.
I'll throw up some pics of the blade this weekend. I'm up at the farm this weekend with my boys so i'll get to play with the forge when they go to bed. Gotta love a place that i can bang away until after midnight and not bother anyone.
Ya that's one if the reasons I haven't tried forging. I'm sure the hammering would travel right into my neighbors house 20 feet away.
I was worried about bothering the neighbours at first too, but quickly found out they were more intrigued than annoyed. Most have stopped by to watch or ask questions, one was from England and gave me a bit of a anvil history lesson, and one came back a week or so later with 15 feet of carbon steel cable, part of a combine axle, about 20 railroad spikes, 2 old plow shovels, and several very large carbon steel bolts, about 8 inches by 1.5 inches, to see if I wanted any of it. I do however quit before it gets dark so as not to wear out my welcome so to speak. Hell one time I was putting drag pipes on my motorcycle, and after several starts and revving to tune it, my 65 year old neighbour came over and told me how good it sounded, and about how he used to cut the baffles out of his old army Harleys just to make a scene and annoy the police. You may be surprised how your own neighbours would react lol.
Okay, so like I've said things didn't work out as planned and time didn't cooperate with. But this is still being finished. If you choose to keep me in this kith then whoever gets me will still end up with this. I was doing some work on it this weekend as well a seeing if my propane forge will get hot enough to weld. So .. For the seax, lengthened the tang. Straightened everything out. (It still had a little twist in it from the last forging. ) then worked in the bevels. I have a touch of profiling to do. But a lot less grinding and filing. Here's a quick progress pic.
