a few days ago i received a tramontina bolo with the signature horn dog edge from georgia. very nice.

this was to be a handle experiment. observe the late night pics.

what we have to work on:


what we have to work with:


removing the old scales with the old dumpster mutt/rubber mallet technique.


the pins were on there pretty well. still easy for the mini cutoff disks.

the next day i spent forever trying to drill larger holes for the handle fasteners. that steel is hard, i destroyed a couple bits trying to get 1/4" holes. for some reason i could get them no larger than 3/16", so i used thinner fasteners. then i added the weather seal, which was relatively tough and hard for weather seal. after a little sanding and two coats of plasti-dip:








the rubber feels very resilient, but i'm not completely satisfied. i think i'll take it off and try again with a layer of something hard, a layer of something soft, and then the rubber coat. or maybe just a ton of rubber coats with no slabs beneath.

wait a sec....what the hell is that?

while at home depot, i picked up some bar stock. 2" x 36" x 1/8" of home depot's mystery steel.

i didn't intend to start this project but waiting between coats of the rubber dip, the steel was right there and i had a pencil so i drew a knife on it. then i cut it to length. then a rough cut around my lines. then sand the arching spine smooth. then the belly. then the handle. the choil was a pain in the hind quarters. cost me two more bits. i also broke a reciprocating saw blade, then i bought the carbide coated blade which rocks.

you can do a lot with a pair of clamps, a cinder block, a hand drill, reciprocating saw, dremel, and cheap belt sander.

here it is before applying the edge.




beside the d-mutt.


and after applying an edge.


holes. this one took the 1/4" holes and proved i didn't totally trash my bit.


cord wrapped.

Not too bad.

Magnum22, kami-in-training! Good luck on the machete project. Jeff did a cool sheath for the Tram bolo. It may not be cost-effective, but the JYD machete project is fun. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Mag that is one sweet blade. I am very impressed. How i wish i lived in a house with a backyard and a garage. I would be doing the same as we speak.

Just curious tho how much does this bar stock cost? I wouldn't mind giving this a shot. It would be nice to see you put a handle on your new project. I must say tho the cord rap gives it style.

Thanks for sharing.

the steel cost about $7, i would love to know what type of steel it is. anyone know if there's somewhere/one i could send a sample to find out? i'm gonna take a piece downstairs and start bending it, see if it sets, springs, snaps, or shears. must be honest, knife making is not easy. took me all day to make one knife and i haven't heat treated it. i'm wondering whether to make the cinder block forge, send it off to someone, or just use a blowtorch to harden the edge.

Please make a forge. If you do please include pics and instructions or steps you used.

This is something i have been wanting to get into for some time now. This could be the push that gets me into it.

haha! i've seen it on plenty of BF threads. it's pretty much just a hollowed cinder block, a blow drier, and coal.

Thats a really nice looking knife.

do the blowtorch. Ted Frizzle does it that way.

It looks awesome.

I'd go with the forge or the torch because I'm cheap and impatient. Most steels will require a minimum amount of time in the austenite phase so that the structure becomes uniform, but the longer you leave the knife in the forge, the outside layer is covered in carbon. Underneath this carbon, (depending on how long it's in the forge) will be a rough, sometimes pitted blade. Because of this, if you want a smooth, polished finished product, I would leave the blade edge a little thicker going into the forge than I want the finished blade to be. I usually leave mine in for 20-30 minutes. This forms a nice black rough finish that is quite rust resistant and not too difficult to sand out if desired.

My first knife was made out of an old hacksaw blade and it took an edge very well (quenched in used 10w30). Who knows what kind of steel it was?

You'll probably be surprised with the steel you have esp for the price.

-mike