Keeps looking better. Time for me to find some steel.

It is a pretty good looking blade, Magnum. Now maybe if you could scrounge some blanks from Busse or Ranger, you could do something similar in better steel. I am content to let others make the knives and I'll just finish them. My next project is to get a discontinued Ont Kukri and put a big convex edge on it. Good old US 1095 high carbon steel.

i can do a deep recurve like the ltc kukri or use my entire last two feet of steel on a bolo or golok.

i was just thinking that since i know i can get those blades glowing red hot pretty easily and i have a section of iron beam that could serve as an anvil, maybe i should try a hammer forging. i could use thicker stock. i'd hate to sit forever grinding 1/4" stock to a thin edge.

What the heck, go for it, Magnum. Looks like your first knife was 100% successful.

i'm gonna eat and start the next one. might send this one to georgia rather than sharpening it myself.

I thought this was a very cool knife making video, with hammer forging. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9phlDH4h-eU

I have some hungry new blue zirconia belts for it!

If I win the GA lottery, I'm building a backsmith shop! That was a great video, MRpink.

i need tongs. little help?

i did a little homework on forging. seems that down at the molecular level, there's hardly any advantage over stock removal, so forget it. i still like my new steel mallet.

also seems that this home depot steel is looked at by knife makers as we see 420j2. i still haven't tested edge retention, which i'll do after i thin the edge again a bit, but if this thing really is a serviceable knife it's either because the mild steel works well with something i did wrong (like too cold a quench and then not tempering) or some sort of carbon solubility miracle occurred in my fire pit. then there's the possibility that i actually got a good piece of steel from home depot.

It looks sooo easy <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

"...some of the best knives in the world are made in Sweden"

Excellent thread and excellent effort Magnum.

If you ever fancy a holiday in the UK one of our best custom makers Mick Wardell does a week course in knife making....culminating with you making your own knife to your own design....I really fancy doing this and your efforts from your thread show how fulfilling this could be.