Steel: 1080 tool-steel
Finish: Hand-sanded to 800 grit
Handle: Desert Ironwood
Overall Length: 7 1/4
Blade Length: 3 1/4
Weight: 3.1 ounces
Monday, January 17, 2011
E. Jacob's First Paring Knife
Scott's eldest son Jacob (almost 13) began forging with his dad over coal at age of four, and he recently began making knives. The following paring knife is Jacob's third finished blade. He ground the knife out of 1080 tool steel, triple-qenched and tempered it, and then dressed it out in Desert Ironwood handles with nickle-silver pins. I think he did an amazing job. See what you think.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Traditional Archery - A Family Pastime
About a year and a half ago I decided to make a longbow out of a piece of black locust I'd been saving for years. I tillered it at 50 lbs, but after 3 months it began to develop a hinge, so I retillered it to 35 lbs and gave it to my wife. Shortly after making the bow, I took my 7-year-old son Conner stump shooting. Here are a few pictures from that day.
I have since upgraded to a very nice 60 lb Turkey Creek longbow, but still have plans to hand-craft another bow out of hickory, bamboo, and epay. I just have to find the time somewhere between forging knives and arborist work. Here are some detail pics of the locust bow that Lydia snapped today. The riser is black walnut.
Building the bow was a great idea because it led to archery becoming a family pastime. My teenage son Jacob purchased 45 lb Bear Montana last year, and Conner got a 40 lb Greatree recurve for Christmas. Bonnie shoots too when she's here, and we even got cousin Sarah out shooting over the holidays.
Conner modeled the locust bow with his EMc knife that he got for his birthday in December. He's grown a lot in the past year and definitely needed an upgrade from his beginner bow.
Lydia and I built a new target over the holidays, and we've had a lot of fun practicing. She's a good shot and beats me more than I'd like to admit. Putting together a new deer stand for fall hunting season is next on the list.
Well, back to the forge.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Getting Primitive
Scott received a Bushman order just before the holidays. He forged that Bushman and a few other blades out of CruForgeV over Christmas. We have dubbed these knives the "Primitive Series". The Bushmaster, Bushman, and Pygmy are pictured below. The Native, which is smaller than the Bushmaster, but larger than the Bushman is not quite finished and will be completed at a later date.
The PYGMY
Steel: CruForgeV
Steel: CruForgeV
Handle: Hammer-marked steel
Finish: Rustic
Finish: Rustic
Blade: Recurve
Overall Length: 6 3/4 inches
Blade Length: 3 1/4 inches
Weight: 3.7 ounces
Sheath: Leather
The Pygmy is the smallest knife in the series, has a hammer-marked steel handle, and comes with a leather shealth. The sheath pictured below is a horizontal crossdraw, but a verticle sheath could be made as well. We tried Kydex with this model, but the Pygmy prefers leather due its curvaceous nature. A similar knife with a spearpoint or droppoint blade could be crafted and dressed in Kydex at a reduced price.
This Pygmy with stamped and dyed leather crossdraw sheath is available for $195 plus shipping.
The BUSHMAN
Steel: CruForgeV
Handle: Hardened cord wrap
Finish: Rustic
Finish: Rustic
Blade: Recurve
Overall Length: 10 inches
Blade Length: 5 1/4 inches
Weight: 8.5 ounces
Sheath: Kydex or leather
The Bushman is a true tactical knife. This one easily handled the one-inch manilla rope cut test; then chopped through a section of 4-gauge copper wire and hacked into an epay railing multiple times without damage.
While the Bushman might not cut as well as a blade with a thinner profile or chop as well as a true chopper, it has the ability to do both quite effectively, which is impressive for a medium-sized knife. The Bushman is also extremely tough. This blade shipped out to a law enforcement officer recently, and we look forward to receiving some performance feedback.
The Bushman comes standard with a hardened cord-wrapped handle and a Kydex sheath, but Dario commissioned this knife in black leather; I think he made a handsome choice. To see the Bushman in Kydex, check out our Knife Shoulder Holster post.
This Bushman is SOLD, but Scott is itching to forge more.
The BUSHMASTER
Steel: CruForge V
Handle: Micarta
Blade: Recurve
Overall Length: 16 inches
Blade Length: 10 3/8 inches
Blade Width: 2 1/4 inches
Blade Width: 2 1/4 inches
Weight: 1 lb 7.3 ounces
Sheath: Stamped and dyed leather
Sheath: Stamped and dyed leather
The Bushmaster is a true chopper. Scott forged this blade hoping to claim it for himself, but it can be purchased if you act fast. This Bushmaster comes with a black and burgandy Micarta handle and a stamped/dyed leather sheath, but other options are available. To see this knife in action, check out our previous post - "Love That CruForge V".
Bushmaster with pictured sheath - $585 plus shipping
The Native is still in a very primitive state, but here's a sneak preview. Specifications and the completed blade will be available in a few weeks. The Native is bigger than a Bushman, but smaller than a Bushmaster.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Love that CruForge V
Scott starting experimenting with CruForge V recently, a new bladesmithing steel from Crucible. The EMc that he made for his son last month was his maiden venture with CruForge, but over the holidays Scott made 5 more CruForge blades - 2 Bushman, a Bushmaster, a Native and a Pygmy. The Bushmaster (not quite finished, but ready for testing) is pictured below.
We had a wet snow a couple of days ago that broke trees and laid several branches on our electric fence. Today was clean-up day, so Scott put the Bushmaster to the test, and I caught the action on film. Note that the Bushmaster doesn't have a proper handle yet, and had not been finish-ground prior to the test. Although the knife looks rough, the results were amazing. I'll show you what we had to deal with first.
Scott chopped through approximately 75 wax myrtle limbs before performing the shave test, then hacked through a large downed tree on our path without damaging the blade at all. Gotta love that CruForge V! Scott has never had a knife that could do what this CruForge V blade did today. It chopped through a 4 gauge copper wire twice, a steel irrigation pin flag once, brutalized a deer antler, and beat up an epay railing before we took it out of the shop. This stuff is amazing.
Scott says, "You need a Bushmaster for the same reason you need a .375 H&H Magnum . . . because you never know when that bull rhinoceros is going to come charging through your front yard." Happy hunting!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Carving Knife for the Kitchen
Scott made this carving knife to add to our personal collection.
Steel: Hand-forged 1084
Finish: Hand-rubbed
Handle: Stabilized curly maple
Overall Length: 14 1/4 inches
Blade Length: 9 inches
Weight: 8.12 ounces
Scott designed this knife for "breaking hogs", and we'll use it during January slaughter. The knife was, however, christened on the Christmas goose.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Salamander
Scott enjoys making historic cookware almost as much as he enjoys making knives. For Christmas he made his mother a iron salamander to brown pies by the hearth, and Peggy put it to good use.
That's a sweet potato pie that Peggy and Bonnie (Scott's oldest) made. It was browned to perfection by the iron salamander and tasted wonderful! Note salamander in fire upside down.
Salamander at work.
Merry Christmas Peggy!
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