Four Little Pigs

Four little pigs went to market. Two got sold on the way. Only two left! The following knives are Scott's latest custom creations - a GHF Buta wrapped in brown parachute cord and three GHF Javelinas. The Javelina is a variation on the Buta with micarta scales and a finger groove. All four "little pigs" are made from 1080 tool steel, have undergone three thermal cycles (two normalizations and annealing), have been edge-quenched, triple-tempered for six hours, etched to show transition lines and have hand-rubbed finishes. All are 81/4 inches long with 33/8 inch blades.

The handle of the GHF Buta (Japanese for pig) has been dipped in polyurethane to protect the entire handle and heavy wear areas have been armored with superglue. In addition, the tang on the Buta has been skeletonized to reduce weight. The Buta comes with a black Kydex sheath and weighs 5.6 ounces - sheath included. Price $115 Gone with US soldier to Afghanistan - includes USPS priority shipping anywhere in the continental US.

All GHF Javelinas have a tapered tang to improve knife balance and reduce overall weight. All Javelinas come with a black Kydex sheath and weigh approximately 6.6 ounces - sheath included. For this litter, Scott used three types of micarta scales - orange G10 with yellow spacers, black linen with red spacers and black canvas (no spacers).

Orange G-10 with yellow spacers $150 SOLD!- includes USPS priority shipping anywhere in the continental US.

Black Linen with red spacers and mosaic pins $165 SOLD!

Black Canvas with no spacers - SOLD!

Email guineahogforge@gmail.com if you are interested in buying any of our knives. We accept Paypal and money orders.

The Buta

"Buta" is Japanese for pig. Scott ground this little pig out of 1/8th inch 1080 steel, then edge-quenched, triple tempered and wrapped it in black cord. The handle has been dipped in polyurethane to preserve both the cord and the steel, and it comes with a custom Kydex sheath.


The "Buta" is just over 8 inches in length with a 3 1/2 inch blade. According to Scott, "I designed this knife because I wanted a light, thin knife for daily carry...something I wouldn't know was there, but was big enough to do almost any job." Sheath and knife together weigh 5.14 ounces.


We'd like $135 for this spear point utility knife and black Kydex sheath - SOLD. The price includes USPS shipping anywhere in the continental US. We take money orders and Paypal. guineahogforge@gmail.com

The Grunt

The "Grunt" is Guinea Hog Forge's first neck knife. It's an edge-quenched Wharncliff ground out of 1/8th inch triple-tempered 1080 steel. It comes with a Kydex shealth.

The unique patterns on the knife are transition lines or "the hamon". The hamon delineates areas of differential hardness. The "Grunt" is 6 5/8 inches long and has a 2 1/2 inch blade.

We're asking $85 for this one including a green Kydex sheath and USPS shipping anywhere in the continental US - SOLD. We accept money orders and Paypal.
guineahogforge@gmail.com

Learning photography

Apparently learning photography is essential to becoming a successful bladesmith. This is my latest attempt.

The Bantam

Click on the pictures below to view the knife in greater detail.

The Bantam is made from 5160 steel, has micarta scales and a green kydex sheath. This is Scott's 3rd forged blade. All of his blades are triple quenched and all have passed the brass rod flex test. This is Scott's carry knife. A similar design with a standard Kydex sheath, synthetic handles and brass pins would run about $250. Add $15 for mosaic pins.

Bladesmithing

Scott has discovered a passion for knife making. He learned the art of blacksmithing at Penland School of Crafts at age 17 and has played at a coal fired forge on and off for nearly 20 years. Recently he took the time to build a gas fired forge. This amazing device has made forging so much easier that he decided to give bladesmithing a try - something he's always wanted to do.

Scott starts with a piece of steel, heats it up, then bangs on it until it's real pretty. Okay, maybe that's a bit simplified. It takes Scott about 15-20 hours to make a forged knife. The following is a brief overview of that process.

First Scott designs the knife on graph paper and sometimes makes a wood mock up. Then he rough forges the steel to the desired shape and anneals it in vermiculite.

Next, he rough grinds the knife to its final profile and refines the distal tapers. Note custom made grinder below. This machine is amazing!

Normalization comes next. This involves heating the knife to just above non-critical (non-magnetic or 1,450 degrees) in the forge. This is done 3 times, letting the knife cool in still air between each cycle.

After the knife cools, Scott hardens the blade by bringing it slightly above critical temperture with a torch (or in the forge) and edge quenching it in 120 degree oil. This is also done 3 times.

Temper is drawn afterwards. Scott is currently tempering his knives in a toaster oven at 300-450 degrees (depending on the steel) for 2 hours and over 3 cycles.

Lastly, the blade is finish ground, hand rubbed, and etched to show temper lines (see second knife). Handles and other elements are the final touch. These are custom made and fitted to the knife.

I know it sounds like a lot of work, but the product is truly superior to a production blade. Scott's forged knives cut and hold an edge better than any knife we've ever seen. Here are his latest creations.

The blade above is a full tang design made of 5160 steel and fitted with desert ironwood handles. Scott custom made a leather sheath for the knife and boned the leather for a snug fit.

The following knife is a hidden tang design that Scott's mom has claimed as her own. The handle is purple heart, the guard is brass, and the butt cap is made of steel. Note the beautiful temper line on the blade. The steel is hard at the edge and softer towards the back. This gives the blade strength balanced with flexibility.

I made the sheath for this knife. It was my first attempt at leather work, so it's not nearly as nice as the knife. More knives coming soon!

Guinea Hog Forge

E. Scott McGhee has dabbled in blacksmithing since he was a teenager and recently fabricated a gas fired forge to make working on knives easier. He and his son Jacob have roughed out a few pieces so far. Check it out.

This is a grinder Scott made for finishing the knives. We'll post a finished knife soon.

Guinea Hog Forge will have knives for sale soon. Our first public showing will be held at the Heritage Days Festival in Lake Waccamaw, NC - March 20-21. Scott will be the blacksmith at the show.