Third forged knife

Nothing too exciting here, very much like my second one as I used the other half of the same 01 bar. A bit more belly to the blade and more of a skinning shape to the point. Forged a loop into the tang. Did a much better job of getting the blade just behind the edge thin on this one.



Handle is wrapped in strips of warthog hide and sealed with glue.

Sheath is a simple pouch style also made from warthog hide with a welt from another scrap of thick leather. Sewn with waxed cotton thread.







Need to get a hold of a bigger piece of steel for the next one as I want to make a chopper or try a socket handle.

Ran into this ancient poplar in the woods (knife sticking in bark so you can see the size)



Also ran into the seed ticks! hate those buggers.

Thanks for looking!

Grafton, I love the hairy Warthog sheath and the knife is great. Kind of a butcher shape. Forging is really coming along. Did you use less charcoal this time? What thickness was the O1? Also I like the cotton cord better than the fake sinew, not a plastic looking. Did I say I LOVE the caveman sheath?.......Randy

Thanks Randy. Yes, I am getting better at regulating the air and using less charcoal. The 01 was 1/4" thick x 3/4". I feel like I am also getting better at making the steel do something I want instead of just beating it until something cool looking happens. I think I am done with the fake sinew. A lot of these skins are wet when I do the sewing so they shrink as they dry leaving some of the stitches slightly loose. The cotton seems to shrink with the leather, the fake sinew does not. The fake sinew is weak and I have also noticed that some of the oils/wax I have used to weatherproof the leather make it even weaker. All part of the learning process!

That piece of warthog is from the back where there is a ridge of long hair. I was originally thinking of shaving it off as the leather is pretty cool looking but I liked the look of the hair too much.

A noble beast:



Cheers.

Grafton, I dated her in college, she's aged well. Did you do that mount? I use linen harness cord, 5 twist on about everything. It is unwaxed and takes dye well, then I wax with beeswax/resin before using. Again, nice set and the pig is beautiful......Randy

I will have to try some of the linen harness cord sometime. Yes I did the mount. I use Berkley Fireline for stiching up most animals. It is tough, almost invisible, and the stiffness makes it easy to tie and thread through a needle. A little too industrial for a rustic knife sheath though.

grafton said:

A noble beast:

Cheers.

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This is truly my most favourite animal to hunt and it is awesome to eat as well. Your trofee look great well done. Your knife and sheath look great.

very nice. man your getting better on every one. i see your hammer work is getting better. when we start out forging our hammer marks look like a chimp tryed to kill a snake with a stick. after a few blades they start looking like the scales on a fish then they just seem to go away. keep up the good work. Gary

Thanks guys!

Speaking of hammer control and hammers..... This is the only hammer I have used so far. It is a Craftsman 40 oz. Seems adequate to me but I was looking for input from those with experience. It does give me a blister on the base of my index finger, I guess from incorrect death grip or perhaps just toughening up my hands in that area. Any thoughts?

I also have this two pound hammer I used for digging trap beds that needs a new handle. I may try this one out as well.

I plan on getting some expert hands on instuction in the future as time allows. There are some blacksmithing classes in my area.

I may look at buying a new hammer to try but kind of like the "use what I got" mind set as long as I am not killing myself with junk tools.

Also, I have seen the split handle hammers. What is the reason behind that? better balance? shock reduction?

Thanks for helping a newby!

Hey Grafton, both look good to me but I'll use anything. I keep looking at those Japanese style hammers though. Blisters usually come from the handle being too slick. Rough it up a little and see if that helps.

There are some blacksmithing classes in my area.

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If there are blacksmiths in Virginia they migrated from 'Carolina......Be Safe.....Randy

grafton, excellent job on both the knife & sheath. Bill.............

Looking real nice, grafton!!! On another note, I just got back from a successful Axis hunt and brought back some hides. Any suggestions for a first time "tanner"? One cape is real nice and I'd like to keep the hair on....Thanks, and again, good work!

Thanks folks.

Redyak3, Really depends on what you plan on doing with the skin and how much work you want to put into it. There are lots of home tanning options. If you want to do it yourself I would suggest getting a kit from a taxidermy supply company like Mckenzie Supply or others. Also check out taxidermy.net for information.

Liqua Tan, Mckenzie tan, Lutan F.... are all good choices for a home tan. You will need the tan kit that has the tanning oil and the acid pickle mix. PH papers and salt are also needed. Follow the directions and you should be fine.

If you follow the steps it is not hard to do but be aware that most home tans will produce a skin that is not very soft or supple. It is a lot of work to make one soft. If you are ok with a stiff tanned hide, home tanning is no problem. Fleshing the hide well and thinning it down is important. An axis will have a very thick skin around the back of the neck (protection from fighting).

The basic steps for most modern home tanning are: fleshing/salting/acid pickle bath/shaving,thinning/neutralizing/apply tanning oil/then "working" the skin to soften it.

If you want a soft skin for a throw/rug etc.. You may want to think about sending your skin out to a tannery or have a taxidermist do this for you. They have large tumblers that "break" the fibers of the skin and produce a very soft skin.

I am not saying you can not do it at home but be prepared to put in some elbow grease.

Since this is the Neo Tribal Forum, you may want to research some primitive tanning methods..just make sure the method is for hair on tanning, not hair off leather.

Have fun and good luck!

Say that again......

Grafton, since you opened this can, smoking hides, is it for softening or waterproofing? Heard several different versions and since you are in the biz..........Randy

Big topic Randy but my feeling would be that it would help some with both. I am no expert especially on traditional methods. Most of my experience is with modern tans, and mostly "hair on" tanning or "fur dressing".

The purpose of a "tan" or tanning agent is to stabilize the proteins in the skin in order to prevent decomposition and to protect the skin from environmental changes. Brains, liver, tree bark, leaves, smoke etc. have all been used as tanning agents alone or in various combinations.

A raw skin is like a sponge. The fluids have been removed by drying or salting and all those pores want to be filled. Fat, oils, smoke (sooty grease) will fill those pores and actually chemically change the skin, making it more stable or "tanning" it. These chemical bonds stabilize the skin but also help to make the skin more flexible. So any tannin or tanning agent will by definition be a step towards waterproofing and softening.

To answer your question I would think that smoking would do more to help with waterproofing than softening. The residue from the smoke would probably saturate the skin and act in a small degree as fat that is rubbed into the hide, helping to prevent water from being sucked into the hide.

What really makes the skin soft is getting it thin enough so the tanning agent can penetrate well and by breaking down the fibers. In my experience any home tanning skin will be pretty stiff until the hide is worked over a table edge, twisted, bent, rolled up, unrolled, stretched, chewed..just keep the things in your hand and work it.. etc.....

Smoke also has the benefit of a nice smell, color and perhaps some bug proofing properties as well. My guess is that as better tanning agents were discovered, smoking was kept as a step in the process because of some of these properties. Combinations of things often work better than just one. I guess you could say that smoking is a supplement to the other tanning agents (brain,liver,eggs etc..)I am sure many of the people who used it had no idea why it was working.

Sorry for the knife topic deviation folks. Tanning is needed for a good sheath and a good knife needs a good sheath so not too off topic!

Cheers

Say that again

Thanks Grafton, that explained a lot and opened up a whole new can . Like "stuffed" with waxes like the Spanish and Latigo BUT another thread maybe. Thanks again.....Randy

when i get a new hammer. i take a sharp knife or better a pice of broken glass and scrape all the varnish odd of it. no blisters and no slipping.