Making a bush sword (part of it, at least)

Stormcrow

Well-Known Member
These were some progress shots taken by the photographer to whom I traded a bush sword (Paul Cruz). This isn't all of the process, of course, but it gives at least some idea of what's involved in making a bush sword.

Processing the steel:

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After all the forging is completed, the profile is finalized on a grinder, and the blade has the scale cleaned off, filing the primary bevel:

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Heating the blade for the first quench:

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This is my favorite picture from the whole photo shoot: :)

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The first quench into veggie oil: Note that the camera isn't necessarily showing the color in the steel accurately.

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Checking with a file to ensure that the blade hardened properly (it did):

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Time to do it again: This happens three times unless there is a warp that requires re-heating to fix.

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Many warps (and long blades are more prone to that than short blades) can be fixed without reheating if you work quickly and carefully. There is a short time window after the quench before the steel crystals fully set up, and during that time the blade can be flexed back straight. Here I am doing that using my post vise and my vertical quench tank to flex against:

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Who is that handsome devil with the stylishly long sideburns? :D

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What an amazing process. It is so cool to see all the photos and the steps it takes. I envy your knowledge and skill, thanks for sharing with us
 
Thanks, y'all!

Cougar337 - It's been a matter of perusing the Interwebz for knife forums daily for years, reading books, and most importantly, trying stuff out to get what knowledge and skill I possess.
 
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