Recent content by soundmind

starting at about 6:00 - about the difficulty of telling the difference between types of chalcedony. I do a scratch test when I'm rockhounding. I'm hoping it's a rare color of jade.....

I agree, I do think finding and using them can be rewarding. People also like buying something sourced locally. The drawbacks are identifying it for sales purposes and the time it takes to process usable material. I will be researching the process for accurate identification. This was the...

I was able to get these heat treated again, but lost the edge on one due to over grinding again. I either ground too high or we are having long days so I may not be judging the color right in the evenings. I'm done the forge until I can get out of the natural light. The other is in process. I...

Looks good, man. Antler kinda pays off right at the end, imo. Blade looks good, too.

I wonder if the just surface is hardened. Etching will give indication of what might be in it too. (I.e. 80crv2 etches lighter than 1095 b/c of alloying).

The handle is probably 5". I think a partial standard or coxcomb wrap will suit it.

Since the back of the handle is kinda canted I glued it up in two stages throughout the day today. I didn't think I could keep the joints closed with what I have. Also because of the cant, I'm going to let this cure 72 hrs before I peen over the tang.

Those are pretty.

They probably make pigment out of grubs....or epoxy...or chewing gum or red jello.

Still in process, but getting there. Rear bolster is also fit, but needs a little work. Both bolsters are mild steel and I will probably darken them.

I tried the same thing on the rear. This is where I got a little carried away. The antler is old and dry so it disappeared fast under 80 grit. I used channel locks to hold it tight for shaping. I'm going to peen the end of the tang over, so I didn't want threads. The gap at the front closes up

Working on my first heirloom fit. It went well near the front, the rear bolster is questionable. Line up pins changed the way I built knives. Definitely important for doing this. The earlier pictures show that I had everything flush. I removed the antler, scribed a line on the bolster/black...

These are going back into heat treating at the moment. I heated up the edge on one. The hamon wasn't high up as I wanted on it anyway. And the hamon isn't distinct near the tip of the other.

I had wondered if a tile saw would be the same thing. There's a used tool shop nearby that has wet cutting saw for $275. It looked like it had a 6-7" blade that would make nice slabs. Better than an angle grinder for sure. Dukats are slim at the moment and it probably won't last long.

Thanks Dennis