Knife No. 22 - Sparrow - (First Swedge)

dswait

dswait

Well-Known Member
Forged this one from a very large file I found at an antique show. This is my first attempt at a swedge. Used black palm for the handle with a lanyard. Blade has a 12" edge with a 5" handle, making it 17" OAL. Mirror polished. I call this one Sparrow because its very long, narrow, and pointy.























 
How did you heat treat the file steel? As my handle implies, I am big into 18th century trade knives and the longhunter mentality. My eyes see a fantastic 21st century longhunter!!! BEAUTY!! Sweet!! Any plans for a sheath?
 
I normalized it twice first, then heated the whole thing to critical and quench into peanut oil. Temper in the oven at 450 degrees for two 1.5 hour cycle. Air cool in between.

I was doing 400 degrees 1 hour cycles, but after testing a file knife, found it to be more on the brittle side. Defiantly did not pass the bend test, but that's probably because this is re-purposed steel. I chopped through a 2x4 twice, threw it a tree for over an hour, and cut through 1.5" rope and it still kept an edge very well though. I'll have to post that video when I have time some day.
 
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