New Year Resolutions

opaul said:
Get my oven up and ready to heat treat the AEB-L sitting in my shop. OVEN IS READY and I HAVE THE AEB-L
Forge a hidden tang blade from the Damascus bar I have sitting in my shop. HAVEN'T FORGED ONE BUT DID MAKE A HIDDEN TANG
Go out today and get some 1095 stock, grind a blade this weekend and heat treat to create a hamon pattern. Ferric chloride arrived yesterday. NOPE
Continue to refine my leather work skills. YES
Improve on each blade I make. DEPENDS ON WHO SEES IT :)
Send some of the nice unstablized wood I have to K&G to get stabilized. NOPE
Continue to be an active forum member.
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YEP, probably to active :)
 
GeneK said:
1) Make more hidden tang knives and make my own guards. Yes.
2) Do more forging and less stock removal. Yes.
3) Try new damascus patterns. Not yet, but I have a few ideas.
4) Keep the shop organized better. ( This will be the hardest one.) Come on, this was never gonna happen.
5) Do more detailed handle work with liners, bolsters and mixes of woods on hidden and full tang knives. Yes.
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I want to make a really nice hidden tang knife. I have only made one and it was just ok I want to make one that would be to the fit and finish John Doyle would put out.I have 2 hardened but not started at all.

I want to make a short sword or wakizashi style knife. Something 2 handed to lop off zombie heads and such..lol
I have this one about half way done. I hope in the next month it will be done...and upload new video.

Lastly, more folders. I have a framelock flipper I need to finish and I want to make several slip joints. I started finishing this last week. I hope to have it done in the next month or two. Did cut out some slipjoints but not profiled yet.
 
I was doing okay, but then I gave up my New Years resolution for lint. 2019 will be the year of the hidden tang!

Or will it be the year of the folder... hmmm? Needs to be the year of the grinder lol.
 
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BrandantR said:
1) I've always wanted to try making an auto folder. I finally bit the bullet and got a mill at the end of 2017 and I think this new year is the time to give the auto a try. YES, AND THE DARN THINGS WORKED BETTER THAN I EXPECTED :D
2) I also want to learn to do an inner frame inlay with a really nice, tight fit. I've seen a few Facebook posts by Rick Genovese and how he does it and I'm itching to give it a go. NOT YET
3) I think I'd also like to give a framelock flipper a try too. I DESIGNED ONE BUT HAVEN'T MADE IT YET
4) Be more involved on KD. I don't have a lot to offer, but I can certainly give more back to the community that got me to where I'm at. IF ONLY I COULD FIND MORE TIME. . . .
5) Buy more wood and handle stuff from online! It makes me happy:) and I'm not going to stop. . . ! THERE'S ALWAYS MORE HANDLE MATERIAL TO BUY!!!
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Bumping this thread to see if anyone met their goals? Personally I didn't meet one goal. But I could not have predicted 80+ hour work weeks either.

So reality has changed my goals for this coming year. When I started making knives the goal was to forge my knives and earn a Journeyman stamp with the ABS. This February I signed up to take the intro to bladesmithing class in Texarkana, and hope to visit a well known and respected knifemaker later in the year. Obtaining the JS stamp is still not off the table but I don't feel it's necessary to become a well known maker like I had in the past.
This years goal is too make few knives and strive for the best fit and finish that I can in the little shop time that is available.
 
1) keep improving quality of my fit and finish.
2) keep improving my leatherwork
3) learn to do hamons
4) start learning to forge (so far I’ve just been a stock removal maker)
5) learn how to do engraving and wire inlays-in wood and metal
6) do more tapered tangs
7) get more precise with my heat treat and testing
8) go to Blade Show this year for the first time- As a visitor, not a vendor. That’s still some time away but hopefully one of these days :D
9) improve grinds and plunges
10) start growing my business to be more supportive and working toward the ultimate dream of self employment.
11) make more hidden tang knives with nicer handle materials. I’m itching to use the stuff I’ve bought from guys in here.

Ahhh... Lots to do. Lets hop to it mates!!! :p
 
BrandantR said:
1) I've always wanted to try making an auto folder. I finally bit the bullet and got a mill at the end of 2017 and I think this new year is the time to give the auto a try.
2) I also want to learn to do an inner frame inlay with a really nice, tight fit. I've seen a few Facebook posts by Rick Genovese and how he does it and I'm itching to give it a go.
3) I think I'd also like to give a framelock flipper a try too.
4) Be more involved on KD. I don't have a lot to offer, but I can certainly give more back to the community that got me to where I'm at.
5) Buy more wood and handle stuff from online! It makes me happy:) and I'm not going to stop. . . !
Click to expand...

Here above was my resolutions list and here's the report:
#1) Did it! I'm going to be making a lot more autos in the future. The one that I made was definitely one of my favorite projects.
#2) Still haven't tried an inner frame inlay yet. I'll carry that one over into next year ;)
#3) I did design a framelock flipper, but I haven't built one yet. I have the flipper slated for my next build though.
#4) I still need to work on this one. I stop by all the time, but I don't give back as much as I should.
#5) Still buying handle stuff, still makes me happy!!!
 
Nope!! Well got my Heat Treat down pretty good. Trying to clean up shop now so I can work!! Got some new equipment (milling machine).
 
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