New Leaf -handle blades

 I finished those two knives the other day and thought I´d give you some decent pics. Both are made from spring steel, with a selective temper. This one is more of an utility design. 110 x 5 mm, edge quenched.

 The backside.

 The leaf I forged with the peen of a small locksmith´s hammer.

 This is more of a kopis design. I love to make these for the flowing lines they have, and they really feel good and dynamic when cutting. They are also great for foraging herbs and green food. Removing bark from a stick also is quite a cinch.

 I have tested this one to an extreme defree already: It supports my weight, and I´m fat!;-)

 The backside.

And the leaf. I also like the fact that they are ready to use when the forging´s done. And for an all - metal design, they are very comfortable to hold onto. They simply work, and work great even when the going gets tough. So I will make more of them...*ggg*

New Nessie design

 I was feeling inspired by my mountain man bushcraft as well as the "Flachschmieder" by Rudolph Broch, one of those people I have learned a lot from, so, when I was at the last Hammer - In of the season, I made this blade out of spring steel. 110 mm long, the spine is 5 mm thick, and the knife has seen little stock removal as is and no power tools except for drilling the holes for the tang. I will keep working on that, too;-). The handle is made from sambar stag antler I found on a flea market, wait, is that 8 years? 8 years ago;-) it is indeed, and I am an old fart!*ggg*. I really like this material a lot for its amber colour. The pins are made from copper tube. With a length of Paracord you can fix it to a stick to harvest apples, plums or herbs normally out of reach. To me, the handle is comfortable, and I like the slightly offset edge for cutting on a level, as when snacking with a wooden board. In spite of the chunky spine thickness, it really cuts well and even works great in the kitchen. Chopping onions, slicing salami and bacon are a cinch, really. I guess it has something to do with the fact that it has no secondary bevel, and the little convex part there is is virtually non-existent. It is edge - quenched, though, and I already slammed it into a mild steel bar and unmounted a tin can;-) with it, with no dents whatsoever.

 The spine. The tang will see some filing still.

I also made a simple sheath already. Wet - formed around the handle, and hot - waxed to give a firm base, almost like Kydex! (not that this would be a good thing, mind you*ggg*.

As is, I like it. It will see some refining and polishing the edge, and then I will be in for some interesting testing again.*ggg*