Bawanna
Moderator
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2012
- Messages
- 10,333
I'm finally close to the finish on a huge pattern welded bowie that Bookie brought me when we met in Reno last summer. Awe, summer when it was warm and the sun was out and your feet don't feel like ice cubes, sweat trickling down thy forehead...........................
Anyhow, this was semi shaped like a bowie but square, not tapered so it took a bit of filing, grinding, more filing, more grinding, stuff that Bookie probably would do in an afternoon right after his nap but has taken me months off and on. I wanted to go slow and not mess up.
Let me search for a beginning photo. Bless me o photobucket and don't piss thee off today.
Well I know I got a picture of it and I have one somewhere of Pala holding it in his little shed but can't find them. Maybe Meister Tall can hack my computer, lord knows everybody else does and find it.
Here's one where I'd started on it in the very early stages.
Skip ahead 5 or 6 months and here's where we are today. It's not sharp but close to where sharpening would begin.
I used a piece of aluminum flat stock to built a minimalist guard. Easier for a Missouri dirt farmer to work with.
The handle seam turned out perfect, if my arms were a little longer I'd pat myself on the back, and the wood which I'm not certain of the flavor but some sort of walnut turned out very pleasing.
The handle was kind of a file and sand and see what feels good, file and sand some more to see what feels better, all along hoping you don't file and sand too much to where it don't feel good, a fine line to walk or roll in my case.
The pattern wasn't obvious at first but with light sanding it showed through and I was extremely impressed. When I went to shape and sand and polish all that pattern went away. I panicked and stayed panicked for months, thought for sure I'd somehow ruined it and everybody knows I love stag and pa
ttern welded steel, often called Damascus but Bookie gives me a spanking every time I make that error.
To make an extremely long story a bit shorter, I figured out you have to etch it. Heard all kinds of ideas but I didn't want to order or go to town.
I tried vinegar, nothing, believe it or not what did the trick and I don't know why I tried, must have heard of it or something, what worked was plain old French's mustard out of the fridge. The pattern came back. Wife wanted to try something and she used vinegar and salt, that undid what the mustard did. I did about 3 applications of mustard and it kept improving. As Bookie notes, there are other things to use that might make it even better and I may do that at some point but for now I'm happy.
Less jabber, more pictures.
Well off to find the next project.
Thanks Bookie for doing the hot hard part. Hanging out in the forge shed about now would be pleasant, dang cold round here.
Anyhow, this was semi shaped like a bowie but square, not tapered so it took a bit of filing, grinding, more filing, more grinding, stuff that Bookie probably would do in an afternoon right after his nap but has taken me months off and on. I wanted to go slow and not mess up.
Let me search for a beginning photo. Bless me o photobucket and don't piss thee off today.
Well I know I got a picture of it and I have one somewhere of Pala holding it in his little shed but can't find them. Maybe Meister Tall can hack my computer, lord knows everybody else does and find it.
Here's one where I'd started on it in the very early stages.
Skip ahead 5 or 6 months and here's where we are today. It's not sharp but close to where sharpening would begin.
I used a piece of aluminum flat stock to built a minimalist guard. Easier for a Missouri dirt farmer to work with.
The handle seam turned out perfect, if my arms were a little longer I'd pat myself on the back, and the wood which I'm not certain of the flavor but some sort of walnut turned out very pleasing.
The handle was kind of a file and sand and see what feels good, file and sand some more to see what feels better, all along hoping you don't file and sand too much to where it don't feel good, a fine line to walk or roll in my case.
The pattern wasn't obvious at first but with light sanding it showed through and I was extremely impressed. When I went to shape and sand and polish all that pattern went away. I panicked and stayed panicked for months, thought for sure I'd somehow ruined it and everybody knows I love stag and pa
ttern welded steel, often called Damascus but Bookie gives me a spanking every time I make that error.
To make an extremely long story a bit shorter, I figured out you have to etch it. Heard all kinds of ideas but I didn't want to order or go to town.
I tried vinegar, nothing, believe it or not what did the trick and I don't know why I tried, must have heard of it or something, what worked was plain old French's mustard out of the fridge. The pattern came back. Wife wanted to try something and she used vinegar and salt, that undid what the mustard did. I did about 3 applications of mustard and it kept improving. As Bookie notes, there are other things to use that might make it even better and I may do that at some point but for now I'm happy.
Less jabber, more pictures.
Well off to find the next project.
Thanks Bookie for doing the hot hard part. Hanging out in the forge shed about now would be pleasant, dang cold round here.
