Big File Tanto

[Andrew Colglazier]

11.5" blade, about 17" OAL. Hammered mild steel bolster and butt plate, osage handle with leather spacers. Forged to shape. File serrations left on spine. About 3/16" thick.

Hope you like her!

Andy

 

[manassas dragon]

cool! i have a couple of farriers rasps that i have thought about making into knives. did you anneal the file and then temper or did you just grind away at it? very neat though whatever you did,

 

[Andrew Colglazier]

cool! i have a couple of farriers rasps that i have thought about making into knives. did you anneal the file and then temper or did you just grind away at it? very neat though whatever you did,

This blade was forged to shape, so I don't go through an annealing stage like I would if I was doing stock removal.

The blade was normalized between forging sessions, then hardened by quenching in brine, then tempered.

Glad you like the knife!

Andy

 

[Andrew Colglazier]

Did a little testing today - chopping, limbing, batoning.

After all the chopping, limbing and batoning was done, the blade would still cleanly slice paper -

The blade is burnished with a brass wire brush, which gives it a gold/brass tint. The blade will collect some wood in the file cuts after use, but brushing the sides of the blade with a brass brush both cleans and restores the brass tinge.

Andy

 

[Dusty One]

Cool...Looks like snake skin !
Nice work

 

[Lycosa]

:thumbup:
Fix that point though.

 

[Sparljo]

I like it. Well done.

 

[Andrew Colglazier]

:thumbup:
Fix that point though.

I took you for a tanto lover!

Andy

 

[Lycosa]

I am, I am!!
A little pointier for moi.

 

[Tostig]

Nice , looks like a heck of a chopper ! I love the fact that you made something useful out of something that a lot of folks would just toss in the trash.


Tostig

 

[Andrew Colglazier]

Nice , looks like a heck of a chopper ! I love the fact that you made something useful out of something that a lot of folks would just toss in the trash.


Tostig

Thank you, sir! Indeed, I get my rasps from our farrier, who would otherwise have thrown them away.

I know a lot of people look down on knives made from salvaged steel, but to me it represents an age-old practice of using those things one has at hand to meet a need.

Andy