Bowie Design Critique Please

Not stout..lol...cream liqeurs..couldn't drink anything other than that after ''that bad camping trip'' hehehe

A few weeks away? given that you promised earlier, you'd start forging it out, and did so...seems you'll have no problems with work commitments...but you shold keep us all up to date with progress, or at least a pic of the finished beauty...you have the attention here of a more than a few of us.. :)
 
Had to go out for a bit...let me know if you still want a CAD drawing.

Dan
 
Got to forging this one today. Everything was going fine, I was almost done, just had to forge out the tang and clean up hammer marks/set the clip angle. Then I noticed....delaminations. At the edge, forward of the choil. Looks like in flattening the billet after twisting I didn't have the center of the bar hot enough. I figure I'll give a shot at welding them back in, but where they're placed, and the directions they're running, I'm not holding out much hope.

Next up will be this design out of John Deere driveshaft...

-d
 
I'm sure I'm the only one listening anymore, but sometimes it's nice to just talk to an empty room :D

So, rather than give up, I went back out into the forge.

Anybody here ever "un-forge" a blade? It's fun...really....you should try it....I just finished the following sequence of work:

- upset tip end of blade back into itself
- upset edge back into bar
- upset distally tapered bar

I didn't get quite back to full thickness, but I'd say I was back to "pretty close". After that I ground one side clean, cut it in half, and stacked 13 more pieces of banding strap betwen the two pieces (13 is my lucky #, let's see if it works...). It's now welded up (679 layers!!!!) and annealing in a bucket of wood ash. Tomorrow I'll grind it clean, forge it square, twist it (yup, I'm a glutton for punishment! Seriously though, not doing something to even out the pattern a bit would make it look funky, so it gets more twist...) and then forge a blade out of it.

I'm thinking that I might entitle this piece "Perseverence" or "Edurance" or something.

I quit when I was icing up the propane tank. I REALLY need to find somebody who will fill my 100lb tank...

-d
 
Looks good.
Shorten the ricasso by 1/2 inch and add 1 inch to blade length. I like the looks but it seems a bit stubby. No recurve
My .02$
Take care
TJ
 
Someone else is as pigheaded as me.....You go Man....Bet you can't do it.....:p :D
Don't forget picts

Larry
 
Nowicki said:
Someone else is as pigheaded as me.....You go Man....Bet you can't do it.....:p :D
Don't forget picts

Larry
Click to expand...

I should have been getting progress pics (especially of upsetting the blade back into itself...I mean, even my wife was impressed...and yes, she's taken a blacksmithing course and knows how hard it is to upset 1/4" square, much less the tip of a forged blade :D). I was too busy being pigheaded and just DOING it so it wouldn't beat me.

This is the reason I decided to take up working with metal, there's no way I could try over and over like this with wood :)

-d
 
I am commenting only on traditional old blades so forgive me this. The bottom back of the blade should not be rounded. We prefer to see 12-14" blades. Coffin handles are more expected. But I do like the second drawing a lot.
 
The cad design looks good, but to me looks a bit to clean. What I mean is that the blade looks like something a cnc mill would turn out, seems kinda sterile if I'm making myself clear. To me, and this is just an opion, I'm by no means anywhere near an expert on bowies, I think the blade needs to be slightly narrower at the riccasso than the start of the clip. Just about an 1/8" or so narrower would look better to me. I'd also pull the plunge closer to the gaurd, with a double gaurd it's not often you'd put a finger forward of the gaurd. I realy like the handle shape, and looks like your forging is going well. I agree that it would look better if it was longer, but I find anything over about 6.5" to 7" blade just gets in the way unless your choping saplings. The most important thing is that your happy with it.

I'm interested in seeing the finished product.
 
Will52100 said:
The cad design looks good, but to me looks a bit to clean. What I mean is that the blade looks like something a cnc mill would turn out, seems kinda sterile if I'm making myself clear.
Click to expand...

Don't worry, my forging and grinding skills will do away with much of the "clean" look :)

To me, and this is just an opion, I'm by no means anywhere near an expert on bowies, I think the blade needs to be slightly narrower at the riccasso than the start of the clip. Just about an 1/8" or so narrower would look better to me. I'd also pull the plunge closer to the gaurd, with a double gaurd it's not often you'd put a finger forward of the gaurd. I realy like the handle shape, and looks like your forging is going well. I agree that it would look better if it was longer, but I find anything over about 6.5" to 7" blade just gets in the way unless your choping saplings. The most important thing is that your happy with it.
Click to expand...

I'm not terribly pleased with yesterday's output at the moment, but I'll get back to it. and make something good happen. It'll almost definitely be around a 7" blade now simply due to the ever-shrinking size of this billet. I may pull the plunge in a bit as well, we'll see. One thing I've decided I like from my third drawing is having he choil be in direct opposition of the plunge line. The "V" formed there flows nicely I think.

I'm interested in seeing the finished product.
Click to expand...

You and me both! I should also have a damascus hunter coming out in the next couple of weeks as well. I just HTed it last night. It's a low layer count composite pattern that I've taken a real liking to as it's sat around the shop.

-d
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top