Integral Recurve Bowie

Tai Goo

Tai Goo

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Apr 7, 2006
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14-½ inches OAL, forged from 5160. The handle is black oak with woven cotton cord wrapping, sealed with shellac and a top coat of pinon pine rosin. The scabbard is mahogany with a woven cotton cord neck strap.

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Tai, Is the cord you used the same or did you use different diameter for both? Looks like the strap could be heavier but that could be cause its done looser.
 
Tai,

I enjoy the discovery, of looking at your work.

Never, do I say, "another nice one of those"

:thumbup: Fred
 
Tai, any tips for attempting to forge a integral?

both you and ray do some simply amazing hammer placing, im always lost in how someone can simply have that good of connection between hammer anvil and steel
 
Thanks!

Ray, the neck strap is the same diameter as the main handle wrapping,… but there are 3 sizes of cord in all.

bryce, I can't think of any special tips. I just do it all free hand over the anvil.
 
Tai...Very Impressive!..is there a thread or a site to learn how you wrapped the handle?
 
Looks good Tai. I always like the way you finish your blades, it just looks right for that style. Any information you care to share on the finish , etches, and textures would be appreciated.

Jerry Fisher
 
The textures are from the forging and filing. I sanded the area just behind the edge a bit. The patina is the natural fire patina.

It's the whole "process markings" thing. I like to leave clues to the process in the finish. It gives it sort of a natural organic look.
 
really nice work.
I'm tyeing a handle wrap with a similar idea on one of my long-bows.
did you leave the cord in one long length or hide the ends under the preceding knot?
Right now it seams like I'm dragging 100 yards of Cord through each knot.
 
Thanks for the response....one last question....are the ends just tucked in underneath and secured there ?
 
One of the reasons I weave each knot around three times is to give enough width to hide the ends inside each knot. I pull the ends real tight and then clip then with nail clippers as close as I can and they just pull back under.

It takes about 3-4 feet of cord for each knot, so doing the entire handle wrapping with one length of cord would be pretty hard. It's also easier to rotate the individual knots so they all line up nice. I also use the taper of the handle to tighten the knots by sliding them back on the taper.

Hope that makes sense. It's hard to explain with words. :)
 
It makes perfect sense to me.
Thanks
I have the first 3 turks-heads tied on a Long bow handle in one continuous length of cord. Makes my head hurt:yawn::grumpy:
 
Simply Amazing Tai, You inspired me recently and I'll post pics soon of a bowie I forged from an old lawn mower blade, Are you wiping on beeswax or linseed oil during tempering to blacken and protect the steel?
 
J.S. I quench with vegetable oil, which does the same thing as linseed. Any parts left out of the quench, like the bolster, I rub with some of the quench oil and a rag as it cools, while the rest is still in the quench. About the time it all stops smoking and settles down is when I interrupt the quench and straighten the blade if needed, with gloves. The quenching does pop some patina off, but a little sanding over it evens it out. You could think of it as simultaneously quenching and burnt oil finishing.

I'm not sure if the tempering cycles/cycles would be hot enough for a good burnt oil finish, but I'll give it a try sometime.
 
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