Large forged fighter

[bennett]

Just finished this one yesterday. My first really large knife. Wanted to try some colored epoxy, so I put a little bit at the joint between the handle and the guard, and was please with the result. I'll put an edge on it this evening, and lay waste to the evil scrub oaks in the woods out back tomorrow! Specs as follows:
- Overall length 17", blade length just under 12"
- forged 1084, tempered 3 times, given soft back draw
- green micarta handle with a mosaic pin in the center, mortised tang construction.
- guard forged out of 120yr old iron, and textured(note - I textured the guard and then etched it. I won't texture the next guard I make out of this iron. It etched with a wild pattern, almost like wood grain. In the photos it might look like the guard is scratched up, but it's not - it's the patterning that came out of the etch.)
- Thanks a lot for looking!:thumbup:

 

[Karl B. Andersen]

Good lookin' knife! I hope it performs well.
That grain in the wrought iron is its natural grain structure. That's how it's supposed to look when you etch it!

 

[barrabas74]

I lOVE big knives....that looks like a cool one. I like the overall look it is very nice.

 

[Tanguay Custom Knives]

Wicked cool!

 

[bennett]

Thanks for the feedback fellas. KBA - I've never used wrought iron before. This came from some rusted tools that my grandparents and great-grands found when they were building houses near each other back in 1959. There's an old hearth from an 1860's homestead on the property. The old axe heads are rusted beyond salvage, but when the pitting and rust is all cleaned off, there's a lot of good iron in the thick parts of the axe heads, and you can see where the iron was forge-welded to a tool steel bit.(I'll be working up some damascus from those iron/old steel pieces - maybe mix it with some 15n20...) Anyway, I also recently got some iron from a civil-war era salvaged anchor. Does all iron etch the same - that kind of wood graining and other patterning? Is the anchor iron liable to etch differently?