March of Dimes 2012 wip

[John M Cohea]

J's got the blade for this project made, ready for heat treat and finishing.He will start posting pics of the progress up to that point soon, so stay tuned!

 

[J. Neilson]

This piece is going to be a little different and a project I've been wanting to play with. Here's some photos so you can see it progress...

Starting my "canoe" can-

Capping the ends-

Laying out my "Marching" Arrows-

Finishing the fill & prepping the lid-

Clamped down and ready to weld-

All welded shut (except for the vent, of course)-

Into the fire-

Canister venting-

Reduce, reduce, reduce-

Billet is welded and reduced, the can is just popping off-

Pealed off the can and here is the raw billet-

Starting to forge the tip/tang-

Nice close up, huh?-

Roughing out the steel-

Looking for my "arrows"-

Profiled blade-

Finished profile and the crown for the handle-

A bit more etch, just for fun-

The Stag will get worked down more but, here's a rough idea-

I've ground the blade and now she's going through her cycles and HT. More pix soon.
J.

 

[richard j]

looking good j.

 

[John M Cohea]

Looks great J!That is going to be a beast of a blade, and cool pattern too!

 

[tedinatl]

This is super-cool! Subscribed!

 

[J. Neilson]

Here is the blade rough ground-

Re-annealed-

And ready for HT-

 

[RogerP]

That chevron pattern is very different - and very cool. Lookin' good so far.

Roger

 

[J. Neilson]

Thanks guys....... I like different. Get tired of the same old thing over and over.

 

[J. Neilson]

Softening the tang and shoulders-

Here she is after HT & 36 hrs. in vinegar-

Here is the blade finish ground and hand-rubbed with the rustic flats and spine (if you look close, you can see the arrows in the steel pre-etch)-

Next will be adding my name on the blade, forging the S-guard (John gave me a cool idea on this) and etching the blade.

 

[chad2]

subscribed!

 

[RogerP]

Lookin' good J.

Roger

 

[Burton Harruff]

Nice project.

 

[Bona]

Beautiful blade made of dust... This is magic for me

 

[J. Neilson]

Hey, that's me!-

Here's a few pix after some light etching. Not going to do any heavy etching until the guard is ready but, I really wanted to see this. I'm putting up different angles to try and get you a good look. You can see the arrows well and the hamon is coming in nice as well-

Forging out the wrought iron S-guard-

Guard is slotted and rough ground-

Another quick look-

The guard is finished-

Adding the accents on the tips-

Good fit-

Guard is fitted up and now just need to etch the guard and finish etching the blade-

A little more imagination-

Doing the Maryland show this weekend so no more until next week. I'll etch everything up, set the guard and start the damascus throat then. I'll post more soon.
J.

 

[Paul Savage]

I'm enjoying this wip J. What material did you use for your "Marching Arrows" ? Good luck in Maryland this weekend . Paul

 

[J. Neilson]

Hey Paul, the "arrows" are 1050 steel and the powder is 1095.

.

I'm enjoying this wip J. What material did you use for your "Marching Arrows" ? Good luck in Maryland this weekend . Paul

 

[J. Neilson]

Etching the wrought iron guard-

Done!-

Finished blade etch (it tough to get a good photo of the blade/arrows/hamon without my photo bax so bear with me here)-

Setting the guard-

A nice tight/clean fit-

Next is the damascus throat and the Sambar stag... stay tuned-

 

[J. Neilson]

Milling out the damascus throat-

Drilling out the Sambar stag for the tang-

A fair amount of tang for the handle-

Securing the throat to the handle... with a black spacer-

Roughing out the throat-

Cutting in the "Stag Grooves"-

Finished throat with things lined up from the side-

and the top-

Getting a coating of clear nail polish in prep for etching the throat-

 

[J. Neilson]

Etched throat with the stag smoothed out-

Next is just drilling for the pin, setting her and then sealing everything up. Should have her done just in time to show the kids at X-mas!

 

[J. Neilson]

Ok, these are the last of the photos from me. The next step is up to John's creativity and for Coop to do the final "Wow Factor".

Pien'ed 3/16" carbon steel pin, both sides...

Sealing the Stag in a boiled linseed oil mix...

Etching the pin heads...

I can't wait to see what you've got planned John!!!

Thanks again everyone,
J.