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[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

No, just post here. The folks following your progress can see it all that way. When you move on to a different knife style or topic, start a new thread on that.

 

[Horsewright]

Everyone needs a Hoss in their shop...

Yep

Course our "shop" might have different definitions than most.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Dan Blocker AKA Hoss Cartwright wore a 10-gallon hat like your avatar photo. Is that you in the image? Also, I'd love to hear how your forum name came about.
Funny thing about a 10-gallon hat is that it won't even hold a gallon ... the number comes from the height - it was 10" tall.

Dave (Horsewright) and others here know how to tell a real cowboy from a fake one. It is easy ... look at the boots to see whether the manure is on the inside or the outside of his boots. When I was young, we called them Drugstore Cowboys. Fellows who sat around the soda fountains and juke boxes dressed like Gene Autry but had neve seen a horse.

Besides many horses and cows, Dave's ranch is filled with lots of lovely cowboy-girls. And he doesn't breed them for show, they are working gals.

There are plenty of us who wear a Stetson every day here in Shop talk. I put a photo of mine below.

 

[A.McPherson]

Stacy, you just described 80% of Texans. They sure think they're country, but don't really know which ends of the horse goes to the front.

Not that I'm much better mind you. But I don't pretend I'm a cowboy either

 

[AKAT_MIKE]

No, just post here. The folks following your progress can see it all that way. When you move on to a different knife style or topic, start a new thread on that.

OK!

 

[GRapp]

Stacy, you just described 80% of Texans. They sure think they're country, but don't really know which ends of the horse goes to the front.

You're talking about folks in the cities here, and you're right. However, you can't tell a cowboy from his boots, hat, or any other visual aspect, got to get him/her in the field for that. Most cowboys don't own horses anymore, everybody's got a side by side now, at least around here anyway. A horseman is not cowboy, and most cowboys are not horseman. Dave appears to be both, a dying breed.

 

[AKAT_MIKE]

Dan Blocker AKA Hoss Cartwright wore a 10-gallon hat like your avatar photo. Is that you in the image? Also, I'd love to hear how your forum name came about.
Funny thing about a 10-gallon hat is that it won't even hold a gallon ... the number comes from the height - it was 10" tall.

Dave (Horsewright) and others here know how to tell a real cowboy from a fake one. It is easy ... look at the boots to see whether the manure is on the inside or the outside of his boots. When I was young, we called them Drugstore Cowboys. Fellows who sat around the soda fountains and juke boxes dressed like Gene Autry but had neve seen a horse.

Besides many horses and cows, Dave's ranch is filled with lots of lovely cowboy-girls. And he doesn't breed them for show, they are working gals.

There are plenty of us who wear a Stetson every day here in Shop talk. I put a photo of mine below.

View attachment 3061107
View attachment 3061126

That image I use is Tom Threepersons (also a real cowboy from way back). My name is Mike, which I suppose I should add to my profile. The AKAT part is the acronym for my business (A-Better Knife and Tool Co., LLC). The first few years was mostly re-sharpening, repairing and restoring anything with a cutting edge. I really enjoyed the restoration aspect of the job and learned much about old knifemakers (I'm a history buff). November and December of '24 I made the decision to start forging my own knives, inspired by the old times I had been researching. I got an old coal rivet forge from an auction, but that didn't work out, so I built a propane forge (not true to history but I really wanted to get going). After much trial and error, October of this year I was able to forge a few blades that were able to hold an edge (abrasion and impact), were ergonomic and did not look half bad. I have a looooooong way to go, but I'm on the road now.
I really appreciate being part of this society.

 

[AKAT_MIKE]

So yesterday I decided to try and break one of my first successfully forged knives. The one I chose I've been using as a test blade/beater knife since late October. I have snapped the tip off of it multiple times stabbing into walnut and trying to pull out chips, rolled and chipped the edges hacking into antler and rebar. I re-sharpened it and then cut rope, corn stalks and small tree branches, batoned kindling and other light stuff and it's held up. It's 1065 steel (formerly a stone impact chisel). Here's the before and after of the knife. I tried to break it about mid-blade but the spine is about .150 thick and I was not able to, so I broke it at the point where the false edge terminated.

 

[AKAT_MIKE]

I pulled some screen shots from the video that shows the blade flex and point where it breaks. Sorry for the low rez pics, this is the best I can do.

When the video is ready to post on YouTube I'll let you all know.

 

[AKAT_MIKE]

And I re-sharpened the knife again, and kind of have a new love for it.