I reworked how I do the pommel plate construction. This one's kinda rough looking because I was trying to get everything figured out. The other way was plenty strong but this new way is stronger still and maybe (not sure yet) a little easier to keep everything lined up. This is how Marble's used to make their hidden tang pommels attach. Yesterday the batch looked like this It looks like this tonight Hopefully I'll be done with all the handle work by early next week and then move on to sheaths. Thanks for taking a look, Iz
Next batch on deck. If I have time there might be a couple other surprises in this one. Depends on when the sere school puts in it's order.
I showed this before but I thought I'd show a little better view of the pommel plate set up. It probably doesn't look like it but there's quite a bit of work that goes into getting this silly little bolt ready. It starts out like the bolt on the left and I grind it down to what the one on the right looks like. Here's how it fits in the tang. This is the way Marble's used to do it years ago, very sturdy. This is a picture of my bolt and tang on the left, on the right is an original marbles tang bolt and nut. It fit in the tang the same way I'm doing mine now. So after setting up two pommels, drilling the pin holes, marking the center lines, marking the grind lines and grinding through four grits.......they're ready for heat treat tomorrow. Hope ya dig.
Got all of them heat treated today. The eagle eyed observer might notice that there is another soldier river now that wasn't there yesterday. That's because I'm a moron and used 5/32" stock on the first one and the customer wanted 3/16". So I cut, drilled, ground and got the pommel on the replacement done today.
Alright then fellers. Here's the next batch Here they are, ready for heat treat. The bottom machete is the b-day gift. He's a picky sorta guy so it's all modified from the normal Grand river. It's got a straighter handle, slightly wider blade and a longer blade. The middle machete is....a screw up....again. I was trying to get the design right for the gift knife and didn't nail it. I didn't realize it until I had this one already cut out. It's a nice knife, just not what I wanted to make for him. I've also been working on a new Kill Captain drawing in the evenings. He's all decked out in his dress uniform, ready to help introduce a new line of options. Here's the first part out of the quench Machetes ready for heat treat And out of the quench And update on the Kill Captain drawing Hope ya dig.
Yesterday I did some daddy stuff so I didn't get much time in the shop. Holes drilled an centers marked. Today, grind lines marked, bolt slots cut, rough grinds mostly done.
