Rusty nail to micro sword - video

[C_Claycomb]

Was sent a link, looked around the forum and didn't see it shared, thought it was cool and worth posting....I think Kyle Royer has competition!

 

[karnaknives]

Wow. That is awesome!
And now I feel entirely inadequate.
Thanks.

 

[Forrest Taylor]

I like the idea for the improvised lathe where he taps the pommel and spins in with the drill press. I thinking I'm going to do that.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Not much reason to heat the metal. Nails are low carbon steel and will hammer forge easily cold.
Eating the paint was the best part.
I beat nails into miniature swords when I was 13 years old.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

When I was 11-12 years old we found an old collapsed cabin in the woods. It was spiked together with these huge 12-14" long spikes. We pulled them from the rotted timbers and took them home to my forge. We just flared the end out to make sort of leaf blade and put a good point on. They made great throwing spikes.

 

[Natlek]

When I was 11-12 years old we found an old collapsed cabin in the woods. It was spiked together with these huge 12-14" long spikes. We pulled them from the rotted timbers and took them home to my forge. We just flared the end out to make sort of leaf blade and put a good point on. They made great throwing spikes.

I will accept this Video as challenge. How small a knife needs to be to be accepted as a miniature ?

 

[karnaknives]

Use the sword as a scale.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I usually define a miniature as 1/4 scale or less. Most I do are in the 1/6 to 1/10 scale. I have gone as far as 1/50th scale, but that is really ridiculous..
BTW, nice video and great job on the sword. Most folks who make a mini do not get the thickness correct. It needs to be scaled just like the length and width.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

A miniature Leverletto.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Miniature Springer.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Mini wakizashi and saya





Mini Coke-Bottle folder with black MOP scales, diamonds set in scales, hardened gold blade, platinum liners. It walks and talks.

 

[Lorien]

Was sent a link, looked around the forum and didn't see it shared, thought it was cool and worth posting....I think Kyle Royer has competition!

that is some damn impressive work, and the video was super fun
thanks for a dose of awesomeness!

 

[Cushing H.]

Cool. And entertaining. Also definitely makes me feel inadequate.

 

[Travis Fry]

I was just thinking about making something like this. Is there a market for them?

 

[Natlek]

Mini wakizashi and saya

View attachment 1675320



Mini Coke-Bottle folder with black MOP scales, diamonds set in scales, hardened gold blade, platinum liners. It walks and talks.

View attachment 1675317

Beautiful work , I like them .BUT they are no mini my friend , they are MICRO knives I don t think that I have that kind of patience to do something like this

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I was just thinking about making something like this. Is there a market for them?

I often get as much or more for a mini than I can for the same knife in full size. The other plus is they sell immediately. If I take 20 minis to the show, I usually sell al twenty to other dealers before the show opens. One show I had a dealer come over as I was unpacking. He wanted to see my new minis. I handed him the display case with 15 minis to look over and told him we could discuss them after I unpacked. He looked at them for about five minutes and handed me $2000. He said he would take them all and thought $2K was a fail price for the lot. I agreed. I had a few people really POed that I had no minis to sell once we opened the doors. I told them that the first gut to see them bought them all.

Other minis are fun to make and very profitable. A 6" long mini 1903 Springfield rifle that functions (bolt works, cartridges load, safety moves, sights work, etc.) can bring $1000. A semi-functional 5" 1928A Thompson 45 cal. machine gun (trigger moves, drum removable, slide moves) can bring $750. A 4" 1911 45 cal. pistol in pretty much functional state brings $1500.

Natlek-
Thanks for te kind words. My best set ever was a set of Loveless drop point hunters with ivory handles. The biggest was 1"., then 1/2", then 1/4", then 1/8", and last was 1/16". Im MM that is 25mm, 12mm, 6mm, 3mm, 1.5mm.

Other uses for minis- Earrings and pendant, Buck 119, ebony handle, white and yellow gold blade and hardware.