Time for a new BBQ Challenge - The Camp Sword

BTW,
I got out into the shop for a while after my annual yard cleanup day, Sunday. I roughed out two Campizashi. One is in san-mai and the other twist damascus. The blade is 14" and handle 6". Blade gets slightly wider toward the ko-kissaki ( blunt angle tip ). I haven't decided how much, if any, sori to add. Tsuka (handle) will be cord wrapped with copper koshirae (fittings). Saya ( sheath) will be cord wrapped wood. I'll try and do a WIP on these as I get going.

I am thinking of calling this style shinrin houshiki. That is roughly "In the style of the Woodlands", or roughly equivalent to bushcraft.
How does that sound to those who actually speak Japanese?

森林方式

I like the characters for woodland 森林, as it is drawn as if you are looking at a stand of trees (close tree, farther tree, bunch of smaller/farther trees).
 
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I got my basic profile done but stuck on the exact blade geometry I wanna do and what to do for the handle. Was leaning toward the redwood burl In the pic but would also like to try something different. I was wondering if I could wrap a handle in alligator skin and lace it up somehow. I was thinking use some cheaper wood to give it a nice rounded shape and wrap it somehow but this is a new one for me and not sure how to do it or if it would work.

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I will get out and get mine forged after i get the kids down for naps...Looking good so far guys :)
 
I have something like that I'm working on anyway, from 1/4 inch 1075, 12+ inches blade, wood and metal scabbard, reticulated silver, polished silver, bronze etc., The project itself will be a bit of a challenge… sort of an up scale bushy bowie/sword/weapon thing. May take a while to finish though.

I'll try to post a few pix.
 
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Here’s what I have so far.

The silver dollars (coin silver) are for the reticulation, and the wood sample is of the ebonized cherry for the main body of the scabbard. The guard blank is bronze.

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Think I can pull it off? ;)
 
Tai Goo said:
I have something like that I'm working on anyway, from 1/4 inch 1075, 12+ inches blade, wood and metal scabbard, reticulated silver, polished silver, bronze etc., The project itself will be a bit of a challenge… sort of an up scale bushy bowie/sword/weapon thing. May take a while to finish though.

I'll try to post a few pix.
Click to expand...

I'm really interested in the reticulated silver portion.
 
12345678910 said:
I'm really interested in the reticulated silver portion.
Click to expand...

DSCN3581.jpg


It's going to be a challenge. The coin silver lends itself better than sterling to the reticulation process, but it's brittle in thin sheet (especially in reticulated form). So, I want to get some nice texture in the handle, but fitting it over the wood core nice and tight without cracking it will be tricky. I’m going to give a serious try though. About the only guidelines I have from my buyer, is that the blade be at least 12 inches, the handle from reticulated silver and a sheath or scabbard with it.

I'll try to put a few pix up and explain the reticulation a bit better.
 
So I am sitting in the shop and I started thinking about this. I have had one drawn for some time now and I think this is good motivation. I may try to play as well. Actually, I will do my best if we could get the count;) to do the challenge with us. He always has good info, so show us what you have.
Daniel Combs
 
Tai that is going to be cool! I have a feeling that you will be able to pull it off. :D

The silver is going to look awesome! I'm pretty sure you can buy some .80 or so to reticulate but I bet you already knew that.

I may heat treat mine today, it depends on how much grinding I get done this afternoon.
 
Here’s a sample of rolled and reticulated coin silver I used for a ferrule some years ago. The only difference is this time I need to make three fairly matching pieces in a series of three ferrules covering the entire handle with polished sterling bands in between.

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Daniel Fairly Knives said:
Tai that is going to be cool! I have a feeling that you will be able to pull it off. :D

The silver is going to look awesome! I'm pretty sure you can buy some .80 or so to reticulate but I bet you already knew that.

I may heat treat mine today, it depends on how much grinding I get done this afternoon.
Click to expand...

I couldn't get any .80 sheet locally so am just going with the coins. I have a rolling mill. It'll save some money even with the scrap.
 
Here is my design. 1/4" O-1. Does it still count even though the blade is under 12" This is at my oven's max capacity.

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EDIT: Dang, no fair I had to go after Tai...
 
Fired the forge yesterday to get some heat treating done on the camp sword, and a couple nice blades fellow forumite Brian Ayers is putting together, everything went as planned, normalize once, i put about a 10 min soak on it, then gave it bath in some parks 50, double temper at an hour/400, broak the scale, hit it with grn scotchbrite, bead blast, and we're up to present, i'll edge tomorrow chop up some 2x4's, if im happy with everything i'll epoxy it up and call it done!
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The intentional Quench
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The cool down
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After bead blast tonight
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GHaile
 
I'm in. I am gonna make a chopper from 5/32 52100 or 1/4" thick 1084 not sure yet. Ill post up pics of my progress.
 
I'm posting this as a challenge for newer makers that may be nervous to give this challenge a try. This bush Bowie was around my 8th blade made, heat treated in a batch of my 2-9th blades that I made while recovering from 2 broken legs. 18" overall 3/32" 440c, black liners and orange para cord wrap. It was requested for a pair of freinds' wedding cake knife. By far the largest knife I've made- obviously can use some work in finish but was a great learning experience and far away from my comfort zone. Not the best steel choice for a chopper, but being thin and wide has seemed to compensate well, as it has been used for limbing small trees for the firepit by the new owners with no negative effects thus far. Not up to the standards of many of the makers posting here, but we all start somewhere and trying is most if the fun!
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(try to excuse the ugly guy in the pic)
I challenge new makers to enter and do better than my knife (shouldn't be that hard)!!
 
Got my bevels ground. Aded some slight curve to the handle and a very slight drop point. Also drilled out the handle and will heat treat either tonight or tomorrow. Got a pretty straight grind line which kind of surprised myself on something this long. Was planning on a scotch brite finish but might keep the grind line.

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BTW if anyone needs I'm gonna be heat treating my knife/sword made out of 1095 within the next week hopefully. I have a 27" deep oven so if anyone would like I can do theirs too at the same time if need. I'm willing to hold off on HTing mine if someone else needs theirs done too.
 
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