Took a while, but I did a long blade

[koyote]

This morning I finally got everything together to do the heat treat on an order for a 13.5 inch boar hunting knife.

OAL is actually 20, and I had to build a new quench tank. Hopefully I won't go beyond 40 inches anytime soon! Even at scrap prices, 6 inch heavy wall pipe is expensive.

Took a lot of manual labor to get the soak time, controlling the forge burn, moving the blade around.

But it passes the file test all over, came out straight (yay for interrupted quench) and should hold up well.

does this count as a sword yet?

 

[Robert_Phelps]

Not without pictures, for sure.

 

[koyote]

Pictures are always and afternoon/evening thing, due to my wife and her camera stealing

Once it is out of the oven and she gets home....

 

[Dakota 11]

hey koyote hope u dont plan to stick any pigs in california with it, its highly illegal and dfg is trying hard to crack down on this type of hunting. Its legal in some places but not California

 

[koyote]

No, this one is an order. Not for me.

 

[koyote]

out fo the forge, tempered, with a testing edge. threw it, hacked at stumps, then took a picture. I'm sure it will look better when it's all done up

 

[oldwolf]

Hey Christof,

Nice looking blade. Looks like a short sword to me. Can't wait to see it finished.

Ken

 

[Keith Montgomery]

That blade looks like it is going to make a fine knife.

 

[L.K.Smithy]

very nice, cant wait to see it finished! i think that ones longer than my big bowie turned out, i never actually measured it.

 

[koyote]

20.25 OAL with a 13.25 blade

 

[L.K.Smithy]

nice! i like it allot. it looks like a hobbit sword when your boy is holding it great picture.
-Lou

 

[legato1]

great lookin blade, how do you get that finish? just not cleaning up the area above the edge after forge?

 

[koyote]

Variations in time and amount of finish, but- first annealing (forge or stock removal or hybrid, all the same- I anneal after), then a light vinegar soak (4 hours) and a copper scrubbie pad. Then i work the initial grinds, edges, holes, whatever. I take all the ground portions down to 320 or 400 grit on the belt grinder, usually do some light passes with a belt on the flats where i haven't done any grinding.

Then I normalize and do the quench. File test, first temper heat, then vingear soak (which i skip on some blades if i have a smooth and even thin scale layer. which I often can manage on the 15n20) for 2 to 12 hours, depending on the finish I'm going to end up with. Copper scrubbie on rinse, then more tempering and on to all the final work and testing.

Here I do avarious things, sometimes I'll use a random orbit sander at 400 or 600 grit, or steel wool, or a buffing wheel. I always finish with steel wool and a good oiled steel wool rub.

 

[kalama]

bring dat baby home 2 DADDY i love it cant wait to try it out awsome work bro alooooooha

 

[monkeybutt]

Christof that blade is incredible It looks the business yet elegant. 40 inch quench tank?...guess I will contact re. that Dragonslayer! Oh, crap just checked state and muni codes - yeah outlawed in Cali, too.
Kalama, awesome boar blade brudda. Kaneohe boy here born and raised, but gone so friggin' long now my kamaaina status musta came off w/ da tan. I got cousins on the big island that would hunt boar w/ a knife and dogs and I thought they wuz nuts, but w/ a blade like that I feel sorry for the pig Anyway keep that sidearm handy just in case. Aloha

 

[koyote]

First I send a knife there. Then, someday, i'll follow on. (I keep getting warned not to take a family vacation there because we wouldn't ever come back.)

Sheath pics in the morning... or afternoon. Mail monday AM. wanted to make sure i got a lot of oil rubbed into the leather after K.G. did her magic.

 

[kalama]

wuz up an aloha monkeybutt,once a local brada always a local brada,neede a big blade to cut trail an dispatch pig,an koyote did one hell of a job,DOG-N-KNIFE 4 life,,,,koyotes once you come theres no turning back it PARADISE,,,much mahalos for making one killa blade, an ALOOOOOHA,,,,,P.S. its legal to hunt this way in the islands,hell its passed down from generations here,,fight to keep your hunting rights,,,