Test run of an unsharpened custom machete

This short machete/large camp knife got called into service before it had gotten to see a whet rock. I think it did really well. I had a Cold Steel Latin machete and a Norlund Hudson Bay pattern ax (that's a good ax!) that could use its edge touched up and the handle better fit. My machete did better than either and consequently, I used it almost exclusively.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxq1q5LfSnE

Now for a scabbard and sharpening! More footage after that.

Neo-Tribal blade for a KITH

This is a little blade I banged out as a demonstration peice for a buddy of mine. I'd show him the steps on my knife, then he'd follow with his. I then used it to demonstrate filing and heat treatment for a student. I decided it would make a good entry for a Knife in the Hat exchange on the Hoodlums forum, so I threw my name in the hat.

The steel is differentially heat treated 5160 triple hardened in veggie oil. The handle is hemp cord for the main wrap, cotton cord for the Turk's head knot, and amber shellac to seal it. It's shaving sharp and ready to ship. :)

I took pics of it in a local park (second oldest public park in the U.S.) and tried three different backgrounds. Which makes for the best photo?

Winter Count inventory- Neo-Tribal blades

Knife grinder Luke Swenson offered to take any knives I might have ready out to Winter Count primitive skills gathering in Arizona when he went. This is what I got ready to send with him.




The small knives (except for the top one, which is an old commissioned piece whose customer disappeared) are all forged from brand new 5160 drop from a spring shop (actually sold as 5160 alloy, not just guessing that it might be). They're differentially heat treated, triple hardened in veggie oil, and their handles are wrapped with shellac-sealed hemp with cotton Turk's head knots.

The big knives are forged from salvaged pickup and heavy truck spring, differentially heat treated, triple quenched in veggie oil. They all have integral socket handles, but the Walkabout Bowie has hemp and cotton while the other two are straight cotton. Shellac seals it all in.

Luke sent me a message this morning saying that one of the little guys had already sold. Woohoo! Thanks, Luke!

Neo-Tribal Hunting Sword update

Just a quick-and-dirty update. The sword isn't quite finished (needs sharpened and a few more layers of shellac on the handle), but it's on display at the On and Off Fredericksburg Road art show here in San Antonio.



Cotton cord wrap and Turk's head knots, pecan wood plug at the end of the socket handle, red ink on the main wrap, black shellac on the Turk's heads and the pecan, then clear shellac over all the handle. Its stand is the left-over piece of Texas ebony from the Walkabout Bowie.

Valentine's Day Roses That Will Never Wilt

It is traditional on Valentine's Day to give your sweetheart gifts as tokens of your love. Typically this takes the the form of such things as flowers and chocolates. Flowers fade and chocolates are swiftly consumed. The enjoyment they bring becomes a memory.

But a flower that will never wilt remains a reminder of the love you share throughout the year.

I am offering 10 of these steel long-stemmed roses for sale. This one is the first; the others will be finished up in the next day or two. They are individually forged, each one a unique sculpture. They have been given a layer of clear coat to prevent rust.

This is a very small number and will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. Price is $100 US each plus $10 shipping inside the US.