Here's the next knife I'm going to attempt.



Tapered tang.



grinds started I'll finish them after heat treat.

Looks great !

It's gonna be a good un Bro.

Gonna look great Kev

Looking good! Never tried the over-the-front style guard myself.

Woops! This is what sometimes happens when you try to pull a warp out.

Man that's hard on a guys nerves. Been there and done that!

Kev, I understand that part. Hate to see it on you, and you were looking good at that point.
However, I am glad you posted it as it happened. It is good to see that not everything works just right in a shop or not all of it comes out with flowers and unicorns. It takes a lot of work to go back and do it all again, often several times before it leaves a shop.
Good to see you going at it as well as you do. Hang in there bubba.

That's a bummer Kevin. I was waiting to see that one done.
Are you going to try it again?

That sux Kevin... did you try to take out the warp before you tempered it?

yep. yes

The good thing is the grain looked really good.

Kev it was looking so good. I will keep an eye out for the replacement. What steel were you using?

I am curious too..RC hardness..???

I used 1084 just in case I messed up. I'm going to try another since I've already got the guard slotted, but I'm not going to grind as much before heat treat. it should have been about 65 if the second one warps I'll try to fix it between temper cycles.

I think you know I use a cold water quench that I've developed and works for me for 1084 and 1095. I may be a warp one occasionally maybe one out of ten blades longer than 10 inches. After I temper I then take the warp out, I'm sure you know that now. Steel at 65HRC is not going to bend. Hey; that's how we learn by messing up.

I remember you posting your water quench, what is it again? I'm off today and I'm going to take another stab at it.

Round #2 underway.

Kevin it's going to sound stupid..
4 1/2 gallons of water, 32 oz of blue dish washing liquid dawn, 8 oz of Jet Dry, 8 Pounds of rock salt, 2 pounds of Borax. Stir well before using.. works for me, and I do an intermediate quench... in 3 seconds; out three seconds I do that three times... clean off knife and put in tempering oven normally high carbons I do 400 degrees for two hours let cool and two more hours..

That's how I do it; I'm surly not proclaiming it's the only way or best way, just my way.

Thanks Bob, this one made it out straight.

I like it; I made one for a customer five or six years ago with black micarta scales... Bob Loveless was the man.

Taking shape.

Nice work Kev, Round 2 is looking Great......

I did some fine sanding today.





I still have a ways to go.

Thanks for the kind words.

I got the guard tapered, pinned and peened. I've got it epoxied up and will shape the handles tomorrow.