Knife from an old farrier's rasp

[codymobley]

I've been looking through Madison Grant's book "The Knife in Homespun America" and found a couple of 1790-1815 knives that inspired me to try my hand at forging a blade. I used mesquite and live oak as the heat source and an old anvil that was loaned out to me.

and this is the finished product...so far (I'm still filing on it and will go up to 600 or so grit) I'm no blacksmith as you can see by the hammer marks on the blade as I was straightening/flattening it out after hammering the drop point and curve of the tip.

The handle is pinned on with two iron rivets.I made the guard more like a fighting knife guard than the straight ones in Grant's book.

I learned alot on this one and will be trying it again soon on a bag knife.

 

[Birdman]

:thumbsup: ain't a thing wrong with that fer a first try, actually I think it turned out darn nice, I would carry it iffen it was mine no problem. And yea from the looks of that ol anvil has seen better days HAHAHA

 

[armymedic.2]

Wow that anvil is beat! Id say ya did just fine. Specially seein as its not curved like a banana as they tend to do if ya dont know how to fix it!

Well done!

 

[codymobley]

It started curving and getting a belly on it when I was hammering that drop on the point and turning the squared end of the rasp into the point.....that straightening of the belly probably ked to a couple of those hammer marks near the spine of the blade.

 

[armymedic.2]

Well i personally cant stand a forged knife that looks like it came from a factory with a perfect polished surface. A few or many hammer marks are part of the art work as far as im concerned. I think ya done good!

 

[Troy Allen Christianson]

Excellent job! :hatsoff:

 

[cynthialee]

:thumbsup:

I love the look of a homemade knife.

 

[hawkeye2]

I like it! :thumbsup:

 

[JOHN F]

sweet knife bro!!!love antler handle !!!

 

[Hawk962]

I think it looks great! Please share more pics as your progress with it.