As I worked on this blade, it came time to run it through some thermal cycles. I normalized it three times. Upon the first normalizing run, I set it aside on a fire brick and went to work on another project. I started hearing a humming noise. After a couple of minutes of searching around, I realized it was the blade singing to me! It did this each of the three times that I normalized. I'm guessing it developed some harmonics as it lay upon the firebrick. But the strangeness didn't stop there. When I heat treated it, the blade took a negative sori, or curved downward. As I looked at the resulting shape, I decided it looked like a talon, pretty cool! When it came to the fittings, I ended up putting the blade aside until I could figure out what to do. That's when one of the two potential buyers asked if the blade was still available. He wanted it before Christmas. While it is finished and on its way, we will see if he gets it before the big day.
Anyway, here are some of the process pics along with the finished product.
After heat treat/temper:
Along with three other blades that I was working on:
The prospective fittings. These didn't work out:
The fittings that actually made it into final production:
Everything being epoxied up:
A couple of the finished product:
Now for some stats:
The knife is hand forged from my usual saw steel
The handle is stained maple burl
Fittings are mild steel
Overall length:~15"
Blade length: 9 3/4"
Blade width: 1 3/16" at its widest point
Thickness: ~ 1/8"
Weight: 10 oz
For those of you who don't know me, I don't make any claims that my seaxes are historically accurate. But everyone seems to like them and I enjoy making them. There will be another one in the works soon where I will try to use the original fittings.
I will save any further comments for the recipient of this one. Also, I've started a Youtube page where I am posting my work. In one of the videos that I have yet to post, I am giving a shout out to the forum.
