splitting heel bands

These two sets are 1018/nickel damascus. I forged, cleaned up, and sized the billets, and band saw cut to fairly close to final shape. I leave the bottom part of the shank uncut to give me a little more friction in the vice and give me something to grind off after I beat it into the spur shape.

Both of these spurs are ladies size, and this is my ladies size jig.

Heating to bend my bands. I like to use a rosebud tip and oxygen/acetylene on the damascus spurs, I can concentrate my heat where I want it, and I seem to get a lot less failures in my damascus. There is nothing worse than getting this far, only to have the spur pull apart at the welds.

Two sets roughed out. Now on to finishing.

finished billet

First, some spurs I finished Sunday

1 piece, 1 1/4" band, 2" shank, 2" 20 point rowel. These went to a pre-conditioning yard in Roscoe, Tx, where they will see a lot of use.

This is a surface grinder attachment for my Wuertz grinder.http://www.twuertz.com/Home_Page.php It has cut my damascus making time in half.( no more hand grinder for this old man) I am a one man show and need all the help I can get.

2 billets, ready to start knives.

more forging

I bought my forge and press from Riverside Machine in De Queen Arkansas. The forced air is the only way to go for forge welding.

Drawing the billet out with a 55 pound hammer. I will cut this billet into 3 pieces, re stack, and do all this over again, a couple of times.

Forging damascus

Back from the sheath maker. Murph did a heck of a job on it. I sent this to soldier Tom Nix's dad today, so he can send to him in Afghanistan.

I spent friday afternoon forging damascus. These are some pictures Kim took while she made one of her rare appearances at the shop. I will add more photos in future posts, all the way through the finished product.

The stack. This is either 1080/nickel, or 1080/15n20. I was working both at the same time. I stack the steels in an alternating sequence, bring to welding heat, and set the weld with a hammer and anvil.

I bring it back to welding heat, then on to the press, where I make sure everything is welded, and squared up.

I will show more in future posts. I finished these 2 billets today, and they turned out real good.

Knife show

I will be there. This will be my first show as an exhibitioner, ever. I have shied away from the typical gun and knife shows for several reasons, most of all cause I can't sit still behind a table for 2 or 3 days. Being in a building for any thing other than sleep for that long a time is unnatural for me. If you attend, have mercy, I'm just being me.
I have a great deal of respect for the Stewart Williamson's or the Harvey Hull's of my businesses, they hang in there, answer lots of questions, and generally seem like they are enjoying their selves, no way  I would I compete with all those traders. Sorry guys, just the way I am.

This set will be there. I finished this set a few days ago. Chad Nichols stainless damascus, iron wood, and mokum'e bolsters. The fork is 1 foot long. Any of you knife makers that are not making things for the ladies are missing out. They have all the money.

Big knife

I finished this one this morning.

8.5" blade, 13.75" overall length. Axis deer handle with 1018/15n20 damascus fittings.
The blade is 5160/8670/15n20 damascus. The contrast in the pattern is a little more subtle than some of the other commonly used steels, but on the right knife, I sure like it. Most damascus makers shy away from the 5160 because they say it is hard to weld. I have had no problems, just learned to give it a little more soak time before making the initial weld.
This knife will probably make it to the Big Spring custom knife show in Big Spring, Texas on October 29-30th. All custom knives, and lots of talented makers if any one is interested in attending.

Hogs

A good morning running the hog traps. I had 7 this morning, and got 2 outside this trap.
These destructive beasts have become increasingly harder to trap. They have gotten a lot smarter, probably due to hunters keeping the big ones to sell, and turning the little ones out. Those little ones will never trap again. I hunt hogs 7 days a week, 365 days a year and can't tell I have made any difference at all. There is no telling how much money they cost me every year in lost pasture and torn up equipment.

A bit I made back in May. 1018/nickel damascus shanks and a low port mouthpiece. This was supposed to be a set of spurs, but the billet ended up too short, and I had to find something else to build out of it. I heat colored it just to see how it would look, and kind of liked it.

pictures

#1 & 2 is a 1095/ nickel damascus knife and sheath. 6 inches overall length.
#3 is stainless damascus, with a pocket clipped anaconda inlayed sheath. 5 inches overall length.
#4 is 5160/8670 damascus. 5 inch blade with axis antler handle.
If you see one you like, email me. If it is not available, I can build one like it.

This is a cell phone picture I took this morning. Things are bad when briars on the fence rows are droughting out. I have never seen this happen, nor has any one I have talked to. Lots of our trees are shutting down, almost like it is late fall. It's gonna be a long winter.
 Things could always be worse, I could be a wheat farmer with no insurance.

IGBSM Spurs

We had our annual  http://www.igbsm.org/ meeting this week end, and I took these to show off. The igbsm is a bit and spur makers guild that I am a member of. I got to see a lot of people I haven't seen in a long time, and got to meet some people that I have only known through forums or reputations. I had lots of fun and learned a lot. The guild is doing a lot of hard work promoting this art form, and I look forward to a lot more years with the guild.
 These spurs are 1018/nickel damascus, 1 inch heel band, and a 1.5 inch roper shank. The buckles and rowels are also damascus. James Jaggars, of Putnam Texas made the straps.