What is next?!

Now that I have a working heat source out in my shop, I plan to start spending a bit more time in there. Atleast I will be more comfortable while I am doing something that I love. I have some new steel on the way, and I have some sweet new materials to try out.

So What's next. I big camp chopper. I say big, but it isn't really that big. It is 11 inches with a 5 1/4 inch cutting edge. It is being made out of my last piece of 5160 spring steel, and I am planning for a micarta handle with colored G10 liners. I am also thinking about three 3/16" stainless pins.

Out in the shop today I made some pretty good progress. Some of my supplies are running low, and my grinding wheel is just about all gone. I have some things on order, and I will have to pick up more things when I head back to town again. But given what I had available, I made some things happen!

It was kind of crazy this past week when I ordered some new grinding belts online. I thought it would be super easy and I could just use PayPal to pay for it and then pick it up in the store. Well, I read that it would be available the next day, but when I went to pick them up I received another email saying they won't be ready until this coming Friday!

It turns out that I am a bit of a snob when it comes to my tools. I want them to actually work. I currently am trying Diablo belts and they seem to be terrible. They seemed to have stretched out really easy and will completely stop when I am trying to grind on them. The belts that I used to use are Ali Industries, and I never had any issue with them. So that is what I ordered!! Lesson learned.

If I get a nice early start tomorrow I may be able to finish the bevels and start to put a decent edge on it. I may even get it completely heat treated tomorrow. Once that is done I will be putting the handle together. It is kind of nice that this isn't an order, so I can just build what ever I want. I am pushing it a bit and doing things I don't normally do.

This knife will have three pins. I usually do two pins or less. I am also doing a clip point. This style of a tip isn't really my jam, but I thought it would complete the look. I know someone will love it. There is a handle for every knife. Stay tuned to see how this build turns out and it could be you that ends up owning it! I take PayPal and Crypto.

I think I should be wrapping this build up in time for the custom orders that are coming. I have a farmer from Kansas that is sending me some tools his grandpa used to use and I am going to make several blades for his family. I am going to be using farrier rasps and a piece of wood from an animal plow.

After that I will be making a couple of knives for a guy that wants me to use mammoth tusk for the handle! He wants me to make two knives and then use the tusk on both of them. It is for him and his friend, and they actually found the tusk themselves. It was in the bottom of a river in Florida. So both of these builds should have alot of meaning for them. I am really excited about being able to help others have some meaning to their blades.

Thank you all for joining me today.

Remember, if you ever get a chance to warm your woolies....do it!