The billet after the first weld. It started as 8 layers of 1084 and O-1 tool steel. So, this is 32 layers.
After welding the 32 layers together, I folded it once while hot (no photo, sorry), which brought the billet to 64 layers. This is a photo of it cut into four chunks and stacked for a total of 256 layers. Note the 5/32" bar of O-1 in the middle. This was so I could use it as a handle and I wanted it to create an irregular width stripe in the pattern. Look closely at the close up photos of the pattern in the finished photos and you'll see it.
The drawing out process. Here it is, almost drawn all the way to length being compared to the full size design.
Forged to shape, with the scale ground off.
Here I am cutting in the circular plunge cuts with the foredom tool.
Most of the work was done on the sanding block with sandpaper and a micarta sanding block.
Many hours spent like this . . . thank god for beer and ipods.
The blade ground, sanded, heat treated and buffed before etching. No photos of the heat treat. Sorry, was by myself and you don't have time to dally for photos when the steel is at critical temp.
The finished collar. I should have taken more photos of making this. I learned the technique in a book I recently purchased on jewelry making techniques. The collar is one strip of copper that has been scored on the back at the bend points. By scoring the bend points with the foredom about 3/4's of the way throug, it allows the bend to be a nice 90 degrees. You then hard solder it back itself. I was pretty please with how this turned out.
The collar attached to the blade.
The handle assembled and ready for the epoxy.
A close up of the pommel nut construction. It's a three layer copper, with a slot cut out of the middle layer for the end of the tang. After I cut each piece out and made sure the tang fit, I clamped them together in a vice and hard soldered them together. Again, I used a technique I learned in the jewelry book. Clean and flux the pieces while cold, clamp together and place silver solder clippings on the top of the joints. Heat from underneath. Solder flows towards heat. This neatly "sucked" the solder evenly through the entire joints even while clamped hard in the vice. Once the edges were sanded and buffed the solder joints are all but invisible.
Cheers,
--Dave
