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Here's mine. Not the world's best, but it works :D. It's a Darren Ellis body and burner, btw. I put together the 2 stage burner and control based off of Stacy Apelt's design as well as lined the forge: Before the lining: --nathan

Regarding tempers, yes for O1 I do two tempers. For some high alloy stainless steels, I do three. You can quench in cool water to room temperature after each temper without effecting the steel. I just let mine cool in room air. There shouldn't be any real difference as far as anything I've...

On my KMG and my EERF grinders, I run the tension TIGHT. A tight belt tracks better and creates a truer flat. Just take the belt off in between uses or you *might* see some stretch occur. As for FPM, what diameter is your grinder belt drive wheel? And what are the diameters of your steps...

I started with O1. It can make a great knife when done right. Something you may consider is whether you are going to do your own heat treatment or send it out. You can get O1 to harden ok with a very short soak at temperature and then a quench in just about anything (Canola works well)...

I find that the areas of the knife in solid contact with the foil will tend to be somewhat more uniform in color, whereas the areas where the blade bevel tapers away from the foil get a rainbow from exposure to what little air is in the packet. However, even this can vary, and like Rusty...

Just got back from vacation, or else I'd fly down there and check it out. I'm just out of travel money. --nathan

Looks good, Patrice! The blade shape *kinda* reminds me of some of Matt Bailey's recurves (which is a good thing :D). Neat curves with unique character. There's nothing wrong with different. --nathan

I thought I'd throw in some updated pictures, though I haven't really changed any :p. This is my wife and I on a cruise up the east coast: And here we are in Ruidoso last weekend: I don't have any "mean" looking pictures, and you better be glad. You'd all pee your panties if...

Micarta shouldn't need to be sealed. It's pretty much inert and impervious to anything. It may discolor a bit with dirt or oils, and many swear that WD40 will help clean it up and make it a uniform color again, especially with black micarta. With things like tan canvas and other colors, I...

Here's my sanding setup. I have a sanding bar wrapped with leather and one that is ground flat without any cushion. The rig has set screws that I can advance under the leather cover to support the blade throughout its distal taper so you don't get any "sprining" of the work during...

Stan, I would love to head down there...I'll see what the budget allows. I just got back from vacation, so I don't know if I can swing it. I'll let you know if I do. --nathan

I also use the dish soap and fingers method. Another tip that I've found works if you're using q-tips: at the very end of your AC etch cycle, brush or rub the q-tip across the stencil a few times while the etcher is still on. It seems to clean it up quite a bit. --nathan

Willhunt, not the redwood isn't stabilized. I filled the checks with CA and then sealed the finished handle with Danish oil. --nathan

Jeff, well better late than never at all ;) :D. Thanks for the compliment. I do appreciate all the comments. I continue to try and get better with each and every knife, and I have a whole bunch of inspiration on this and other forums. Thanks to everyone who challenges me to be better...

PJ, here's the way I avoid scratching. I start and completely finish one side all the way to finished grit. Then I clean the blade and put a layer of 2" wide painter's tape on, using a razor blade to cut away the excess around the edges. I actually cut the excess off using the razor directly...

Thanks for the tips, bubba! --nathan

Awesome! Congrats on the beautiful little girl! --nathan

Keith, I get them fom my local Tandy. They're not necessarily normal stock, but the guy who runs this Tandy store buys them from a supplier to make gun sheaths and phone pouches and the like. They have some that are similar on KnifeKits.com, but not in black. Here's the one I'm referring to...

Yeah, save the 36 grit belts for after you have developed good control while grinding. It does take the metal off. I used a 36 to clean up the bevels on a blade I had forged (bevels roughly forged in), and I swear I made like a total of maybe 5-10 passes per side to get things clean. And, no...

Here's a little something I threw together that I use when hand sanding: It supports the blade while sanding but gets it off the table as well. And you can run the bolts up to support the blade along its taper to avoid the springing that happens otehrwise. This little thing sped my...