When you form the tip of a japanese-style war-blade, you cut the steel at a 45-degree angle then hammer the back over to form the tip. Usually, the cut-off piece goes in the bin, but with oroshigane or tamahagane, the material is valuable enough that you can’t do that.
I’ve fallen into a habit of randomly switching from project to project, as my interests hit me. That results in a pretty random output, but I’m having a lot of fun.
Willie Sutton said you rob banks because “that’s where the money is.” Well, what if you’re looking for wood?
The next step in the blade’s preparation is to clay up the edge, heat the whole blade until it comes to critical temperature, then plunge it into warm water to harden it.
I’m interested in obtaining a chunk of Russian tank armor, to make some cooking knives out of.
One really great thing about knife-making is that it seldom turns into an F-35 program. On the other hand, if it did, I’d be important, rich, set for life. It’s amusing to me to ponder the cost-scale and effort-scale between ancient weapons and modern, and that a dagger is still a better weapon in many ways.
A trope about samurai swords is that they are incredibly strong and sharp.
I’m pretty sure everyone makes that joke, when they are talking about a boring bar.
Last night I did a really stupid thing. I had forgotten an item in my car, and decided to just zip out and grab it. Which meant that I traipsed out into 15F snow wearing a bathrobe and my house-slippers, which are leather-soled moccasins.
Creating things for the future, or to give people pleasure, is an optimistic act.