Forged a knife yesterday

[hrsaylor]

Had a forge a knife class with Tom Mohr and his dad Rick..it really is a neat experience to see how a knife is made ..and the best thing is when the day is done you have a handmade knife..a big thanks to the Mohr family and a certain mod here at the for steering me in the right direction

 

[hso]

Outstanding!

 

[Litlman]

That is so cool! Great job .

 

[Pete D.]

forging

Nice knife. Steel type? Looks like a file.
What did you use for the scales?

 

[hrsaylor]

Yep we used an old file and I love the look of wood scales so I used some cocobolo ..boy does that wood have an odd smell as you work with it..the main use of this knife will be to show all my hunting buddies

 

[bikerdoc]

Congrats, that was time well spent.
Good looking knife.

Coccobolo dust is toxic wear a mask!

 

[hso]

Cocobolo isn't precisely toxic, but it is a sensitizer and can produce mild to severe allergic reactions which, when once sensitized, can be terrible at very small concentrations. Avoid inhalation and contact with the oils/dust.

 

[WestKentucky]

I love the look of the file being left on the blade. It shows what it was, and if you needed it to, it could probably still serve as a file. Well done sir.

 

[rcmodel]

Cocobolo isn't precisely toxic

Regardless of what you want to call it?

Most tropical hardwood dust will try it's level best to kill you!!

I call it Poisonous Dust.
But you can call it a sensitizer, or what ever.

Laotian Rosewood dust put me near death with double pneumonia in 1983 making this little hummer.

It was like a double dose of Poison Ivey in my lungs!!!




I won't touch any of it to a saw or belt grinder now without a real good double-canister face mask.

IMO: The dust is more dangerous then the high speed saws & belt sanders you are using.

Here is a good chart of wood toxicity you should look at before working any tropical hardwood, (and a few native woods.)

The 3 & 4 star woods are the most dangerous to work.

http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-allergies-and-toxicity/

rc

 

[bannockburn]

rc

Thanks for the info regarding wood dust toxicity. That dagger that you made with Laotion Rosewood is absolutely stunning!

 

[hso]

RC,

In many ways a "sensitizer" is worse than "poisonous" because you become more susceptible to the reaction to it with each exposure so that eventually even a tiny amount can cause the deadly reactions. So many exotic hardwoods require great care, and PPE, to handle safely.

 

[kBob]

rc,

That is a pretty little thing fit for king of the elves!

Thanks for the link and warnings.

I have some scraps of some laminate of South American Hard woods that were once used by Bear Archery I have for decades been thinking about doing something with. Now I am thinking maybe the land fill is looking good.

My understanding is that they avoided an export tax somewhere in South America by having the slabs made into little coffee tables then sawing up the table tops for some of their more exotic bows.

I do miss having the Bear Museum intact and only six miles up the road.

Of course I do now have the Easton center six miles in the other direction, no neat museum though. Took some scouts there one night for archery instruction. It was amazing how many 15 year old girls were shooting long bows there after the Hunger games came out....... distracted the boys somewhat.

I suppose I should post some pics and see if anyone wants a chunk or two. The laminating glue makes the chunks harder than woodpecker lips though and I have yet to actually cut or shape a bit. Bear used some sort of very high speed very fine tooth saw.

-kBob

 

[rcmodel]

I love to see a photo of what you have.

DO NOT throw it in the landfill just yet!!

rc