03/21/2017
Almost all of my pieces are made from recycled metal. Many are made from railroad spikes or the springs that move tracks when they are switched.
Railroad spikes make a perfectly serviceable knife, however the steel is not originally chosen for this purpose. Nevertheless it is still of a higher grade steel than was available to most frontier smiths. Therefore makes an excellent choice for reenactors and frontiersmen. They were readily available wherever the rails went and many excellent authentic knife and tomahawk blades were made from them. They provide an authentic look and feel for Victorian age and old west projects. Just remember they often require a little more care then modern specialized alloys. Railroad springs are a different story. To function springs have to be made of fairly high carbon, tough, alloys. Railroads see hard use and blades made from railroad springs are often of high quality even by modern standards. I also make a lot of blades from recycled car and truck leaf springs. These are also excellent materials providing both toughness and flexibility with good edge holding ability.
Often I make blades from discarded lawn mower blades. Lawn mower blades make a fine knife with tough blades.
Some others are made from files which are very hard and hold a superior edge, however they are not the most flexible and are more prone to damage from prying and impact then spring steels.
I make a few from rebar. Rebar is structural steel that comes in several grades. The hardest behave like files the softest grades are compatible with railroad spikes.
Many of my pieces show a pitted texture from the original forging process. In most cases I like to leave sections of this texture for several reasons. For one thing it proves to anyone who knows what they are looking at that they are hand forged. Second it shows that these pieces are forged into shape. I believe steel is precious and I try to emulate ancient smiths who were reluctant to grind away valuable metal. I believe it shows more blacksmithing skill in forging. I attempt to create something closer to the final shape with the hammer and avoid simply carving away material. I do use both methods. Many of my earliest pieces mimic the factory finish that we have come to expect from modern industry, but that isn't why most people choose a unique piece.
My go-to adhesive is Marine Tex. It was developed to repair naval engine blocks that had been cracked at sea. It is extremely tough, resistant to most chemicals, and strong enough to hold a cracked engines together. It comes in dark grey and white. In many cases traces of this material can be seen in the transitions between grip and fastenings. Although the material is modern, the use of adhesives goes back to antiquity. In some cases transitions between metal pieces are also reinforced with solder. This technique goes back as far as the Roman empire.
Many pieces are marked either with my initials (although the shop I worked in at that time had no A stamp so it is really two upside down V mars followed by an S), Another mark I generally use is a smiley face with angry eyebrows. Some of my "sinister smiley" marks also have fangs. Some are etched with vinegar. Sometimes they are etched with an electrochemical process.
