L R Wicker Design
Playground for the Etsy shop of the same name…
Fish or Fowl or Both?
This is the head of the Heron Kainon created at the forge last week.
Kainon gave this fish a happy grin.
This guy has an unintentional grumpy expression, we love him anyway!
Kainon made some amazing sculptural pieces last week at the Zilker Park Forge. He started with the Heron Hook and then went on and made a couple of groovy fish also. I was very impressed by his ability to design and build these without any kind of drawing or reference material. I think he has a very exciting career ahead of him!
We had some fun with the fish…
Kainon's fish have a little chat.
Thanks for stopping by and have fun!
The three sculptural pieces Kainon finished at the forge.
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Wire Damascus Neck Knife
A nice curved blacksmith knife which will end up in a neck sheath.
I picked up a long piece of wire rope at the local wire rope supply shop, D and A Wire and Rope. They had a few four or five foot scraps lying around and when I came in and asked about purchasing some for making knives they were more than happy to help me out. I will be bringing them a little sample of the metal once I get it polished and etched. This little blade is made from the welded billet I made from one of the pieces of cable. The trick is getting all the individual wires to bind together and weld, once you have accomplished that the metal will be workable like any other steel. The blade will need to be polished to a gloss and then etched with acid to bring out the pattern. I will be posting the final look shortly.
The blade is only partly polished at this stage, it will need to be acid etched to reveal the pattern.
A close shot of the wire rope and the resulting blade made from it.
I formed the blade from steel made by welding this wire rope.
As usual, thanks for stopping by and have fun!
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Bushes Beware!
Small version of a bushknife I am going to forge.
I completed this scale model for a large blade I want to make out of 5160 recently. I have no idea what kind of steel it is unfortunately, it’s something I found near the forge and started hammering away at. I went ahead and shaped and sharpened it anyway, it will hold a decent edge and it balances very nicely at this size. My intention is to use this as a model for the full size blade, it will be about twenty inches long I think. I don’t plan to make a sheath for the small one and I am still thinking about how to deal with the large one. I may end up using some Kydex or something else rigid as I think a leather sheath may be too wimpy. Another option would be to do a leather wrap around a wood sheath for a more sturdy solution. At any rate, I will post the results as usual.
The cut out and ring at the butt of the bushknife.
The texture of the old steel I used to make this small size test bushknife.
Small test version of a massive knife I will forge from 5160.
I will be writing a post about the chisels and punches the Bush Knife is sitting on in a day or so, I still have a few more to make and finish. See you then and thanks for dropping by!
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The Christmas Knives
A selection of the knives and sheaths I had in progress for Christmas.
I completed three blades and sheaths as gifts this Christmas. They comprised a selection of styles; a small, ebony handled bird and trout type blade, a large, general purpose camp knife, also ebony handled, and a skeleton blade with a ring tailed handle. I had a great time making the blades and then practiced my leather crafting on creating matching sheaths. Overall the results were good, the recipients were thrilled and I was pleased with the quality of the final pieces. I hope to be able to start selling custom knives in the near future, and these were a step in the right direction.
The large camp knife was the last one I worked on and I was particularly pleased with it. The photos can’t do it justice. When you pick it up it has a fantastic balance and the ebony handle has a wonderful silky feel. I made the guard and tail-piece from brass sheet stock to match the brass pins holding the wood to the tang. The shape of the blade is a fairly standard straight camp style, I debated the length for a bit but was very happy with the final size in contrast with the handle. I have only been bladesmithing for a few months but I am feeling very confident with the work I am doing. I still need more experience with tempering and sharpening, but I feel my design and fabrication skills are pretty solid. I have started several more blades in the past week and I will get them posted shortly. They are still in the forging phase, but I should have them ready for handles soon.
Here a some more shots of the blades and sheaths and thanks for stopping by!
The front of the Ebony Bird and Trout knife sheath in progress.
The sheath for the Ring Tail Knife with the blade inserted.
The back of the Ring Tail Knife sheath with the blade displayed above.
The "W" mark on the back of the small Ebony Bird and Trout knife.
Overall view of the completed Ebony Handled Knife.
A close-up of the custom made guard and beautiful ebony wood handle.
The finished blade texture for the Ebony Handled Knife.
The custom guard from the other side.
Holding the knife, it has a great balance and the handle feels wonderful.
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Kainon Makes A Dagger…Errrr, A Short Sword….Ummm, Actually, It’s A Long Sword!
Kainon shaping his new project, a long sword that began life as a dagger.
Kainon began by saying he wanted to make a double-edged dagger. He grabbed a large piece of steel and started heating it. After he shaped the tip for a while he stated maybe he would make a short sword instead. Perhaps a gladius. Based on the size of the steel and the shape of the tip, he and I thought that might be a good idea. We continued to banter ideas back and forth, Kainon kept heating and hammering, the gladius kept getting longer and longer. Finally, much later in the day, Kainon announced his decision, a long sword. I had to laugh, he has wanted to do a long sword since we began working at the forge, but Robert kept discouraging him. It is a daunting project, Robert said, don’t enter into it lightly, you will really be challenging yourself. Apparently, all Robert’s cautions were for nought, Kainon made an end run and started his project. Now we are all committed to getting it done, I will post the work in progress as we go along.
The full length of the blade of Kainon's sword.
The blade edge is peened in this pattern to strengthen the edge.
The sword in the forge preparing for another round of hammering.
Kainon straightens the sword periodically to keep the work even and consistent.
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Ring A Ding Ding…
Two coils of rings before being cut.
I made a batch of rings the other day at the forge so I would have a few in stock for my items as I complete them. I had good success with them this time. I got nice, round rings without a big hassle. I think my technique has improved and my method of using a pipe as a jig has proved very reliable. I just heat the stock, wrap it around the pipe that I have clamped in a leg vise and use pliers to pull the stock into position. Then I can remove the coil from the pipe, reheat, and wrap again and again until I have the entire piece of stock wrapped around the pipe. Once the coil is cool I can clamp it into a machinist’s vise and hacksaw the rings apart.
A batch of small Spiral fobs for presents this year.
These Spiral Pendants have the extra small rings I made by wrapping the thin round stock I have around the 3/8ths inch rod stock I use for other projects. I really love the way these little guys turned out, I gave some as Christmas gifts to friends and family.
These are the rings after being cut apart with a hacksaw.
These are the large diameter rings I made for belts and sheathes.
These smaller diameter rings are for keychains and pendants.
I will probably attempt to make my own D-rings soon, I would like to use them for belts and bag closures. I just need to get a pipe cut in half and that should do the job for a jig. I will need to get a proper metal saw to do that though, I doubt a hacksaw is going to be up to the task. I can hardly see myself slaving away for hours attempting it anyway. I find that the hand-made rings really set off the spiral well, I am very happy with the results and the extra work is totally worth the trouble.
As usual, thanks for stopping by and enjoy!
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Wrist Guard In Large
The texture on the domed top of the bracelet.
I met a gentleman during the E.A.S.T. tour this year who asked me to make a bracelet for him. I have been working on it as I can and I am almost finished, I just need to do a final fit on him and tweak the size a bit.
The East Austin Studio Tour is an annual event and has grown into a three-day weekend of open studios and artist spaces where everyone is in-house and showcasing their work. Brady Foster is a member of the Austin Metal Authority and when I dropped by his studio he spotted my bracelet and immediately asked if I could make one for him. Of course I said yes and embarked on the biggest bracelet I have made so far. His wrist is massive and I decided to make the bracelet large to match. Though it’s difficult to tell in the photo, this puppy is about two inches wide and nine inches in circumference. I domed it heavily because he has prominent wrist bones and the bracelet needs to clear them or run the risk of discomfort. I should be wrapping this project up soon and will post a shot of the final piece on the new owner.
This piece is crafted from a wagon or truck leaf spring that was near two inches wide. The metal is harder to work than mild steel but I like the way it looks when it’s done more than I do the bracelets I have made in mild steel. It takes more work but looks great so it’s worth it. I work the dome down into the hardy or pritchel hole to get the texture and the doming in one step. I also begin the curve of the bracelet using the same technique so I get triple duty in one pass. The final bends are simply made by tapping the ends in toward the center either on end or down toward the back of the piece. Any adjustments can be made using the anvil horn or a doming hardy.
Thanks for checking out the blog and have fun : )
A full view of the large bracelet I am working on for a friend.
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On Strike Against Flint
I made a small Flint Striker this last weekend for everyday carry, it clips via the ring to my belt knife. I really am falling totally in love with spirals as evidenced by the little twirl on the handle of this guy. I like making tools with a little more fun to them. This is made of a piece of spring steel from a truck coil spring. It is necessary to use a hard, high carbon steel to get good sparks. It must also be hardened once it is forged to produce good results. I quenched this in water rather than oil to make it as hard as I dared. Then I picked up a few chunks of local chert, a type of flint which sparks easily to complete the package. It is everywhere here in Texas, literally strewn anywhere there is bare ground. I am in the process of making a small, leather pouch to hold the flint and Striker together, it will also double as a handy grip and pad for the flint while it’s being struck. I will post up some pics when it’s complete.
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Spirals, My New Obsession
All three versions of the new Spiral hand-forged key chains.
I created these keychain fobs last week and put two up on Etsy to test the waters. Lots of lookers so far, so I think they may be a good item. I love ‘em. I made the rings to hold them to the keyring also, I think it adds a little more to the design to have them match. I really enjoy making them, the coiling is fun to do and they look really nice once they have a little wax on them. I am going to keep working on designs though, I think there are some other shapes that might be cool to play with as well.
Another angle on the small, Wrapped Spiral key chain.
A hand-forged spiral key ring, this is the smaller size I make.
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The Marking Knives Are Covered!
The Snake Tail marking knife in it's custom sheath.
The Pig Tail marking knife in it's custom sheath.
The Pig Tail marking knife next to it's sheath.
The Snake Tail marking knife lying next to it's sheath.
The Marking Knives are now fully finished. I completed the small sheaths for them this week. I chose to use colored linen cord for the stitching, I think it adds a nice touch. The thongs used to secure the knives are finished with copper tube ends to add durability and another nice detail. I am very pleased with how these have come together, I will be putting them up on Etsy soon as custom items. I’m sure some woodworkers will be happy to give these bad boys a try. Both of these are right-handed models, but I will be making them for leftys too!
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