For how to address the the issue of content vs how long it takes to produce a project, especially as it relates to pattern welded projects, you can split it up into two videos. The first one is producing the pattern welded billet, and the second is producing the blade. A side benefit could be reaching a wider audience, in that some people may enjoy pattern welding videos, but not blade making videos, and others vice versa. I suspect that most of your current viewers will still watch both, as would I. I'm loving the critiques and debriefs at the end. Keep up the great work and constant improvement. May God continue to bless you.
I very much appreciate the use of a unique steel. Everyone uses 1080, 15n20, 1095. Obviously those are easy to forge. But they also have the properties they have. And would not be my first choice in a knife I owned. Folding and cutting the metal 200 times won’t change those properties. You’re the first person I’ve seen who’s chosen to step outside that box. So kudos.
I sincerely thank you for NOT calling this Damascus. Your honesty and clear communication doesn’t go unnoticed. “Pattern welded” may not have the same cool, trendy ring to it like “Damascus” does, but seriously folks, you don’t take your dog for a walk and call it marathon running, even though there are similarities between the two.
Beautiful work! I am glad you use Spray paint as well. I find it amazing to work with. One tip for you when clamping. If you put your blade into a vise, then use your clamp - one end on the handle material and the other end on the vise, it is a nice solid way to hold your knife while epoxy dries. Without buying one of those fancy clamps.
Dude !!! I love that wavy pattern and your attention to detail. Your hard work and not cutting corners shows through in the end result!!!!!!!!! Nice man !!!!!
Brother, I’d rather have a knife that I done have to handle it with a pair of white gloves!! Your Flaws are the characters that gives it its soul…! I love 100% 💪🏼🙏🏻❤️ Wishing you and your family health,wealth and joy🙏🏻
You have a TIG welder, right? Try using thin O1 drill rod as a filler. I think it would have worked to repair the failed tip forge weld after a little clean up. Bummer about the tip. Weld that damn clamp swivel so it never happens again. I love these “canister” builds! I’d love to own one of them.
I first encountered 01 tool steel in the mid 80's my Dad was commissioned to build an oversized Bowie knife, the giant man couldn't pay $300.00 fast enough to take possession. He then made a skinner/ hatchet combo set for his Brother and himself. The hatchet split a 2×4 with a 16 penny nail in it. When it's passed to me, it'll still have the slight chip from the nail. It's split thousands of pelvic bones, and separated just as many heads. It's an amazing steel for hunting applications.
I like it. It's a useful tool and doesn't need lots of bling. Function over fashion, but unique made with attention to detail on the the quality is what works. thanks
As a scientist, I can say that not a single experiment I conducted ever was "perfect." Even when they came out as good as possible. This knife is exactly that, the best of both worlds! You tested a new idea, made a GORGEOUS blade, and learned from it along the way! Great job! I absolutely LOVE the handle - it is gorgeous! Would love to see you make a 2nd video where you "perfect" this build by making the small tweaks you spoke of to take it to the next level. If we don't learn from our "mistakes" - we don't learn and will never evolve our trade. Great job again! Huge fan!
Home depot or any hardware store caries a clamp on file handle. I put it on the tang of my knives when testing. Sure has saved my hands a lot of grief. Nice job. Thanks for sharing 👍.
love these videos you do with the different ideas for pattering the steel. can you do one with barbed wire so the wire is lengthways like a fenceline, and have a piece of mono steel for the edge? basically just a barbed wire pattern along the blade.
Everything I’ve ever seen you do has been stellar! Granted, nobody’s perfect. But one thing I’ve learned over my many years of working with my hands, is in most situations, two is always better than one. If you try putting two clamps, on a piece of wood, on both sides of the knife, you’re less likely to have swivel issues. Plus you’ll be able to apply more even and steady pressure. Two enthusiastic thumbs up on everything I’ve seen so far!
This is a beauty of a knife. Your price on that is on game, maybe (probably under sold). I can't afford it that is not your fault. Buying one of your blades is on my list of success.
Get rid of the swivel and weld a piece of flat bar on it. You will want to grind the little ball off the end that is under the swivel. That’s what I have done.
Just following the knife makers law....there are no mistakes just shorter knives 😉 sorry to see that original tip go like that but it still ended up looking great. Keep up the great work it's always fun seeing what you are coming up with next. Thanks for sharing with us all.
i know what u mean, no knife or project is perfect, especially when for sale. its tough to make the call whats good enough sometimes... but it seems like no one else, even other bladesmiths, seem to notice either way! Beautiful pattern on this one!
Could not agree more... Everything here was a happy accident and it's a beautiful, hard-working, piece because of it!!!! Excellent job all around Elijah!!!!!!!
Oh damn, tough break. No pun intended. I'm kinda scratching my head now on the same issue with a W2 gyuto with a wa handle. I think I'm just going to clamp it in my voice and put some weight on it or see if I can't get a big C clamp around it. I've been watching your channel for a couple years now and greatly appreciate the do's and dont's you go over in your videos. Keep up the good work!
👍👍. Man enough to critique your own work! Beautiful knife, does look a little funny that the lines of the damaskus don't line up at the tip, nut beautiful none the less. Looking forward to seeing the next attempt at the same pattern.
What I love from your videos sir, is that you always explain the process, the problems and the solutions. Very useful info for begginners and professionals alike. Thank you for sharing
Great video! I appreciate your honesty at the end. Yeah, we're all our own worst critics. All I know about forging I learned from "Forged in Fire" and I am enjoying learning more about the craft without the time constraints the show imposed. My dad made knives when I was little, but it was more "cutting and grinding" than forging.
Do you think you could include some baby footage in an upcoming video? Your son should be approaching his first birthday in a couple of months, and it would be great to see how he's growing. Oh, and nice knife.
Mate I love the way you show your problems and mistakes. You always got a little trick up your sleeve to fix them and move forward. So once again we see a great knife and a bunch of techniques not onlying in creating it but also overcoming unforeseen problems. I comend you on this build from start to Finnish. I can't wait to see what you come up with next. take from your pal Helcat in Australia.
I think that despite the issues you had the end result was beautiful. I'm sure I remember you once saying knifemaker don't make mistakes, just smaller knives. Lol that's always stuck with me whenever there's a mistake or failure in a build. Excited to see what comes next :)
I like the single billet thin canister idea. It's a great one off thing and the unique patterns are amazing. Shame the tip snapped but that's knife making huh.... that ironwood is always gorgeous. I enjoy your vids amigo. Ya ain't gotta be an oscar winner for those of us seeking knowledge and creative inspiration. Even just a fellow maker to possibly bounce ideas off of.
Awesome work, I was thinking that guard fit up did look great during the build, and it was funny to see you bring up how good you felt it was in the critique lol
Something you've probably already thought of but, just in case, maybe cut a slot in the block of wood you're using to clamp the blade so it fits snugly around the bar of the clamp. That should help to minimize twisting from side to side. I think I'd also drill into the backside of the wood block the same size as the swivel head on the clamp so _that_ can't slip off. . Gorgeous knife even with the oops! Anything handmade (or even a limited machine made run) is going to have some "imperfections", the important thing is that those "flaws" not interfere with the functioning of the finished product. In many cases they'll increase the value of the item _because_ of the uniqueness.
You make some amazing knives! Love the content. I haven't done any knife builds but I do a lot of wood working. When you showed the troubles you were having with clamping the handle on I figured I'd get on here and recommend trying a parallel clamp. Harbor freight makes a pretty decent and cheap parallel clamp that I use all the time. Keep up the great work.
Sh!t happens, that's life. Whenever a challenge or problem arises, it's up to us to adapt and overcome them. Losing the tip sucked but the blade came out looking great!
Try clamping the blade in a vise then put your clamp on the vise and the back of the handle. Tyrell knifeworks has a video on this and I have not had a break yet doing this. Beautiful knife in the end despite the break!
What a cool video! I've been a mechanic for a long time and I've always wondered how the tool steel would hold up considering the punishment a high quality wrench will take.
Might I suggest a clamp modification? In my experience, I've dealt with wobbly clamps by removing the rotating foot and instead drilling a hole into a small block of wood large enough for 2 skateboard bearings. (Or I guess in your case whatever bearings would fit the threaded shaft of that particular clamp) The block of wood won't stay on by itself, but it will keep it from wobbling while still allowing it to rotate. .It just won't be able to pivot. :)
One thing you may want to do to help stabilize at least some of your clamps it to either epoxy the swivel part in place to stop it from moving or just wield in in place to stop it from moving. Might even want to glue a patch of sandpaper to the other end of the clamp where the handle sets while the glue cures in the handle to reduce the chances of the handle slipping out. In other words modify your tools to fit their use.
I dont know how your page started showing up in my feed but Im glad it did. Im not a knife maker but do pretend to be a hobbyist woodworker. As far as you tip breaking the F body clamp you have there will be notorious for slipping like it did. If youre looking for something different look at K body clamps, Harbor Freight sells a 24" parallel K body clamp for less than $40. The jaws on that clamp will always stay parallel. Anyway, keep posting. I also pretend to be a cook (no chef by any imagination) and love some of your chef blades
Don't know if you read my last comment but if so, congrats. That handle work is fantastic this time, love it. Also maybe try out a parallel clamp to eliminate the swivel clamp or use the vice clamp trick if it warms up enough in your shop
It was the knife that broke, not the clamp. The line he was chasing probably extended beyond what he could see, or their may have been a micro crack from heat treating. Once a fracture begins it can propagate at very low stress levels
I wonder what pattern you'd get if you turned the bars so that the grooves were perpendicular to the edge? Would it make kinda like a stacked wolf's tooth?
Wondering with the brass if you have ever tried casting the guard direct onto the blade, using a wooden mould that allows you to do so. Would be very tight fitting, and the shrink during cooling would make it hold the steel well, no epoxy needed.
Make a new clamping fixture to replace the wobbly bits on the existing clamp. A metal cage holding a softwood block would be nice, fixed to the end of clamp to avoid uneven clamping loads/blade tip breakage.
For how to address the the issue of content vs how long it takes to produce a project, especially as it relates to pattern welded projects, you can split it up into two videos. The first one is producing the pattern welded billet, and the second is producing the blade.
A side benefit could be reaching a wider audience, in that some people may enjoy pattern welding videos, but not blade making videos, and others vice versa. I suspect that most of your current viewers will still watch both, as would I.
I'm loving the critiques and debriefs at the end.
Keep up the great work and constant improvement. May God continue to bless you.
Thank you sir
Thanks Fire Creek Forge Guy !!
You bet!!
I very much appreciate the use of a unique steel. Everyone uses 1080, 15n20, 1095. Obviously those are easy to forge. But they also have the properties they have. And would not be my first choice in a knife I owned. Folding and cutting the metal 200 times won’t change those properties. You’re the first person I’ve seen who’s chosen to step outside that box. So kudos.
Your videos are always entertaining and informative. Have a Great Weekend 👍
Thank you sir have a good one!
I sincerely thank you for NOT calling this Damascus. Your honesty and clear communication doesn’t go unnoticed. “Pattern welded” may not have the same cool, trendy ring to it like “Damascus” does, but seriously folks, you don’t take your dog for a walk and call it marathon running, even though there are similarities between the two.
Beautiful work! I am glad you use Spray paint as well. I find it amazing to work with. One tip for you when clamping. If you put your blade into a vise, then use your clamp - one end on the handle material and the other end on the vise, it is a nice solid way to hold your knife while epoxy dries. Without buying one of those fancy clamps.
DAAAAAAAAMMMM!!! THAT IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DESIGN!! Looks like flames 🔥!!
Dude !!! I love that wavy pattern and your attention to detail. Your hard work and not cutting corners shows through in the end result!!!!!!!!! Nice man !!!!!
Even with the tip break, it's still a beautiful knife. Well done, sir.
Beautiful pattern!
I'm so glad you said that about the tip. I personally love a surer thin tip on my knives. Thanks again.
Absolutely beautiful!!!! You are an ARTIST!!!!
This show reminds me of This old house, you knew eventually Bob Vila would screw something up.
Thanks for carrying on the tradition. 👍
My god man you make some real works of art my friend
Brother, I’d rather have a knife that I done have to handle it with a pair of white gloves!!
Your Flaws are the characters that gives it its soul…! I love 100% 💪🏼🙏🏻❤️
Wishing you and your family health,wealth and joy🙏🏻
Thanks Wolf, take care
Even with the mishap it turned out awesome! Thanks again!
You have a TIG welder, right? Try using thin O1 drill rod as a filler. I think it would have worked to repair the failed tip forge weld after a little clean up.
Bummer about the tip. Weld that damn clamp swivel so it never happens again.
I love these “canister” builds! I’d love to own one of them.
Like the new pattern. Great work and craftsmanship as always! Keep up the good work.
Your videos are the knife videos I will watch over others. Have you ever done a folding knife?
I first encountered 01 tool steel in the mid 80's my Dad was commissioned to build an oversized Bowie knife, the giant man couldn't pay $300.00 fast enough to take possession. He then made a skinner/ hatchet combo set for his Brother and himself. The hatchet split a 2×4 with a 16 penny nail in it. When it's passed to me, it'll still have the slight chip from the nail. It's split thousands of pelvic bones, and separated just as many heads. It's an amazing steel for hunting applications.
Nice work as always!
Thanks for watching!
That blade is beautiful. Well done.
Great pattern welded idea...💪💪💪😸😸😸
I like it. It's a useful tool and doesn't need lots of bling. Function over fashion, but unique made with attention to detail on the the quality is what works. thanks
Pattern came out very cool. Nice job!
Despite the first tip breaking the finished project is fantastic. Well done.
I absolutely LOVE this blade. I love the final shape of it and would love to have one in this shape with the pattern in tact.
Always a pleasure watching and learning from you and your videos
Glad to hear it
Your videos are always entertaining and informative.
Thank you I appreciate it!!
It's a simple pattern but pleasant to look at
As a scientist, I can say that not a single experiment I conducted ever was "perfect." Even when they came out as good as possible. This knife is exactly that, the best of both worlds! You tested a new idea, made a GORGEOUS blade, and learned from it along the way! Great job! I absolutely LOVE the handle - it is gorgeous! Would love to see you make a 2nd video where you "perfect" this build by making the small tweaks you spoke of to take it to the next level.
If we don't learn from our "mistakes" - we don't learn and will never evolve our trade. Great job again! Huge fan!
Very true, thank you!
In general, you learn more from the 'imperfections' in an experimental result than you do from the 'perfect' parts.
That's a beautiful knife. Maybe make some behind the scenes short videos. Clips out of the main releases. That will increase content.
My heart sunk a bit when you showed the tip chipped off. Still, the knife turned out beautifully and the handle is gorgeous.
Home depot or any hardware store caries a clamp on file handle. I put it on the tang of my knives when testing. Sure has saved my hands a lot of grief. Nice job. Thanks for sharing 👍.
That’s a beautiful job, man!
love these videos you do with the different ideas for pattering the steel. can you do one with barbed wire so the wire is lengthways like a fenceline, and have a piece of mono steel for the edge? basically just a barbed wire pattern along the blade.
I hope so, that sounds awesome
Everything I’ve ever seen you do has been stellar! Granted, nobody’s perfect. But one thing I’ve learned over my many years of working with my hands, is in most situations, two is always better than one. If you try putting two clamps, on a piece of wood, on both sides of the knife, you’re less likely to have swivel issues. Plus you’ll be able to apply more even and steady pressure.
Two enthusiastic thumbs up on everything I’ve seen so far!
LOOKIN' GREAT, NICE WORK, KEEP SAFE...
Thanks for sharing. That turned out an interesting pattern.
Just a comment to support the channel
Thank you sir!
Do what you do. Love your videos.
This is a beauty of a knife. Your price on that is on game, maybe (probably under sold). I can't afford it that is not your fault. Buying one of your blades is on my list of success.
Beautiful knife.
Like the pattern you got on that knife
I think that is one of my favorite patterns you have done so far
Awesome, thanks!
Get rid of the swivel and weld a piece of flat bar on it. You will want to grind the little ball off the end that is under the swivel. That’s what I have done.
I like the "ghost flame" look on the blade..
Still got a pretty good size blade even after reshaping it. Looks great
Just following the knife makers law....there are no mistakes just shorter knives 😉 sorry to see that original tip go like that but it still ended up looking great. Keep up the great work it's always fun seeing what you are coming up with next. Thanks for sharing with us all.
Very nice work👌😊😊
The knife turned out really good! Thank you for taking time to film, edit and post this video.
Thank you I appreciate it!!
i know what u mean, no knife or project is perfect, especially when for sale. its tough to make the call whats good enough sometimes... but it seems like no one else, even other bladesmiths, seem to notice either way! Beautiful pattern on this one!
Brother that is a really neat pattern 👌 👊👋
Thanks 👍
Thank you Sir.
I do appreciate your work, it looked cold there in west Texas.
Glad you use good commercial steel rather than scrap junk.
You can get way better clamps to do that job. Bessey do very good clamps. I love that pattern - really nice!
Awesome knife!
That pattern is real nice. Maybe try again but weld a solid piece of angle where that clamp is all wobbly?
Great looking knife! Absolutely love the lines in the blade and the handle is gorgeous. Nice recovery from loosing the tip.
Thanks Chris
Could not agree more... Everything here was a happy accident and it's a beautiful, hard-working, piece because of it!!!! Excellent job all around Elijah!!!!!!!
Oh damn, tough break. No pun intended. I'm kinda scratching my head now on the same issue with a W2 gyuto with a wa handle. I think I'm just going to clamp it in my voice and put some weight on it or see if I can't get a big C clamp around it. I've been watching your channel for a couple years now and greatly appreciate the do's and dont's you go over in your videos. Keep up the good work!
Knife makers don’t make mistakes. Just smaller knives.
👍👍. Man enough to critique your own work! Beautiful knife, does look a little funny that the lines of the damaskus don't line up at the tip, nut beautiful none the less. Looking forward to seeing the next attempt at the same pattern.
Definitely a very effective and fast method and with next to no waste! These canister options are endless.
What I love from your videos sir, is that you always explain the process, the problems and the solutions. Very useful info for begginners and professionals alike.
Thank you for sharing
Thank you very much!
Great video! I appreciate your honesty at the end. Yeah, we're all our own worst critics. All I know about forging I learned from "Forged in Fire" and I am enjoying learning more about the craft without the time constraints the show imposed. My dad made knives when I was little, but it was more "cutting and grinding" than forging.
Great work, maybe a sash clamp would work better for you for your handle work. Kudos as always, thanks for sharing.
Do you think you could include some baby footage in an upcoming video? Your son should be approaching his first birthday in a couple of months, and it would be great to see how he's growing.
Oh, and nice knife.
Nice recovery from that tip.
U should try that same thing but with threaded rod and nuts screwed on in a pattern like that 👍
Mate I love the way you show your problems and mistakes. You always got a little trick up your sleeve to fix them and move forward. So once again we see a great knife and a bunch of techniques not onlying in creating it but also overcoming unforeseen problems. I comend you on this build from start to Finnish. I can't wait to see what you come up with next. take from your pal Helcat in Australia.
Thank you sir
I think that despite the issues you had the end result was beautiful. I'm sure I remember you once saying knifemaker don't make mistakes, just smaller knives. Lol that's always stuck with me whenever there's a mistake or failure in a build. Excited to see what comes next :)
Overall it is a great looking blade I like the drop point better than the other design
Awesome build man nice job
I love these “thin canister” builds as you called it. I would LOVE to see the boundaries pushed on them. So excited for future videos. 😊
Solid blade!!
Your projects just keep getting better and better!
In the future, use dewalt extra large trigger clamps. They have an easy 600lb squeeze force and no swivel jaws.
Good recovery
I like the single billet thin canister idea. It's a great one off thing and the unique patterns are amazing. Shame the tip snapped but that's knife making huh.... that ironwood is always gorgeous. I enjoy your vids amigo. Ya ain't gotta be an oscar winner for those of us seeking knowledge and creative inspiration. Even just a fellow maker to possibly bounce ideas off of.
Awesome work, I was thinking that guard fit up did look great during the build, and it was funny to see you bring up how good you felt it was in the critique lol
Thanks man!
Something you've probably already thought of but, just in case, maybe cut a slot in the block of wood you're using to clamp the blade so it fits snugly around the bar of the clamp. That should help to minimize twisting from side to side. I think I'd also drill into the backside of the wood block the same size as the swivel head on the clamp so _that_ can't slip off.
.
Gorgeous knife even with the oops! Anything handmade (or even a limited machine made run) is going to have some "imperfections", the important thing is that those "flaws" not interfere with the functioning of the finished product. In many cases they'll increase the value of the item _because_ of the uniqueness.
Thank you!
that is a great looking knife. Have you ever tried making a legendary Ninja sword.? That would be very interesting.
You make some amazing knives! Love the content. I haven't done any knife builds but I do a lot of wood working. When you showed the troubles you were having with clamping the handle on I figured I'd get on here and recommend trying a parallel clamp. Harbor freight makes a pretty decent and cheap parallel clamp that I use all the time. Keep up the great work.
Beautiful
Sh!t happens, that's life. Whenever a challenge or problem arises, it's up to us to adapt and overcome them. Losing the tip sucked but the blade came out looking great!
Nice one
Try clamping the blade in a vise then put your clamp on the vise and the back of the handle. Tyrell knifeworks has a video on this and I have not had a break yet doing this. Beautiful knife in the end despite the break!
Yep I have done this, but I don't have a vise in the house where it's warm for the epoxy to cure
Looks like you need to do some restoration or repair on your anvil? Those videos are interesting too...
What a cool video! I've been a mechanic for a long time and I've always wondered how the tool steel would hold up considering the punishment a high quality wrench will take.
Might I suggest a clamp modification?
In my experience, I've dealt with wobbly clamps by removing the rotating foot and instead drilling a hole into a small block of wood large enough for 2 skateboard bearings. (Or I guess in your case whatever bearings would fit the threaded shaft of that particular clamp)
The block of wood won't stay on by itself, but it will keep it from wobbling while still allowing it to rotate. .It just won't be able to pivot. :)
One thing you may want to do to help stabilize at least some of your clamps it to either epoxy the swivel part in place to stop it from moving or just wield in in place to stop it from moving. Might even want to glue a patch of sandpaper to the other end of the clamp where the handle sets while the glue cures in the handle to reduce the chances of the handle slipping out. In other words modify your tools to fit their use.
I dont know how your page started showing up in my feed but Im glad it did. Im not a knife maker but do pretend to be a hobbyist woodworker. As far as you tip breaking the F body clamp you have there will be notorious for slipping like it did. If youre looking for something different look at K body clamps, Harbor Freight sells a 24" parallel K body clamp for less than $40. The jaws on that clamp will always stay parallel. Anyway, keep posting. I also pretend to be a cook (no chef by any imagination) and love some of your chef blades
Did breaking the tip end up making the knife better?
I can never get enough. The finished product is always rewarding. To me a well made knife is just like high end jewelry. Individual and Beautiful.
Don't know if you read my last comment but if so, congrats. That handle work is fantastic this time, love it. Also maybe try out a parallel clamp to eliminate the swivel clamp or use the vice clamp trick if it warms up enough in your shop
It was the knife that broke, not the clamp. The line he was chasing probably extended beyond what he could see, or their may have been a micro crack from heat treating. Once a fracture begins it can propagate at very low stress levels
Thank for sharing. 👍👍
I wonder what pattern you'd get if you turned the bars so that the grooves were perpendicular to the edge? Would it make kinda like a stacked wolf's tooth?
Wondering with the brass if you have ever tried casting the guard direct onto the blade, using a wooden mould that allows you to do so. Would be very tight fitting, and the shrink during cooling would make it hold the steel well, no epoxy needed.
That would be a fun project
Make a new clamping fixture to replace the wobbly bits on the existing clamp. A metal cage holding a softwood block would be nice, fixed to the end of clamp to avoid uneven clamping loads/blade tip breakage.
Bravo Master