Getting back to work!

 Well I have been in a funk lately, I am still trying to settle down into my new job (a lot slower than what I am used to) so im trying to stay busy.  I was extremely busy doing nothing and trying to discover something to do, of course hunting season is open and takes up a little time but that is not what I was looking for.  So I turned to my shop, my garage shop that is.  I have re organized it and started to set it up for some knife making.  I figure that if im gonna have to kill time I might as well make some money while I'm at it.  So I contacted a couple friends in the biz, namely Trace Rinaldi and Luke Swenson for their advise and tips on getting started.  So far their help has proved invaluable.  Since I know that the two of them would not sabotage me, and they both make world class knives, who better to mentor my efforts.  So today I got busy for the first time in a long time and I banged out two knives.  You can look back through my posts and see some of my earlier attempts at the trade.  Below is a few pictures of my humble shop and today's efforts.  They are not complete by any means but they are well underway.  They still need heat treating, and finishing to include a handle on the one.  I'm thinking I might give carbon fiber or G-10 a try depending on what I can get my hands on.  Here are some pics for you to comment on, any suggestions are more than welcome.  I am not afraid to learn or take criticism.

NM

This is my grinder station with a Craftsman bench grinder, Ryobi belt sander and a Craftsman wet grinder/sharpener.

 Here you can see my band saw, Grizzly 2x72 knife grinder, sand blaster and air compressor

 This is my Diamondback Ironworks forge,  this baby is wicked hot.

 My Smithy 3 in 1, mig welder and 12 ton press, surrounded by miscellaneous tool boxes.

 Here are today's projects, not done yet but well underway, the top one is my design that Luke Swenson produces.  I decided to give it a try for myself with a little extra file work.  I am making this one for my brother.  The bottom one is a two finger Karambit.  It takes a little practice but once you get proficient with it, it is a sneaky little defender for sure.  That is also my design.

 Here is a close up of the file work, diamond back, pretty cool huh?

 This is my hand made makers mark,  I dremel carved it into a cold chisel and then hardened it in the forge.  I didn't temper it so I hope that it doesn't eventually break.  You can see how the mark looks when stamped into steel.

 This is a close up of the plunge on the diamond back knife.  I got it perfect thanks to some advise by Luke and Trace.  They shaved a bunch of time off of that learning curve.


I hope that you enjoyed that a little.  I will of course post some pictures when they are complete and of future projects.  Who knows, I may eventually even have a couple for sale.  If nothing else I hope that this gives you a little inspiration to jump into a new project or learn a new craft.  You never know when it might come in handy.