#Forged in fire cutting deeper series#

#Forged in fire cutting deeper series#

The head is wrought iron and 1018 mild steel forged into a вЂњWвЂ™sвЂќ pattern, and the blade steel is 1080, 15N20 and 201 series nickel forged together to create BillвЂ™s DragonвЂ™s Breath pattern. вЂњI have a second piece flying around in my head now.вЂќ The Dragon Tomahawk is 20.5 inches overall, with a 4-inch cutting surface of damascus and a curly maple handle. вЂњThis piece took three months of six- to eight-hour days, seven days a week for me to complete,вЂќ he noted. His Dragon Tomahawk is nothing short of breathtaking, and he acknowledges that the project was an investment of energy in his Boise, Idaho, shop. вЂњI returned home, quit my job, and have been a full-time maker ever since,вЂќ he grinned. Dave stated he would produce a similar set for $750 or the axe alone for $300-and he would enjoy the journey вЂњtailoring my technique to the piece.вЂќДЇorging knives since 1998, Burke received his ABS journeyman smith stamp at the 2003 BLADE Show. The blade measures 7.5 inches while the edged surface on the axe is 2.25 inches. The finished Clydesdale Set consists of the beautifully forged san-mai blades, foundwood handles, and a stainless steel bolster/guard. Though he isnвЂ™t completely sure, he said he believes it is sassafras, liberated from the bottom of a box of cast-off exotic pieces in a local lumberyard. If I messed this up, it wasnвЂ™t like I could just scrounge another Clydesdale shoe lying around somewhere.вЂќДЄrmour, who plies his craft in Auburn, Illinois, uses the term вЂњfoundwoodвЂќ for his handle material. Anytime youвЂ™re using a unique material, it is stressful. I used W2 for the knife core steel and 80CrV2 for the axe bit. So, I made choices like leaving the shoe nail holes unfilled and using a simple hardwood for the handles. вЂњI wanted something rustic without looking primitive.

вЂњI used the sides of the shoe for the outer layers of the knife blade and the bottom for the body of the axe,вЂќ Dave said.

The set is made with a single Clydesdale horseshoe that he obtained through his wifeвЂ™s employment, involving a tour of Warm Springs Ranch in Missouri, home of the world famous Budweiser Clydesdales. With his Clydesdale Set, which includes both a 12.5-inch knife and a 17-inch axe, ArmourвЂ™s ingenuity gallops through.

I call my style вЂsufficiently evil and deliberately casual.вЂ™ I take the function side of things-like heat treating and edge geometry-very seriously, but treat the rest of knifemaking as a chance to play and have some fun.вЂќ With his Clydesdale Set, which includes both a 12.5-inch knife and a 17-inch axe, Dave Armour (inset) lets his ingenuity gallop through. вЂњIn addition, a small, easy-to-carry axe can be a great complement to a hunting or other working knife. вЂњMy motivation was to try something new,вЂќ related Armour, a knifemaker for about 12 years, fashioning hawks and axes for six years and turning his attention to full-time blade work only seven months ago. Each has his own approach to the craft and adds perspective in producing works of incredible beauty.

Utilizing the best in materials and employing their long study of the axe and the hawk, several makers have produced notable works in recent years, among them Peter Pruyn, Tom Ward, Dave Armour and Bill Burke. Long a trusted and dependable companion on the trail, in the bush, around the camp and in the military, axes and hawks are utilitarian and versatile, both in form for their intended purposes and as striking examples of imagination, innovation and aesthetic appreciation. Custom hawks and axes combine history, fantasy and imaginationДЇrom Danes to dragons, draft horses and drawing smoke, the axe and the hawk have become avenues of artistic expression for some of the most innovative artisans of sharp blades.