This knife was finished in April 2009. I have wanted to forge an integral bolster blade for a
long time, beacause I really like the simplicity and elegance of the style. By forging the bolster
directly from the bar the blade is forged from, the blade tends to flow directly into the handle.
I wasn't sure how well I would be able to forge the bolster, so I used a simple 72 layer bar of
CS70 and 15n20 steels and forged it into a round bar 3/4 inch in diameter ready to forge the blade.
The tang is a square section to start, then tapers and is welded to a threaded steel rod, and the handle
is secured by a threaded brass collar. There is a piece of black micarta (a linen and epoxy material)
between the blade and wooden handle. The wood is unknown, because Chris Claycombe kindly gave it to me at
a hammerin last year and I've forgotten what it was!
Here is a picture of the component parts before etching and assembly:
Here are some pictures of the finished knife:
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