Winter events, projects?

Eric C · Post by **Eric C** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 7:26 pm

So, what's going on?
I'm about to finish/start a couple of knives. One I am simply refinishing. The other I made from circular saw blade steel. I forgot that the instant that stuff heats up it hardens so I have to reanneal the handle area to finish drilling the holes for the handle slabs. So it's handle slaps and sharpening and they're done. The made-from-scratch knife isn't that pretty, but it'll be a finished product for once! I'm really excited.

Then the weekend of Dec 12-14, I and my son will be going to the mountains to start learning blacksmithing from a guy who used to demonstrate at the NC State Fair. He's really into Celtic work, so I am hoping to learn more than metalworking from him. I'll post an after action report hopefully with pics when it's done.

Then there are two dresses that I have to figure out how to make for my wife and daughter. The site that Gareth posted on another thread will come in handy for my wife's dress. A scabbard for my Clontarf is one of the projects on my "things to do" list. We'll see if I get to that one. The boots are coming slowly but surely.

So, what are your winter events/projects? Let us all in, maybe we can get some ideas of things we need to do too.

Post by **Peter Remling** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 12:50 am

Not getting too far too fast! I cut out and starting sewing up the leather sleeveless coat. I havn't decided on the type of buttons yet. I'm thinking either antler or wood buttons with a pewter wolves' head belt mount on each button.

I'm going to start on a scabbard for a SFI forumite who recently received one of the "machine sale" swords and I'm making a scabbard for a longsword I purchased from Jeff Ellis. The overall configuration of the sword is reminesent of one of Michael Moorcock's black swords so I'm planning on dark blueing the furniture and useing cutout black leather over a candy apple painted core so the luminesence of the red shows in the cutouts of a eldrich script.

We recently redid the kitchen and with other household things and work that pretty much accounts for my time.

Post by **Peter Remling** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 3:58 am

The scabbard for the above mentioned machine sale swords turned into two scabbards and I just finished both today. The gentleman who ordered them wanted the first to be wolf themed and the second to be raven themed.

So now if I can get them to post here goes:
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn46 ... b01393.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn46 ... b01387.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn46 ... b01390.jpg

Post by **Peter Remling** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 4:03 am

Tomarrow I start staining some blanks for some baldrics for a gentleman on this forum and while they're drying, I'm hopeing to finish the leather sleeeveless coat I started monthes ago and finish a knife scabbard.

The rest of the week (on vacation), I plan on working on the baldrics and the sword scabbard for the Moorcock themed sword. There are a few other projects I'd like to start of finish but these are the big ones.

Eric C · Post by **Eric C** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 10:35 pm

Well, after getting over having my world rocked by this lay-off business, I can get on with some projects. Next week I'll be off again and I am hoping to finish at least one meat cleaver that I owe to a guy at work then finish a knife for my own personal collection. Just taking it one thing at a time.

Post by **Greg** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 2:08 am

I'm moving down to San Diego soon to start working for Sony's Playstation wing, in the music and sound department soon. My current job ends a week earlier than my move, so in about a month, for my last week I'm here in LA, I'm doing a 7-day all-traditional trek with a pair of friends. We'll be sure to take photos. 'Twill be awesome. Two knights/armed travelers, and a ranger.

As for upcoming PROJECTS...my new quiver has officially begun prototype construction, and will continue to go through revisions for awhile yet. In the meantime, I've been assaulting the local bargain bin for fabrics to make some new pants and an over tunic.

Post by **Peter Remling** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 11:26 pm

I just finished the sleeveless leather coat I started monthes ago.

The bib/mantle can be opened or closed as you see in the 1st 2 photos. The third shot is a closeup of the buttons. The buttons were made from a wood disk that I attached a wolf's head belt mount to the front and a small evescrew to the back.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn46 ... ttoned.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn46 ... ttoned.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn46 ... button.jpg

I also remembered a quiver I did a few monthes ago and I don't believe I posted it yet.
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn46 ... nchair.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn46 ... ntable.jpg

Post by **Peter Remling** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 11:28 pm

Upon looking at the pic I noticed one of the buttons isn't buttoned, it is there however.

Post by **Greg** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 1:29 am

Loving the coat, Pete!

It reminds me of my black vinyl Inverness Cape I have for rainy competitions with Pipe Band...awesome.

I may be tempted to make one of those sometime, though I might go the cheaper route and make it from oilcloth, simply for rainy purposes.

Post by **Peter Remling** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 5:26 am

Greg wrote:Loving the coat, Pete!

I may be tempted to make one of those sometime, though I might go the cheaper route and make it from oilcloth, simply for rainy purposes.

It really wasn't that expensive, I purchased the hide through Ebay and got it for around $40. You can get some really good deals if you don't get too specific. Make a chose of several different colors and just keep searching, something will turn up within a week or two. This is the largest single item I've made and I still have some hide left for small projects.

I picked up a full hunter hide, not the one that I made the quiver, backpack and haversack (yesterdays' project) for about $28. The vendor posted 6 of the same color hide going off within 2 minutes of each other. I bid on the 4th, not the largest or the 1st, figureing most people would go for the first and the largest pieces. The winners of the 1st, 2nd and largest hides paid a significantly higher price per foot than I did for mine and it's still sitting upstairs in the attic.

With Ebay you can save a search, so if you type in "2-3 leather hide brown" the 2-3 indicates weight in ozs per foot, their system will do most of the work for you with daily updates of new items matching your criteria. All you have to do is review them and save them in your "My Ebay". See how the price trends and bid if appropriate. You will have better results if you snipe (bidding at the last minute) and make a cap as to how much you're willing to pay for the piece ahead of time. When you make your cap ensure you include the S&H.

Don't get involved in a bidding war and forget your cap. I was watching a MRL sword today, it was a bastard sword with staining on the blade and a significant amount of rust of the scabbard chape and mouth, most Windlass blades go for $150 or less in good condition, this first one sold for $200, simply because 2 people got in a bidding war and spent well more than the going price. There was zero chance that this was an old Del Tin blade made up with Windlass fitting as the seller clearly states when he purchased it, which was well after MRL stopped dealing with Del Tin.

Post by **Greg** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 9:00 am

Pate's got some good advice on eBaying.

Pardon us going off topic for a quick jaunt, but being an eBay addict myself, I have to throw in some additional help.

Saving an eBay search is nice, but you can actually change a setting so that you get the daily update on that saved search in your own email inbox. I personally get an email digest every day on four saved searches, including "Wood Arrows" (most arrowmakers include the word wood in their item description, so this expands search results to include sitka spruce and others in addition to cedar) and "Medieval Cloak", as I keep several friends of mine up-to-date if something they're looking for for garb, etc. comes onto the market.

If an item has yet to be bid on, I will bid on it, but otherwise, I will refrain from bidding until the last minute (sniping, as Pete mentioned.) But if the item HASN'T been bid on yet and isn't listed at a 0.99 starting bid, I will put in the minnimum, and then put in several more random amounts a dollar over $5 increments, building up to my actual maximum bid. The extra dollar over a $5 increment assures that a standard bid placed in the last minute, which will traditionally land on a $5 increment, will fall short. In addition, the several bids you placed to work yourself up to your maximum bid did not change the number seen by everyone else. If the starting bid is $15 and your maximum bid is $35, place six or seven random bids from $15 to $35, and the auction will still display $15. But it will also display 6-7 bids. A bid-heavy item will scare away potential buyers a lot of the time.

Alrighty, enough of that chit-chat. Back on topic, though it wasn't in-gear, I took some friends on a rainy hike today. We came home soaked clean through every layer we wore, but it was awesome, and makes me want to go back and run that area again, off-trail with my gear.

Panday · Post by **Panday** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 11:27 pm

I started out with a hunk of mystery ironwood:

I some good suggestions, and for that I'm thankful. I couldn't decide what to do, so I just started out with no plan and just went with what seemed to come naturally. This is the result:

Full view

From the front

Front detail (octagonal point)

From the pommel

I made it a tapered octagon with an octagonal point in the business end and a flared, octagonal pommel; exceedingly difficult to do with only rasps, files, and sandpaper. Overall, it's similar to a small tetsubo.

I thought about putting metal studs on it for hitting power, but after seeing how this mystery wood turned out, I couldn't bring myself to mar it. A high polish and a few coats of linseed oil brought out a deep red color in the wood, with just a bare hint of that green tint remaining.

If anyone has any idea what this mystery wood is, I'd like to know.

More pictures and information HERE. Thanks for looking.

As far as tying this in to Middle Earth, I'm not sure.

Who might have used a club like this?[/url]

Post by **Peter Remling** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 1:18 am

Stephen, Very nice, I was wondering how it would turn out.

Post by **Greg** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 5:02 am

Panday wrote:As far as tying this in to Middle Earth, I'm not sure. Who might have used a club like this?

*mischievous grin appears, a la the Grinch*

Why, the Gondorian Police, while patrolling the streets of Minas Tirith, of course!

On a more serious note, I am DRIPPING jealousy right now. That is AWESOME. Well done.

Panday · Post by **Panday** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 12:08 pm

Thank you, gents.

I have two more clubs, of a more primitive look, almost finished right now. I never thought making low-tech head-bashers would be so much fun.