test fitting of the kitchen knife with handle:

 

 
Debating on selling it, or giving it as a gift.

In post 124 Nate, is this the prototype, the milled peace or the forged peace ?

Excellent job Nateman.  You might want to experiment a little by making a fighter that has a hamon that doesn't go to the tip.  The reason being you should be able to have a knife in each hand and climb a wall by stabbing it with the knives sideways.  If the knife has a hard tip then the tip will more likely snap off when attempting the climb.  Just a thought.

brcromer
Excellent job Nateman.  You might want to experiment a little by making a fighter that has a hamon that doesn't go to the tip.  The reason being you should be able to have a knife in each hand and climb a wall by stabbing it with the knives sideways.  If the knife has a hard tip then the tip will more likely snap off when attempting the climb.  Just a thought.

interesting.  if the tip isn't hardened as much, then it won't be able to pierce as much as a hardened tip.    However, if you would like a matching set to test you theory... I would be more then happy to handle it for ya ;) 1095, 1084, 1075 would be my first choices :)

Now that is some craftsmanship. Great job!!!

Looks like another nice project. 
 
What CAD software are you using ? 

first time doing a wooden mock-up.  Similar thickness.  Just getting a feel for it.

ignore the holes.  they just match the fixture plate that was on at the time.  

the green represents a rough outline of the handle, but the CAD picture looks way better.  Again, this is just to see how nicely it fits into the hand.

RainStryke
Awesome project as always Nate. It's amazing to see how motivated you are with every project.

It's refreshing to read through your project threads and see it get done after you plan/talk about it... Feels like it is a rare thing for people to follow through with projects that require lots of patience, research and learning as you go. It's a bit inspiring and I love showing friends and family your projects.

I appreciate that.  I have a friend that is WAY smarter than me... that has awesome ideas, but he has ZERO follow through.  He is a mechanical engineer and he used to come to me daily with "awesome new ideas" that he never followed through on.  
 
 
.... although I still have ONE project here on this forum that I have yet to bring to fruition (past a prototype) if you can remember.  but I did just revisit it and did a re-design of it :)
 
(technically 2, but the other project i only told 2 or 3 people on the get it colder thread years ago.  Still have a chunk of copper sitting in the basement that would break bones waiting for me to revisit that project)
 

don't I wish.  making knives is a labor of love thats for sure.  You can waste days of work in the blink of an eye.
 
Trying an experiment.  I saw a youtube video (famous last words) where someone put some tool steel in a spring.  I am taking a different approach to the same idea.  The video the spring was flattened, then the tool steel was slid in it.
 
for my idea, I am using a tool steel rod, and sliding it IN the spring to be forge welded right on the spot.

spring being extended so I can sand blast as best I can the interior.
 
Now slide the rod in.

tac welds at the top and bottom keep the spring in place.  Because it was practically screwed onto the shaft, it really didnt move when I started to heat it.   Its a MUCH larger billet then I am used to working with in terms of forge welding.  Normally I try to keep forge welding to items under 6" just because of the single burner in the center is the hottest area of the forge.  
 
I will update soon.

Will be interesting to see how this hammers out.  Keep on posting

How did you remove the spring sides that didn't bond?  Did you do it when the metal was cool or did you get it real hot and then do something?  I ask because I've never seen your method before and I'm really curious.  I would presuppose that heating the metal would mess with the temper of the steel and make the spring steel particularly brittle costing you the purpose of using it in the first place but I don't really know.
 
Oh, you probably know all of this but I meant to mention it long ago.  Sometimes when you work with metal in welding, forging, sanding and polishing poisonous gasses are released.  Here are two good websites on the topic.:
 
https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/32893-question-about-toxic-metals/
 
https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/safety_haz/welding/fumes.html
 
 
The same can be said for the wood, stone or bones that can be used for the knife scales.

updated with a few requested options:

a real quick prototype:

 
This thing is making love to my hand...and I dont even have a handle on it.

Great job!

Thanks!  
 
Updates on the chopper.... (get to the choppa!)
 
Finished the tool plate:

 
And first cuts on it:

 
Cutting the backside now.