So far so good:

 

 

 
 

Scarlet-Tech
Its beautiful! Would be a great zombie killing tool!

my friend... you haven't seen it etched yet :)
 
I debate on showing pictures early, or waiting for a handle.  I can't handle this kind of pressure!  

Trying something new.  Same concept, but different material.  Using a spring that is WAY thicker.  It's also shorter.  This should be MUCH easier to work with since it's shorter, and also with a thicker spring it should be much more prominent in the viewable pattern.  Far less likely for me to grind it all away as I have done in the past.  
 

 
It actually turns out to be a larger amount of material (albeit shorter).  Not by much, but it is a hair larger.  I swear I have to make a video of the entire process.  So damn Lazy.  Maybe if Scarlett comes up (in the very near future *ahem*)  he can help me film it.  My wife has the attention span of a flea when it comes to anything I do in the basement, so asking her to film it would be asking a lot of her.

Random burl with a successfully forge welded billet:

 
Overall look of the billet.  No different then the other one, but the spring segments are much thicker:

 
Side view:

Far better penetration of the spring steel.  These stripes won't disappear as easily.  

Some updates...
This Tool steel, nickle/spring steel wrap:

 
 
Turned into this:




 
It survived the heat treat and has been tempered.  Now to put a handle on it, and an edge.
 
 

What about using a larger cylinder and tensioner on that belt sander Nate? You said it was boging?

hamon is coming out nicely:

MonkJayn
very classy :)

Thank you!  and welcome to the forums :)

<--------- New member...
 
Hello all. Nice work nateman.

Looks very nice. I had a friend who introduced me to a sword smith and I got some work from him. Nothing like knowing you have a sword next to your bed that is full tang and wouldn't bend or break if you used it.

nice

kdurrell
Looks very nice. I had a friend who introduced me to a sword smith and I got some work from him. Nothing like knowing you have a sword next to your bed that is full tang and wouldn't bend or break if you used it.

First thought was the Indiana Jones sword fight scene.

Were I to go this route inevitably, that would be what would happen to me if I met an intruder with a sword.

dude that's awesome!

Prophet4321
I vote for you for sure, doing the start to finish videos. I just made it through the 8 pages that you've done since mid 2016. Incredible work! 

I have tried to make a few videos (if you stalk my you tube videos) there are a few snippets.  Some better then others.  I really have zero experience editing videos, I dont have anything except my cell to take video's/pictures.
 
I know, I am full of excuses.  I really do want to make some, from start to finish.  To the point of even showing the tree I harvested the wooden burl handles from.  

Thank you for suffering through 8 pages of ramblings.  
 
I currently have the day off, so I am tempering 2 additional fighting knives... with hamons this time.  First time putting a hamon on the fighting knife.  Looking forward to posting some pictures of them.
 
And as always WELCOME TO THE FORUMS!  so many lurkers on this page.  JOIN.  Stay a while.  You won't be disappointed :) 

Hey nateman_doo.  I'm relatively new to the forum and found your thread and wondered if you do this professionally or if it's a hobby?  I've recently discovered the Man At Arms Reforged series on Youtube, and it's really perked my interest, so I started wondering what it would take to get up and running with forging knives and such.  Not professionally but more like a hobby.  Just not sure how much this "hobby" is going to cost and take away from my other interests.