A spike knife for Eric

A while back I made a knife for my friend Rob out of a railroad spike and he showed it off to one of his friends who decided he wanted one as well. Rob contacted me and we planned one out. I also decided to make a video of this process so here it is. So there. I got it packaged up and shipped out to Washington State.

The "Alpha Bastard"

I recently made a knife out of a bastard file. I was working around the forge and I saw something in the dirt that looked too uniform to be a rock. I dug it out and discovered it was an old broken bastard file. I’ve heard of people using files to make knives because of the high carbon steel used in file making. I’m really proud of this knife and how it came out. I look forward to making a few more. There are things I’d like to try out, specifically with the handle.

My first "Blacksmithing Tattoo"

I was recently at the forge working on a pair of “bolt head” tongs. I was preparing to make a rivet to assemble them so I put a heat on my rivet stock and cut a piece off. I accidentally cut all the way through the stock so a chunk of very hot steel fell on the wood floor and immediately began to smolder. I bent dawn to pick up the chunk with my tongs and put my hand on the anvil for support. Quite quickly I realized the error of my ways as I heard and felt the other section of stock start burning my hand. I yanked my hand off of it and immediately plunged it into my quench bucket. I went over to my lunchbox which was filled with ice, but some in a handkerchief and began icing the burn. I grabbed the two hot chunks of steel with my tongs and tossed them in the quench bucket; made sure nothing was on fire and applied some burn cream I keep in my first aid kit. I then made this video. I have spent the last 16+ years working in manufacturing and have been very well trained on safe working procedures. This video demonstrates that all the training in the world is useless if you ignore it. I was working with a scrap of steel less than 6” long and heated to around 1300°. I should have been wearing gloves. If I had been wearing gloves I may have not suffered any sort of injury. Instead I got a 3rd degree burn and if not for the first aid training I got at work and some advice taken from a blacksmith, whose class I attended last year, the results may have been far worse. I encourage everyone to take at least a basic First Aid and CPR class. I won’t go into a long and preachy sermon about preparedness here (I’ll do it here instead) I will simply ask that you please take the time to learn how to do whatever you do safely..and then do it that way!!

A Rail Road Spike Knife for Rob

It’s been a couple of months but I have an update for you all. I recently was able to get out to the forge and do some planned out purposeful work. I have a good friend who, due to his position in the Air Force, is moving away so I decided to make him a going away gift. Back in the early stages of the Fox River Forge, I think even before it had a name, I was telling Rob and some friends in Zombie Squad that I was building a forge and might eventually try my hand at knife making. Rob spoke up and said he would buy the first knife I made. Well, we all know the first knife I tried to make ended up pretty unimpressive so I decided to make him a proper Railroad Spike Knife.

I got out to the forge and got the fire going and after warming my anvil a bit, I started making his knife. I shot some video of the process so I could put together a little history of the first deliberate project created at the forge.





I wanted to use as little “stock removal” as possible so I kept the grinding to the minimum. But I was pleased with how it came out. Here is a picture of the knife once I got the basic shape formed.



My next problem was how to present it to him. I knew he was going to be at my gig with Francesca and the 440 Hum the next day and wanted to give it to him then. I went to a local craft store and purchased a wood display box and went back to the forge. I have always had a fascination with handprints so I put my left hand print on the cover of the box. In some cultures the left is the side of the male, solar energy and also stands for nobility and wisdom. In addition to that, it was my hands that made the knife so I thought the connection there was pretty cool.

Once the print had dried, I got a couple scraps of leather and made some rudimentary padding inside the box to help hold the knife and for display purposes. All in all it came out respectable. Rob was all smiles when he opened the box and saw the knife. His Northern Family wishes him well in his travels and we look forward to him visiting.

Happy New Year!

Hey everyone,
Just a New Year's Video Post!

December Update!

I thought I’d put together a December update. I’ve gotten the chance to get out and actually work at the forge a couple of times recently. The first time it was raining the entire time but it was good to be working. The second was just this last Friday. I spent several hours there making straps to hold the anvil on the stump we found for it. I’d like to throw a big Thank You out to Noah Armstrong who helped us locate a stump for the anvil and his dad Jim Armstrong who has been helping us document these early days at Fox River Forge with his photography skills. I will be posting some of his pictures in the near future. Near the end of the day on Friday I decided, last minute, that I wanted to do a video update so here it is.



So there you go. Here are a couple of photos I took. One is the Railroad Spike Butter Spreader I made and the other is a hook. I am working on designs for a cuff style bracelet and the hook started out in that direction but ultimately wasn’t going to work so I changed direction and turned it into a hook you drive into a beam. I am going to try to get some shelter put up over things before it snows so we can work this winter. I will keep you updated. Happy Holidays from everyone here at Fox River Forge and Spike’s Creations!

What do you mean “Metal Bonsai Trees”?

This is sort of a repost from my personal site- “Abretokia.” It pertains to some metal sculpting I did prior to creating The Fox River Forge.


(Photo by Mel Vyvyan - Her site)

I was commissioned to make some centerpieces for the wedding of a friend of mine. It was my first attempt at deliberate metal sculpting with a known goal. I am very proud of how they turned out. I made a short film showing the process of how I made the trees and included it in the post. Please check it out!

“The Creation of Trees”