Spring knife

I started the blacksmithing course to make hinges, but blacksmithing had different ideas. I was in the process of making more ramsheads and Tobias said, "Would you like to make a knife?". Oh, go on then.

A short length of vehicle coil spring, and a few hours later.

The blademaking is a process of heating to the right colour and cooling in different ways to achieve the correct degree of hardness. Softening it to work the edge, then hardening and then tempering that hardness. You don't want a blade that is too brittle.

This piece of spalted beech has been sitting around in the workshop, waiting for a purpose. It's time has come!

 Handled, then sheathed.

Burnished with my favourite stone.

Oiled with walnut oil.

It's definitely not a hinge. 

More Cottage Works

 So the plank and muntin was installed a while ago. 

Back in February I went to install the new oak windowsills. These lovely mullion windows deserve this lovely Devon oak.

Some of the stone mullions still need to have the paint removed. The kitchen window has had plain float glued in. There is a desire by the owners to replace this with steel and lead glazed openers made to replicate the above. Handily, I know a budding blacksmith...

This handle was found under the said window, so they would also like to incorporate this, and similar. It's possible that this window had no glass originally and that this handle was part of a shutter.

The other extant window hardware is great to see and is obviously being preserved.

Not so old, but never seen a guilloche window stay before.

I knocked up this spindle and bannister for the top of the stairs.

Lime washed.

I was just thinking, I'll be sad to finish this job. "Could you provide a quote for all the upstairs doors?"......

The pillars of Gabriel.