Thread: 3rd knife progress

Here is some progress pics of my third knife. Almost finished.....maybe...I think..
The knife is made out of an old file, I think it was an Australian Wiltshire bastard file.
It has a euro oak handle with a brass spacer and heat blacked carbon steel guard.

The first picture that I thought to take of it with some leaf spring steel for future abuse


Ready for heat treat.


Post heat treat and final grinding.


Dry fit before heat blacking the guard which is carbon steel from the same file.


..and finally the final dry fit.


My only concern apart from getting those joins between the brass and oak tighter is the heat treatment on the blade. Its going to be a knife for outside and taking abuse so I wanted to etch the steel to give it some small amount of rust protection and thats the only means I have at hand. However, after the etch I noticed what could be a temper line at the tip and half way down the blade which makes me think that the heat treat wasn't as successful as I first thought after heat treatment and running a file along the edge.
Anyone with more experience than I feel like chiming in and seeing what they think on my assessment?
I'm gonna hold off gluing it all together until I work out whether I have to re-harden it, in which case I'll have to work out how to make up some clay as it's verging on too thin but might still be possible without it.