Some of these pics may be a tad redundant, but I'm just trying to give different angles of the file work. All of this work is done with round files and triangular files. All ya gotta do is file away everything that doesn't look like it belongs there.
Note: When using files, only push them to do the cutting. Do not drag them on the metal for the return stroke. Pick it up and put it back down for the beginning of the next push stroke. It makes the files last longer.
First view is the side view. Because the steel is 1/4 inch thick, the styles of filework are limited when it come to complimentary patterns. Sometimes it is a balancing act. The three black dots on the tang are where diamonds/emeralds/rubies will go.
http://home.comcast.net/~cherylellis01/SRP/josh.008.jpg
Here is the side view showing how massive 1/4 inch can be. I'm getting closer to getting it off to the heat treater. I'm gonna shoot for 58 RC, just to make it a tiny bit easier to hone.
http://home.comcast.net/~cherylellis01/SRP/josh.009.jpg
This is the view from the other side. I still have a little more work to do on the master grind (hollow grind of the blade) and then I will dial in the profile to 400 grit and dress up the file work to a finished state. Are you guys learning anything?
http://home.comcast.net/~cherylellis01/SRP/josh.010.jpg
I got two more pics coming up to finish this out.