I've been off work this week with a chest infection, but at least it gave me the time to catch up with some things that I've been meaning to get around to for ages.
I've never really liked the mask that came with my GB Outdoor axe; I use the poll to hammer tent / tarp stakes in, and I keep the mask on while I'm doing this. I didn't like the way that the original wrapped around the back of the haft, so I made one that kept the back of the axe clear:
Compared with the original:
I've also had one of Jojo's crooked knife blades for almost a year now, and I've been meaning to handle it with a piece of juniper wood that I found in Sweden, that looks as though it was grown for that purpose. I cut a bit off the end, and that was enough for two firesteel handles. Everything has been shaped with a Mora, and after meeting Red Kite at Coniston earlier this year and seeing his work with the tool marks left on, that's the finish that I've chosen for these. The knife handle is still a work in progress, and will be shaped further as and when I think it needs it.
Cheers, Michael.
I've never really liked the mask that came with my GB Outdoor axe; I use the poll to hammer tent / tarp stakes in, and I keep the mask on while I'm doing this. I didn't like the way that the original wrapped around the back of the haft, so I made one that kept the back of the axe clear:
Compared with the original:
I've also had one of Jojo's crooked knife blades for almost a year now, and I've been meaning to handle it with a piece of juniper wood that I found in Sweden, that looks as though it was grown for that purpose. I cut a bit off the end, and that was enough for two firesteel handles. Everything has been shaped with a Mora, and after meeting Red Kite at Coniston earlier this year and seeing his work with the tool marks left on, that's the finish that I've chosen for these. The knife handle is still a work in progress, and will be shaped further as and when I think it needs it.
Cheers, Michael.
