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  M40's Basement Bladesmithing

        from Concept to Reality...

             Shown at left, early "Bulldozer" design.


"Gold is for the mistress - silver for the maid - copper for the craftsman cunning at his trade.”
“Good!” said the Baron, sitting in his hall, “But iron - cold iron - is master of them all.”


Rudyard Kipling
excerpt from the poem, "Cold Iron"


VISIT M40's WILDERNESS SURVIVAL STORE

      The best wilderness survival gear on the market!

Backyard campers and Rambo wannabe's... go buy a Bear Grylls kit. When you get serious about your wilderness activities... come see my gear. Hikers, mountain bikers, cross country skiers, ATV'ers, off-roaders, and others whose activities carry them far and wide... discriminating outdoorsmen opt for quality gear.


BLADE PAGES

Field Blade Reviews - (This is a large section with many pages, and is growing all the time) - What is a good "field blade" and why? How do you choose a blade that will perform without breaking the bank? Also, some expensive blades that don't stack up.

NEW! - DOLLAR SURVIVAL KNIFE - I did the 'ten cent survival knife'... now here's the upgrade version!

NEW! - My Personal Blade Collection - The Commercial Blades in my Personal Collection.

Custom Leather Sheaths by Bay State Leather - Check out these great sheaths I had custom made!

VIDEO - Grinding a Blade - A short video clip showing the grinding process from beginning to end.

Latest Design - The Bulldozer - Several prototypes, and a final design.

Introducing the Bowkri - A project I'm working on... sort of a cross between the venerable bowie, and the time-tested Khukri. An M40 Original Design.

Bowkri 2 - Here's some new twists on the Bowkri project.

Custom High Rider Kydex Sheath - Here's a unique concealed carry sheath made for a Reeve Project II.

What Happened to Camillus? - See my open letter to the new owners!

Working With Steel - This page is a good primer to help get you started.

Working With Steel, Part 2 - Here's some invaluable hardening and tempering info for the beginner.

What's the Best Blade Steel? - Coherent essay, or the ravings of a madman... you decide.

M40's TEN CENT Survival Knife! - See how it's easily made in just a few minutes.

Khukri Style Blade Evaluations - There's a lot of great khuk's out there, but some are clearly better.

Khukri Modification - This was the first blade I did, and it is just a rebuild/modification of an existing knife. These pages get a LOT of traffic. I guess I'm not the only fan of the Khukri!

The BAMF - I'm sure you can figure out what this stands for.

The BUFF - In the Air Force, the B-52's are called "BUFF's", which stands for "Big, Ugly, Fat F*ckers". This design hasn't been made... yet. In fact it evolved.

A Sawback - Sort of a Lile knockoff. Done for fun.

M40's LATEST BLADES - See some of my basement projects that are still under construction.

SHOP TALK  -  I've had a LOT of emails asking what kind of tools I've used for this or that, what I use for sources (steel, handle material, etc), and about techniques. I've attempted to put some answers down here.

FURTHER READING...

How to Cord Wrap a Handle

How to Cord Wrap a Sheath

How I Modified the Khukri Sheath

How to remove the Khukri Handle


Return to M40's Ghurka Modification Page

RETURN TO M4040 SITE