Thanks! It has a distal taper and perfect balance. It's actually surprising how light it feels in the hand. I don't often get to build what I want to, most of the time I am working from someone's desires and not my own. When I get the freedom to create as I like it usually come out well. I don't forge to a shape, I forge to a feel. Constantly spinning it around in my hands and fitting it to my eye.
The Kephart is a proven design. I have made many of them but I never liked the broom handle feel of it. Reshaping the handle and giving a slightly deeper belly to the blade makes it so much more appealing to the eye (to me). It also makes for a smoother grip and reverse grip. The ironwood on the bolster is so hard that 220 grit sandpaper only polishes it really. A finish is achieved by buffing it with a wheel like steel. A finish isn't really necessary although I do usually give it a coat of oil. The elk antler gives traction when the blade is wet or bloody. The large lanyard loop make is possible to use about any material for a lanyard and it also gives a solid foundation for lashing it to a pole if the need arises. The spine is ground and polished dead flat to make using a ferro rod effortless. It throws a shower of sparks. It turned out really nice although there are a few things I wish I had done with it. I wish I had filed the spine at the edge of the handle scales to give traction for your thumb in heavy cutting. I also wish I had used brass tube to match the pins instead of stainless but it was all that I had at the time. I have a meticulous mind and no matter what I think of the finished piece, I still pick it apart and look for ways I could have improved it. It can never be perfect, that is the bane of a handmade piece. That's the only way to make a better piece next time.
