This was both a fun and challenging project. Both the blade and the handle were "antique" pieces, but not of any significant historical value (very nice and unique, but not museum treasures). The owner wanted them brought up to the 21st Century. He sent me the blade and the handle blank and this is what I came up with.

The bolster is a solid piece of mild steel (1018) that was carefully milled, filed and sanded to shape. Took a lot of forethought, and thankfully, I did it right the first time. It was soldered to the blade with silver solder (like you would a guard on a bowie) and the handle drilled, fitted and glued with Acraglas. Some shaping was needed, so I also had to rebuild some of the handle rings. The finish you see is just a few coats of satin-finish polyurethane.

Though an antique, this one is intended to be a good user. It has an incredible balance and is very lively in the hand. Driving home the "user" characterstic of this piece is a fully handrubbed satin finish (you can still see the aged blemishes in the steel) that is easily restored with a few passes of 600 grit sandpaper. And, of course, it has a convex edge that is very sharp.

Enjoy the photos!