This is a current work in progress for father’s day.
First you make the Damascus billet, then,
forge both blade and guard to shape,
grind w/ 60 grit, fit guard, grind w/ 120 grit, grind w/ 220 grit,

Well, this is an interesting one.Some of the guys at Primal Fires are into wagon wheel rims, because they're usually wrought iron, for making guards and pommels for knives. A guy sent me some wagon axle, telling me that it was a simple, high carbon steel. This started giving me an idea. I have a couple old wagon wheels in my yard that are falling apart, and it made me curious. What if I made a Bowie knife entirely out of old wagon parts? Call it a Conestoga Bowie, after the Conestoga wagons. The gears in my head started turning. So, first thing was to cut into one of the rims I have. Tried bending and tearing it. It's pretty tough, and finer grained than I'd imagined: