James (J.) Neilson is an American Bladesmith Society Mastersmith who works from his “shop in the woods” in the endless mountains of north eastern Pennsylvania. There, he has been able to develop his long-time interests in knife making and forging into more than just a hobby. The quiet setting and scarcity of neighbours has been the perfect background to allow J. to develop his skills. He puts a great deal of effort into his wares, and he takes considerable pride in the finished products he produces. In this two DVD video, J. takes the bar of ball bearing Damascus that he made in the “Canister Damascus with J. Neilson” video, and he forges out a Bowie knife. The knife is completed with a wrought iron guard and spacer, and it has a handle made of Sambar stag. Some of the topics covered are: Drawing out the Billet Forging the Blade Profiling and Grinding the Blade Milling the Shoulders Heat Treating the Blade Making and Fullering the Guard Etching the Blade and Guard Preparing the Stag Making Spacers Plus, many other tips and suggestions
