I was wondering what kind of equipment I need to shape a guard for a bowie?
I'm making knives for my closest friends and my parents for xmas, and one friend wants a bowie.
A lot of retailers sells the brass/stainless guard slotted to fit the tang, but state that I must do the shaping myself, which I kinda like :)
Thanks for your input!
-Svein-
A round file and a flat file to get the shape. A piece of hose with a bolt or dowel in it to make it rigid and then wrap different grits of sand paper around it to finish it out in the curved areas. A regular block of wood with sandpaper for the areas you can use a flat on.
A belt sander can speed things up, but it can also quickly ruin your work if you're not careful.