Last night's project.......
I got this old meat cleaver from a friend who was going to sell it at the flea market. I paid $20 for it and am super glad I did. I can't find much info online about the maker, but it's OLD for sure.
It's stamped "Royal Brand Cutlery CO, USA" and is 3/16" thick, and HEAVY. The tang was not finished, with burrs along the edges, and the center sections rough and not finished. I wanted to retain some of the "character" of the blade, so I didn't get too aggressive with the sanding, but I took all the rust away.
I started with 46 grit, worked to 80, then 100/150/220/400/500. These 2 pictures are at 500 grit. Notice the "pitting" in the second pic. This is the stuff I wanted to "preserve" in the final product for history's sake:
After 1200 grit:
And after 2000:
Tonight I will polish the blade and finish the edge on it. When I got it, you couldn't cut butter with the thing, so I put a preliminary edge on it last night, and will hone it tonight after polishing the blade.
I have decided on Gabon Ebony scales, SUPER SUPER dark wood, should be nice when it's completed......