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Yes, I did it again… My own style of restoration for this incredibly cool butcher cleaver!
I found this beauty in a near by flea market, as always, and luckily I got it for super cheap as the seller was very happy to let it go being so heavy and inconvenient to carry around at flea markets.
Needless to say this project is pretty unconventional, but I guess most of you know I have a thing for odd looking cast handles by now!
Anyway, it’s always challenging to pull off a cast handle with lost foam and these scales were no exception at all! It’s also the reason why I haven’t posted on my regular day last week, making all over before casting takes a real long time. As you can see from the video the cast failed three times, one of these the tang shifted up and out of the foam pattern due to the weight of the blade, the other two fails were similar with uncomplete cast, one time just after the sprue and the other in the middle of the handle. The fourth time i decided to add another foam channel to the handle to act as a vent (but I also filled it with molten aluminum just in case) and it worked out very well.
I had a chance to remove a partially formed cast handle at 6:40 after one of the fails and I can assure it holds incredibly well. I think there is no way (other than a metal cutting band saw) to get the final scales off the handle.
This is a showpiece. This project is just for fun, I am aware it’s not a practical approach to handle making. I just want to entratain and hopefully inspire others to get hands dirty and make something even just for the fun of it!
