November 3, 2011: Handle nears completion

Today has been very satisfying. Thinking that the handle was still too long, I decided once and for all to just make it the exact length needed to span the boss. I reforged the handle one more time, made it as straight as I could, and when i saw it was right I called it a wrap. All this re-doing of my work has made me more confident and nimble, from the way I hold the tongs to the ways that I use the anvil as a surface. All this work on the handle hasn't been a waste of time, but rather a trial-and-error session. I also finally memorized the steps for hooking and unhooking the propane to the furnace. With my new, well-forged piece, I cut off the end tabs with the bench shear and set to work at the belt sander. Glen showed me how to adjust the former, Don how to use the later. I'd seen Bea using the belt sander to get pits out of her blade, and its worked wonders for the handle. The black coating and rust on the metal is gone. I worked out various techniques for getting all the sides, trying to get as smooth and rounded a surface as possible. Gently turning the various edges along the belt many times produced very pleasing curved surfaces, and at the end of the night it shone like nothing I've seen in a long time. Now it feels, looks, and fits like its almost ready to get riveted on. After going over it with the brush one more time I should set it aside and get back to work on the buckler's disc. I started the work day at 3:43 and ended at 6:17.