Nice work Fireman!

For a third effort, that looks absolutely great. Probably better than
a lot knifemakers no matter how many tries.

Years ago, I made several knives, and by comparison to yours, they
were.... let's just say "utility" knives. They were knives I
patiently ground from treated/hardened blanks since I had no way to
heat treat them reliably if I annealed the metal first. I made three,
and quit. Two survive today, a kitchen knife, and a heavy bladed
carbon steel camp knife.

Since I ground my blades for hours and hours, it became apparent to me
that I could invest in a good quality knife and come out waaayy ahead
for me. But I really like to the whole knife making tradition and the
craftsmanship involved. (By the way, I really like the file work on
the tang - it looks great!)

I am thinking of making another knife, this time a folder from one of
the really nice kits that are out on the market today. The quality of
the the steels, the milled pieces, the predrilling of the liners etc.,
make it hard to go wrong. After contacting the manufacturers of the
one I am looking at towards purchase, they told me that MANY knife
makers use their kits to make their custom knifes. They regrind the
blades a bit, detail and reshape the scales on the handles and call it
their own - they are that good.

So on your knife, did you grind out the billet and drill/file/grind
the void in the blade, or did you heat treat and start from there?

Inquiring minds, you know.

Robert