This piece of steel came from the dusty remains of a homestead in Saskatchewan, Canada. Around the turn of the century it would have served as a leaf-spring on a horse-drawn farm wagon. I wanted to preserve the beautiful and unique surface left from one hundred years of weather and corrosion, so the handle and blade are both formed from a single piece of steel.
The only forging work was done on the edge of the blade so the wire wheel polishing could highlight the meteorite-like character and color of the rest of the ancient steel. The shape is a slightly dropped-point hunter and was finished with an abalone shell menuki and a hand-stitched and wet-embossed leather sheath.
This is the first of a set of two pieces that have come from the wagon spring to date. This functioned somewhat as a materials prototype and the second was commissioned to be presented as a commemorative gift to the family of the original settler.
Material: Reclaimed wagon spring steel, abalone shell, leather
This piece is currently out on loan, please enquire.