Transitional Dagger

I started making knives back in the late 80's and early 90's.  Back then there was no internet, just Jim Hrisoulas's book The Complete Bladesmith.  It was also hard to get materials, so I made do.  One of the last blades I made before Michelle was born and all my spare time disappeared was the blade for this dagger.

It was big old file, so it's probably W1, but who knows.  When Michelle got her drivers license I started making knives again and learned more about heat treating at NESM.  So I took this blade and redid the heat treat to something quite a bit better.  The blade is 13" long.  The fittings are mild steel, and the handle is  carved cherry, stabilized but not baked.

 And yes, that heart on the second side does say "Mom" on it in Elder Futhark runes.