Restoring Blade Found With Metal Detector

This is an old blade I found while cleaning up an old property it looks old and needs a handle This is what I had laying around I am using an old dresser leg I found while throwing out the trash one day.

Step 1: FInding the Perfect Piece

I was very lucky to have stumbled across such an interesting antique blade buried in the dirt at an old house that I was cleaning. And thought this would be the perfect project for me. First, I had to find just the right piece of wood that I could hollow out to become the perfect fit for this blade. I did finally come across a leg to an old desk that would be perfect.

Step 2:

I laid the blade next to it to be able to judge how deep I was going to need to drill into the center of the table leg. Which was about 3 in. I marked the center of the wood and marked the shape that i needed. And used a drill bit around the same size to hollow it out.3/8" and 1/2"

Step 3:

I used several files to shape the handle also used sandpaper to make it smooth so I can stain and last polyurethane the handle and let it dry overnight.

Step 4:

After getting the handle to the shape you want it you can use any stain to change the color of the handle and a clear to protect it most blades use rivets to hold the handle to the blade on mine i will not since there are not any holes for them this blade looks hand made and I found it in the sand with my metal detector it had no handle or any remains that were found with it, if anybody might have some info they would share about the origin of the blade, that would be greatly appreciated. There seems to be a makers mark on the blade. Any info on the type of blade it might be or what it was used for would be great.