When you can make it, it adds something to the tool. I want to make some old style tools and I have started with these gunsmith screwdrivers. They are designed not to damage the screw head slots, as normal hardware style screwdrivers would. They are old style, can still be purchase but at a high cost, so I made mine instead. About the construction:
Wood: Black Walnut.
Blade: o1 carbon tool steel. Cut from 3 mm thick stock. Shaped, heat treated in the forge and tempered in the oven. My logo stamped on too.
Ferrule: I made the brass ferrule from brass pipe turning it on the metal lathe.
Colour: I etched the blades in boiling vinegar to give them a nice authentic patina.
Finish: The handle is finished with a home made mix of boiled linseed oil and coloured wax.
The photos above are just some of the processes in the project. Planning, shaping, heat treating, and etching. The etching container here was to small, but I didn't photograph that part. Below are the finished screwdrivers. Note the wee flat on one side to stop them from rolling off the workbench. This is a nice practical touch.
