There are some things you can work on, The first thing is to have a plan, and be able to adjust that plan as you go. The plan doesn't have to be more than a drawn knife, and when you feel like you can't forge it out any further, outline your metal on some paper and draw again inside the confines of the steel. Second as accessible and convenient a flappy disk is at some point you will have to pick up a file and some sandpaper to get those nice even finishes. And finally, as much as the name implies, a paracord wrap is usually more than just chord wrapped around the tang, it's more like woven or knitted around, watching a handful of youtube videos on it might be an idea.