Second Try at something sharp and pointy

[mastin03]

Well here is the second effort, and thanks to old threads and inspiirations on here, i think it came out pretty good.  Blade is 2" on the nose, OAL is 4.25". Zebra and Osage scales, vine file work through the tang and 1/2 of the blade.  I quenched the edge first for about 20 seconds before submersing the whole blade, hoping to leave the spine a little softer??  

Hopefully i can get a little better here in the next few weeks and enter something into the swap!

Tempered in the oven @350 for 3hrs, then backing off 50 degrees every 30 minutes until i hit 150, then letting it cool through

  Tried to produce a flat grind from the cutting edge all the way to the spine, and then ground in ~25degree cutting angle after quenching.

Small, but i was going for a skinner/necker type, so i guess it worked out pretty good.  Was a file in its previous life, but I think this particualr piece of metal is happier now that it is in a better place.   :D  

Lessons Learned
1)  No matter how long you work on a set of scales, something is bound to go wrong (had on side of the osage split at the front and a piece of the zebra flake off at the back)

2) no matter how many times you measure and test fit, if you dont give your absolute full attention to the blade during glue up, something will slip (note the osage not lining up properly on the top)

3)  why polish a blade?!!?  i sanded this one out to 1000 grit, wet and dry then polished with some rubbing compoud to a mirror finish, then taped the blade to keep off any unwanted scratches only to finish the blade and untape and cratch the $(%&^ thing on something...still not sure what.  I sanded the scratch out with 220 and then touched up with 320....its gonna be a worker, not a showroom piece, i think ill leave it for now.

4)  Epoxy will find its way into your file work, no matter how careful you are.  If there is file work in the tang, i am convinced that it is utterly impossible to keep it out of the "art" you had worked so diligently on beforehand


I did have a spent .22 casing with the primer cap ground off in the end hole to create a brass  tube that inevitably filled with epoxy during glue up, plugging the hole.  In trying to clean it out, i marred the casing and broke it           ....oh well, a braided cord of some sort through the end will cover the blemish.


Comments, criticisms, and overall suggestions are welcomed and NEEDED...what can i do to make the next one better?  Thanks all for the help...Sorry, pics are terrible (my camera doesnt like closeups)

 


 

[d. ward]

M03 I like it nice work.Great size knife too..bd

[DANA HOLMAN]

i like it, the zebra and osage look good together
keep up the good work
dana

[prarieboy]

I would say that if that knife was in the swap I would be happy to get it! C-Ya Bob  

[drewsbow]

thats a nice knife there :0)

[Steve Nuckels]

Very nice job on that!

-----------------
IN GOD WE TRUST

[KHALVERSON]

that looks real good

[mastin03]

thanks guys...hopefully more to come in a week or so as i work through the rest of the material i have layin around.  Now that im done with my latest bow, i have a bit more time to play around with the knives    

Thanks for lookin

[tippit]

Clayton, You done good.  I'm impressed with the grind from spine to the edge.  It looks real smooth...far better than I ever did on my first few blades.  The scales seem to fit flat on the tang.  The most important thing is you are happy with it    Keep at it and they just get better & better.  Have fun...tippit