Taking procrastination to a whole new level

[tomsm44]

Got this one ready for heat treat.  7 7/8" OAL.  It's getting the carbon fiber bolsters and Cocobolo scales in the background.  Not positive on what I'm going to use for pins yet.  

   

[gudspelr]

Great looking knife.      

Jeremy

[Bodork]

Can't wait to see it finished!

[tomsm44]

Well guys, I posted the start of this knife and then got busy with all manner of other things and it kinda got pushed to the side.  I finally made time to work on it this week, and the experience has ranged from trying to down right unpleasant.  I said in my original post that it was getting cocobolo scales and carbon fiber bolsters.  Well, a little incident in the shop compromised the suitability of that material.  In the end, it ended up with a really nice piece of two toned curly koa and cow bone bolsters.  And that wasn't even my first handle material choice after the first mishap.  Seemed like no matter what I tried for the bolsters, I ran into problems. I shouldn't complain to much I guess.  I actually think like what I ended up with better than any other material combo I considered.  Here's a quick picture after the first coat of oil.

 

[Lin Rhea]

Turned out nice Matt.

[D.Ellis]

Nice one. Blade to handle ratio is a nice balance.......not easy to achieve with small knives.    
Darcy  

[tomsm44]

Thanks guys.  I'll get some better pictures up next week once I'm finished.  

Darcy, I'm trying to work on that, as well as getting the lines and flow of the whole package to work together.  This blade is stock removal only, but it was an interesting build.  I took a scrap piece of 1084 and ground it from start to finish with no pattern whatsoever.  I started by grinding the tip, then working my way back, going slowly and looking at the blade often from different angles.  It's cool how a slight curve that you hardly notice from the side can add a lot when viewed at an angle.  He may have been quoting someone else when he wrote it, but I think it was Lin that said that a curve looks better than a straight line and a hint of a curve looks better than a curve.  I gained a lot of appreciate for that on this one.

[tomsm44]

Got it finished.  The pictures don't do the Koa justice at all, but it's the best I could get with my iPhone.  I may try to take some better pictures once I get a sheath finished for it.  Anyway, here are the final specs.

1084 with forge finished ricasso and 400 grit satin finish on the rest of blade.
Koa scales/cow bone bolsters/copper spacer
Brass/copper two toned pins and copper tubing.
7 3/4" OAL
3 7/8" Blade

 

 

 

[TheBigRedArcher]

Very nice.

[bornofmud]

Awesome, love the copper strip and the bone.  Very nice lines.  Perfect size for that everyday belt knife, if a little too nice haha.

[tomsm44]

I've been accused of procrastinating before, but this is rediculous.  I built this knife in a rush last year for my dad for Christmas and didn't have the materials on hand for a sheath.  Haven't really been doing any knife work this year so I never got around to buying any leather.  If anybody would like to receive a full list of excuses, pm me and I'll send it over.       Anyway, I got talked in to a BIG leather project (compared to what I'm used to anyway) for a Christmas present for my paw in law this year.  Since I finally went to the dead cow hide store, I got enough for this as well.  So, for Christmas this year, my dad's getting a sheath for last year's present.  And a little matching leather covered journal I threw together to go with it.  Here's the finished package, only one year late.

 

[Bladepeek]

Nice clean work. Bet he'll be happy.

[TrackerNy]

Came out REAL nice Matt. Like the leather work too.

[4est trekker]

That is a really nice looking knife! Right up my alley. Thanks for posting!

[Steve Nuckels]

Really like the blade design and the handle has a very organic look to it (that means I really like it.

Matt you certainly do not have the record for working on a project.  I finally finished a Bowie I forged in 2014!  Those projects often turn out to be well worth the wait, as yours has!

 Steve
----------
Potomac Forge
Member, W.F. Moran Jr. Foundation
ABS AP

[tomsm44]

Thanks guys.  

Steve, I will have you beat with another project of mine.  If I ever actually finish it, that is.  I forged and rough ground a Bowie in the spring of 2014.  It wasn't for anything particular, just playing around since I had just started forging.  I put it aside and didn't touch it for a year.  I picked it back up and finished grinding it, heat treated it, and got the blade partially hand sanded during the spring of this year.  It's laying on my desk just like that year.  There's an incomplete thread on here somewhere about it that I'll hopefully eventually finish.  I don't have too much time for knives anymore, so I prefer smaller knives like this one that I can build quicker.  Plus I'm more likely to finish one when I'm building it for a specific reason.

[92Fspc4]

Great looking knife.