Tapered Tang 4" light weight / Olive Handle

[Idahomike251]

Local wood working store had bunch of great looking California Olive wood for sale. I bought some to use on my knives, but they seemed a little soft. Fortunately, I saved an old post from Rick Enos regarding his use of Minwax Wood Hardener to stabilize his woods. I submerged the wood into a vat of Minwax Wood Hardener and pulled vacuum using my vacuum chamber. I thought it worked very well, so I used the wood on this knife. Mirror polished D2 with Olive handle with Redheart cap combined with dyed black and white maple veneer accent stripes. This forum is a great source of information, and I am thankful for the fellow knifemakers sharing their knowledge with us.

P.S.
I also have been working to improve my leather crafting skills.
   
   
 

[oldpaths]

Love it! Great work on the tang and the leather.
How does the edge hold up on that D2?

[Idahomike251]

D2 holds it's edge very very well. I have been using it since mid 70's.

[amar911]

Mike,

Both the knife and the sheath look great. Your knives always have an aesthetic flair to them that sets them off from most others. Thanks for posting the pictures of another of your beauties!

Allan

[Kevin Evans]

Cool Knife,I don't know how you do you scales (this means I can't figure it out) LOL
but they seem really well thought out.
Good job  

[Ragnarok Forge]

Mike,

I love the olive wood and the sheath is beautiful.  Personally I am not so sure about the Bloodwood with the Olive combo. Personal tastes vary from one person to another. I am sure most folks will love it just the way it is.

[amar911]

I think this wood combination looks great, but beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder, and there are combinations that most people seem to love that don't appeal much to me. If I had been making the choice of materials I would prefer more, I probably would have chosen antler or sheep horn for the overlay, like Mike has done on some of his other stunning knives, but the Redheart adds striking variety to Mike's other creations and lies in stark contrast to the olive wood. And that blade is just perfect for most field tasks. The polished D-2 looks like it could cut through an animal like a hot knife through butter.

Allan