Bird and Trout Coming Along, "Done" now...

[gudspelr]

A few of the others I've been working on took a turn for the worse....due to operator error...  So, to make myself feel better, I started this one a little bit ago.  I had some bigger pieces of 15n20 laying around and decided to cut a knife out a while back.  It was sitting there, so I decided to get to grinding on it.  Somehow, I didn't completely mess it up, though I wish I did better on the plunges and a few other things.  This knife is pretty thin and has a fair amount of flex to it.  With it being so thin and all the extra holes I drilled in the tang, it's super light.

   


   


   


   


Took it to a nice 600 grit finish, no j-hooks or anything, for once.  Picked out a piece of African Blackwood with some figure to it that I think will look nice on it.  Still a little ways to go, but might actually hit the finish line with this one.


Jeremy

[tomsm44]

I like it.  That should be a handy blade when you finish.  Is that your backing stick for sanding in the first picture?  What's it made from?  I've been staring at it trying to figure out what it was with no luck.  I'm sure it's something obvious and I'll look like an idiot for asking.

Matt

[D.Ellis]

Looking good    
Darcy

[gudspelr]

That made me chuckle, Matt   . And don't worry about guessing wrong, it's a weird one... A while back I tried making some burlap "mycarta" with varying success. When I was making some sanding sticks, I decided to use some if it up. This particular one sat around for a while until today. After talking to a friend, I glued on some1/16" cork gasket material. Started out with the steel sanding bar, ended with this. It has just enough give to it that it blends things nicely and leaves a good finish. Going to keep on using it after today's success.

I ended up etching my name on it tonight and cut some Blackwood scales. I'm seriously considering making the pins domed ones, but would be a first for me. I really like when guys have those, though-looks really nice...


Jeremy

[tomsm44]

Homemade burlap micarta with cork was going to be my third guess.  :D   how did you like the homemade micarta?  I've been kicking around giving it a try, mainly because I have an idea that I think would be fun.  A bit of a novelty, but fun.  I'm thinking some plaid flannel micarta would be would go over well around here.  A flannel handled knife would be the ultimate trad archery accessory.      

Matt

[gudspelr]

That sounds like a fun one, Matt. I had trouble with the glue starting to gel up part way through when I did mine. I've heard it's better when using some of the slow set epoxies, but that can get expensive when you're using larger quantities. I pretty well decided to let the experts make it and I'd just buy the pieces I needed and save myself the really messy headache   .

Jeremy

[tomsm44]

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the look of micarta.  I prefer natural materials like wood, antler, bone, etc.  I just think a flannel one would make an interesting conversation piece.  

Can't wait to see this one finished.

Matt

[D.Ellis]

You better try that plaid mycarta Matt.......I'd like to see that.
Standard domed pins aren't too tough to do Jeremy, go for it!    
Darcy.

[gudspelr]

Making a little progress. I got my name etched in it and getting ready to get the scales drilled out. I ordered some little clamps that I saw in a folder WIP. They're great to hold everything securely so the scales don't slip around when drilling. This is a pic of the under side and you can see the cap screws:

 


And from the top. I used a piece of scrap from the 15n20 I cut the blade from for a shim under the one jaw up front. These clamps are also really helpful if you have some odd shaped scales. If the blade is flat, you can just have the screws hold the weird shaped bone, antler, etc. tightly up against it and the holes will be straight.

 


Going to get them drilled, front of the scales finished, then epoxied on with dummy pins. I'm planning on using some petroleum jelly like I believe I saw in a video so I can pull them out after the epoxy is cured up. Then I'll finish out the scales and try the domed pins. Any suggestions are really appreciated.


Jeremy

[gudspelr]

I was in the garage fixing my drill press and ended up deciding to work some more on this. Then it got late... So, here's what's going on at this point. I drilled the holes through the tang into the wood scale. Then I matched up the two scales and put them in the clamps and proceeded to drill through the first, into the second.

 


 


Then, because I've been known to really screw things up, I marked both scales so I knew which way was up...

 

I cut some temporary pins and pushed them flush on one side. Then off to the band saw where I cut OUTSIDE the line I'd traced on one of the scales. Ask me what happens when you try to cut too close to the line... Everything went fine on this one and you end up with something like this:


 


Then I put one scale on the knife and figure out what I want the front of it to look like. After I get it drawn how I want, I take it to the belt sander and SLOWLY grind the profile I want. If you're not careful, you buzz right past where you want to go and get a shorter scale, or get to start over...yup-I know about that one, too. Then, I put the pins back in both scales and even the second up with the first:


 


I took the front of both scales up to 400 on the belt, then started hand sanding. After not much work at all, things start looking fairly nice.

 


 


A bit more prep and it'll be time to epoxy it all together. Then, profile the scales down to the tang and contour things nicely. Last will be (hopefully) my first domed pins.


Jeremy

[just_a_hunter]

Looking good!

Todd

[D.Ellis]

I have always just domed the pins during glue up, never tried it the way you're planning. The only trouble I could think of doing that your way would be if the dummy pins get stuck, trying to push them out may take a splinter of handle material with it. I don't make a habit of building full tangs though, so I may be slightly out to lunch.
Nice looking blackwood.
Darcy  

[gudspelr]

Darcy-you could very well be right on the pins... I saw Nick Wheeler do it in one of his videos on a hidden tang handle, which I think could be "easier". He pushed the handle on and wiped away any epoxy coming out the hole. Loaded the pin up with Vaseline and pushed it through and left some Vaseline on either side of the wood by the pin. After everything was dry, he was able to pull the pin out with pliers.

I'm not certain it's going to work for me on this application, though. I'll need pins to be sure the scale is where it needs to be, which will mean I'll be getting epoxy on the pins. I have a "plan" on what to do to still get everything how I want, but we'll see if it works...   . I figure worst case scenario, everything is in there and not coming out, then I just go ahead and grind and finish the handle with no domed heads.

How do you do yours?  I'd have to end up getting the scales shaped completely before glue up, then epoxy them on without getting goop all over them. Any suggestions you have would be GREATLY appreciated.


Jeremy

[D.Ellis]

I usually just cut the pins to length...long enough to peen them, but not too long. Get my scales thinned and sanded/polished on the flats only, but not around the tang. And then, put the scales on push the pins thru, and peen one side a bit, flip it over peen the other side.......continue like this a little at a time until the pins are peened. Then once they are shaped nice, lightly polish. I usually just leave the facets from the hammer intact since I like texture......some guys take some masking tape, punch a hole in it big enough to fit around the pin, and polish the pin heads with the tape protecting the handle finish, but I haven't tried that yet.
Another way I just thought of that may work for you, is to assemble your handle using hidden pins inside to keep things aligned. clean the bulk of the epoxy out of the pin holes with a toothpick after glue up before it sets up, and then after it dries, clean out the pin holes with a drill bit or reamer and do the peened pins at your leisure.  Hope that makes sense.
Darcy  

[gudspelr]

Thanks for the ideas, Darcy. I really appreciate it.


Jeremy

[gudspelr]

Well, things haven't gone so well with this one. I was concerned about the edge holding on it and after some tests, head scratching, and phone conversations, I came up with a game plan. It couldn't stay the way it was, but the plan was a risky one. Didn't have much to lose, so I re-hardened it. Initially, I thought things may turn out. It was really thin and I pretty well thought I'd end up with a knife ruined out of the quench. It came out with some noticeable warp, but without a crinkly edge. I began working towards straightening and later caught a slight wave in a portion of the edge....

I decided to finish tempering and will get it sharpened back up to at least do some cutting tests. After all, that was the whole point of redoing this. I guess a useable knife would've just been icing on the cake. After seeing if the cutting goes well, I'll likely then break it to look at the innards. If nothing else, I want to at least learn every bit I can from this knife.

I've already got more with the same profile marked out on some more 15n20, so hopefully soon I'll be doing a better job on some similar blades... But, time will tell   :D  .


Jeremy

[tomsm44]

Oh, it's that kinda 'done' huh?  I was hoping for some nice pictures to drool all over.  Hate to see that much work go to waste, but maybe you can at least take a little newly acquired knowledge away from it.

Matt

[D.Ellis]

I know that type of "done" better than I'd like to.    At least it wasn't a hand hammered Damascus blade. Don't ask me how I know    
Did you bust it too look at the grain yet? Always good to learn something from this sort of thing............Sorry that it didn't work out as planned though.
Darcy    

[gudspelr]

Ya, wish it was the good kind of done... But, I certainly learn from moments like these. And yes, Darcy, I too am glad it's not a hand hammered Damascus blade   . When I break it, I'll put it on here as an appropriate "end" of the knife   .


Jeremy