New Knife Project

[crashdive123]

OK, so I haven’t made a forge yet but I wanted to see how the scales would turn out (good to practice right?). I cleaned up one of the blanks I had that has been heat treated and figured it would be a good candidate to practice with the homemade micarta scales. In this pic the slab of micarta has been cut in half and the face that will be glued to the knife has been roughed up with a rasp.

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It seems that the jigsaw that I had just was inadequate for the job, so the scrolling saw found its way into my workshop (Harbor Freight - $60). You can never have too many tools right?

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The shape has been roughed out.

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The first side has been attached. After the epoxy sets up I’ll drill it for the pins.

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[crashdive123]

Drilled the first side. I’m using replacement welding tips for pins. The second side is glued up and clamped. Tomorrow I’ll drill the other side, set the pins and start sanding. I’m already thinking two things – could have made them a little thinner and done a more precise cut with the scroll saw. My original thought was to make them a little bigger than needed and slowly sand of the parts that look like they do not belong. It’ll leave a little more room for error on my first one.

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[Ken]

Those little drops to the left of the clamp - glue or beer?

[crashdive123]

Glue. Anything else would be alcohol abuse.

[Rick]

Sweet! I really like that. That's going to be a nice knife. I think you're going to be happy with that.

To answer your question, no, you can never have too many tools. The problem is you may have too little room for them. Just keep shoving stuff around. You'll find a place for it.

[welderguy]

Will that white milky look on the scales in the first picture buff out ?

[crashdive123]

Yeah, it will. Some of what you are seeing is some of the waxed paper that stuck to them. The blue denim was a light, faded color and the red was, well red. After I get it shaped I'll use a buffing wheel on it to hopefully bring out a little shine.

[panch0]

Lookin good.

[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

Nice work Crash! Really enjoying your post! Hopefully I find time to get you guys an update on mine, I am on the handle too. So your post is a big help!

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

it looks like the blade will do any job out there. and the mircata is a kicker! great job crash.

[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

Crash,

What is the tolerance or difference between the dia. of the welding tips and the holes in the blank? Example I am using high tensil wire for brads with a diameter of .147" I am thinking of drilling the blank .147" and if I can't get the wire in the holes opening to .149". I have never been a fan of brass or "gold" color. This is the reason for using the high tensile wire. I use it on my pastures and it seems to never rust and is some pretty durable stuff.

[crashdive123]

To be honest, I didn't measure or look at the drill bit diameter. I eyeballed the bit to fit the tips and drilled a test hole in wood. It seemed fairly snug. I used epoxy to hold the "pins" in place. I wanted the copper because it reminded me of the rivets on a pair of jeans, but then again - this being the first scales that I've ever pinned I didn't give the material a lot of thought. I saw a bag of 100 tips for less than $4. They had a decent diameter so I thought I'd try them. I also picked up some thin (.125") copper brazing rods - not going to use them on this one. I started shaping the scales this morning before I had to run to work. Just taking a quick break now. When I get back this afternoon I'll check on the diameter of the tips and drill bit.

[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

Are you relying on the epoxy to hold everything together? I had planned to use epoxy as well, but only for extra strength. I guess my thoughts were to pin everything together with very close tolerances. Followed by peening the ends of the pins to ensure it never comes apart. I think either would work depending on the expected use of the knife. My design will be used to chop and split small timbers so I was extra concerned about the rigidity of the handle. I am using whitetail antler for the handle also, which is probably not nearly as strong as the fiberglass composite you're using and probably won't bond nearly as well with epoxy either. Forgive me I am anal about design tolerances and strengths. I should have never decided to become an Engineer! Sometimes it is hard to get anything done when you have all these variables to consider, instead of just makin' a dang handle!

[crashdive123]

Hey, no problem. This is a learning experience. I'm hoping that I don't make too many mistakes and that I and others can learn from those mistakes that I make. The pins are snug, but I was able to push them in with my thumb. I am relying on the epoxy to hold it all together - time will tell if that is a good decision or not. On the other knife (that I need to heat treat) I will probably go with the large pins in the center and then the small diameter stuff around the edges - makes sense to make the tolerances as tight as possible.

[crashdive123]

I bit more progress has been made. Here it is with the scales and pins epoxied onto the tang.

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After cutting off the pins, I used an 80 grit belt on the sander and a hand file to shape it.

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Time to stab the stump again.

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I still need to smooth it a bit. Remember when I said that the resin set up kind of quickly? You can see where it left a little resin clump and changed the grain of the denim. I guess I’ll just call that character. It is very comfortable in my hand. The starting thickness proved to pretty good. This one was practice. I guess the next one will be as well. Overall I’m pleased with the results.

[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

Excellent! Great work on the handle! I have worked with fiberglass on boats and it is never easy. Serious this is a great job. I am definately going to have to try it. Is this something you came up with? Using the jeans along with fiberglass. It reminds of some of the new rifle stocks out there the H&R 45/70 comes to mind!

[Ken]

VERY, VERY FINE JOB!

[crashdive123]

Is this something you came up with?

No it's not. We had a member that was here for a brief period (can't remember his name) that seemed to have a lot of knowledge about knives. He talked about homemade micarta. I had been gaining an interest in giving making a knife a try so I picked his brain a bit and found some info on the net. Klkak's knife project was the final "push" that got me started with it (thanks Kevin). So far it's been an enjoyable (and frustrating) project.

[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

You might try jewelers rouge on a buffing wheel to finish it off! excellent knife!

[crashdive123]

Just finished with some 500 grit sand paper. 1200 grit next and then I'll finish it off with some jewelers rouge and a buffing wheel. Thanks for the tip.