it's easy to work if you don't want a sharp, durable edge.
i actually find obsidian and glass easier.
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it's easy to work if you don't want a sharp, durable edge.
i actually find obsidian and glass easier.
neck knife progress:
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...kniferough.jpg
i've roughed it out, aside from the loop, which will come soon [don't have the tooling for it at present, but i can borrow].
i have started the blade bevel. and began rounding the edges.
soon, i'll have to harden and temper, then slowly wet-grind the final blade bevel and sand. i can't polish it yet either, but that will come soon enough.
this won't be a knife to brag about, but that's alright by me.
Nice progress. I like it.
Looks great Canid, I can't wait to see it finished. I like the size of it. I haven't gotten down to small knives yet. Still trying to put away the machete' I'd also like to see the sheath.
i'm waiting on the establishment of a new forge or furnace before i get to work on the leafspring i have. it's got parang written all over it.
I can see it now. Sharpened blade at the drill press making the hole. Drill sticks in metal. Knife become spinning blade of death!!!!!
Just kidding (I hope). It's going to look great when you're done!
i'm trying now to decide on whether i will proceed with the finger loop, or make a bulbous wood scale handle.
after feeling it in my hand, it fits great as is, without a finger loop.
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...Picture004.jpg
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...Picture003.jpg
as for the spinning blade of death, i've already got enough of them.
Canid,
I finally found these pics. Amazing! Absolutely amazing.
FVR,
I enjoyed your pics too.
Thank you both for sharing them.
Hugs,
Canid's mom
well i've got the knife hardened and tempered. i don't know how well the temper worked out, but it doesn't seem to chip on the blade readily [i'm sure i could, but i don't need to try that hard]
i have yet to see how durable the edge is, but it's had it's first real sharpening and i can shave a clean swath down my arm with it.
it got a fine sanding followed by a preliminary polishing, but i need a polishing wheel; it's a lot of work by hand.
i roughed out some cherry scales. i'm going to make a relatively slim bulbous scale handle for it. i still have to drill out two rivet holes, and it may be worth my while to soften the tang for that, though i don't know, i do have some carbide bits.
i'll probably update with pictures soon, with any new information and finally with the handle when it's done. i don't have the leather for a sheath yet, but i have an idea in mind.
almost forgot, i heated the blade for hardening by blowing into an oak wood fire with a troll pole [length of tubing for directing air into a fire to accellerate burning, like a manual bellows].
it took my breath away. seriously, i almost passed out by the time it was up to temp.
I've seen that method used before with two people tag teaming, so as to not pass out. Looking forward to seeing the new pics.
That would make a nice little companion knife it you could stitch an additional sheath to the outside of the existing one.
it would, though so far i have a neck sheath in mind for this one.
as you could imagine, it won't take much leather for the sheath either way, i just need to get ahold of some.
Looks great! looking forward to the neck knife sheath!
i'm half ready to cannibalize the leather from my saddle-bags. i with i still had my synthetic pair handy.
If you've got a cobbler or some other craftsman that works with leather you might be able to pick up some free scraps.
that just might be the best idea i never had.
A while back at a garage sale, I saw, but did not get an old pair of all leather combat boots. They were fifty cents - might have been able to get a couple of small sheaths out of something like that.
And, of course, Goodwill or some other thrift store might have a pair of leather boots for very little.
The knife is coming along very well!
That knife looks like it will be very handy. Nice job!
i haven't got a power drill to make the rivet holes so this knife is on hold for now.
next, i'm shaping out some new proper kitchen knives.
Hey Canid. I picked up a Craftsman 19v drill at Goodwill minus the battery charger. Came home and ordered the battery charger from Sears and wound up with a really nice drill for about half the cost of a new one. You might try a pawn shop. Of course, the guys at the pawn shops generally know the price of a tool.
the pawn shops here tend to ask about 125% of retail for anything that more than half works.
i've got the blade roughed out for the first kitchen knife, and a handle i may or may not like.
there are hardware stores around me that will rent powertools for real short change... might be an avenue worth lookin into
i haven't had $10 that wasn't already earmarked in a long time. i do have friends with more tools than i.
pictures:
blade is roughed out, and bevel of blade edge is ground in, but blunted to prevent scorching during heat treatment. the stock was a cheap steel machete, with black powder coating. i sanded to remove the coating.
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...gh_closeup.jpg
i have roughed out a handle, but i'm not sold on it's profile yet. the blade is still not heat treated yet, and the handle is dry fit.
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...ardened_01.jpg
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...ardened_02.jpg
Looks like it would be a welcome addition to any kitchen or field cook kit.
i think i'll take the spur on the base of the grip down a bit, so it's less pronounced. it's comfortable in the hand, but i'm not sold on the aesthetic.
i kind of like the texture and finish left by the orbital sander. i'm going to buff it as smooth as may be, to keep it from tarnishing too much, but otherwise, i will try to keep it.
i'm going to try something iffy with this after it's heat treated:
weak acid etching. tannin seems to be particularly nasty to carbon steel, given it's weak acidity. i'm going to make a strong tea of tanin rich bark and see if it'll work. i'm dubious, but i don't think it'll hurt and it might just work.
Looking forward to seeing the progress.
That's interesting.. I'm curious to see how the etching works out...keep us updated!!Quote:
Originally Posted by canid
me too. i have serious doubts, to be sure, but i can't wait to gibe a try.
we're getting rid of everything in storage in the next couple of weeks. i'll send whatever tools and useful things I find down with your uncle.
oh, ok. however it works out.
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...11-05-2009.jpg
here are the skinner, two of the kitchen knives and a couple broadheads.
they are ready to be polished up a bit [to bring the surface a tad closer to the low spots, and round the edges. it seems this will reduce scorching/tarnish when i heat treat.
after this comes the heat treatment, which i've been putting off to work in the garden.
i plan to heat treat the skinner again, because i re-ground the bevel on one side to remove some bulk and it got too hot in the process [carelessness on my part].
the broadheads where fun, and quick to make. they overheat quickly on the grinder, and i bet i could get the grinding and heating done in one move, then quench immediately. i keep cooling water next to the grinder anyway.
some more work on the handle aswell.
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...averhandle.jpg
this is the handle for the cleaver, and i plan to do the other kitchen knife in a similar fashion, but contoured better for more of a sideways grip, since it will be used for slicing as much as chopping.
They're coming along nicely. As usual, well done.
thank you; i'm under no delusions, some of my work is half #$%ed, but i'm having a great time and it looks like i'll come out with perfectly serviceable tools.
after all of this feels smooth to me, i'll move onto aesthetics, reducing imperfections and streamlining my work for efficiency and quality.
i absolutely love learning to do these things.
The mark of a good tool is one that is able to accomplish the job at hand. The art, as in you bows will come in time.
i've got a pot on the stove and i'm attempting the etching with a strong tea of ash leaves. they are pretty bitter, so they seemed a good candidate.
if this doesn't work i'll try it again, but will also try etching in warm cola.