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unfortunately, it's going to darken, and loose distinction in the figure quite a bit. i have not yet found anything in a clear finish that blocks UV quite well enough for Padauk.
it'll settle out somewhere in the neighborhood of a nice burgundy eventually.
Outstanding. Looking forward to the finished product.
i just cut out the blank for the santoku:
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...es/blank01.jpg
its 8" overall, 4" blade by 1 3/8" wide.
here's a rough view of the handle for the hunter:
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...ndle-rough.jpg
Sweet! Really like the blade too! Can't wait to see the finished product!
here's how the handle on the hunter is comming along:
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/img_0225.jpg
and the blade of the santoku. i'm working on the taper:
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/img_0228.jpg
Looking really great.
i've got the santoku much further along. the taper is dramatically improved, and the weight is now approaching something reasonable. filing notches by hand is harder than it looks. i'm going to have to spend a while evening them out:
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/img_0231.jpg
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/img_0232.jpg
Thats looking good.
Nice work. I've found that doing anything on these old saw mill blades by hand is pretty tough.
i sealed the handles yesterday with some polyurethane sealant, and i'm annoyed that it's still tacky. i can understand it taking longer to dry on the purpleheart, but the hunter should be dry now.
i'm tempted to apply gentle heat. maybe i'm just impatient.
speaking of the L-6, i think it would be the perfect material, and thickness for a kukri like the one i've been working on. have you ever tried one crash?
nice looking blades there, keep up the work.
I need to get my belt grinder finished so i also dabble in making a few blades i have drawn up, iuts been a few years since my last one.:tongue_smilie:
Make certain you use an outdoor polyurethane. I've found thin coats with light sanding in between to build up the sealer is much better than one heavy coat. It generally dries in well under 24 hours, too.
i've just been using a cheap ryobi 4x36" bench top belt sander; one of those combo deals with the 6" disk as well.
so far, it works great, though the drive belt it came with saw a piece of junk, the replacement was only a couple bucks.
the stuff i'm using is poly shades. you have to do it in one heavy coat.
so far, it works great, though i've been putting on a top coat or 6 of varathane.
I'm working on a couple of bigger blades now, but not a kukri style. Do you use the 6" wheel for much ginding -I'll bet you can do a nice flat grind on it.Quote:
Originally Posted by canid
i mostly save the 6" disks for wood. steel wears abrasive paper/cloth so quickly that i don't find it worth while, considering that belts are cheaper than disks in terms of surface area.
i think tomorrow's project will be making a wooden mold to press a sheath for the hunter.
i'm on the verge of tears as we speak; i decided to canibalize my saddlebags for knife sheaths.
i got them on sale, and at today's prices, there's just about $50 worth of leather in them anyway.
you know, i tried it, and the 6" disk is great for flat grinds if you keep the blade side at the top of the disk. because the disk moves faster at the outside, it grinds faster toward the blade side. it also gets hot fast, and the blade has to be cooled very often.
I'm going to build a circular flat grinder. I've tried a couple of homemade jobs and they were fantastic. One had a rheostat to control speed a switch to change direction, the other had two discs that rotated in opposite directions.
the disks get a bit expensive, but i have to say i'm impressed. i finished the flat grind on the santoku in about 5 min. and i tapered out the hunter a bit.
Think - sandpaper and contact cement, then trim with scissors. When it comes time to change it out - hair dryer and putty knife. Kind of a PITA, but a heck of a lot cheaper.
i overheated a disk on my sander a while back. the adhesive set up really hard, so the paper came off, leaving the gunk behind. i ended up having to use a chisel against the wheel with the motor on to scrape it all off.
I had a simialr experience. After I removed what I could, I turned it on and used a piece of 50 grit paper (in a gloved hand) and applied very light pressure. I came off pretty easily.
oh, nice.
i had a heck of a time getting the gunk off of mine, and new disks wouldn't adhere to it until i got it completely clean.
i'm a day behind, but today i made a wooden mold from some scrap i had laying around.
i traced the blade shape out on a scrap of one of the cherry lams i use for the bows. this is just a bit thicker than the blade; thick enough to be sturdy in the mold i believe.
after tracing it out, i rough cut it and then sanded it to profile, then beveled it, in an approximation of the grind of the blade.
next, i traced the blade out on a block of white oak scrap, and then scored along the lines with a knife. i used a chisel to carve out the shape of the blade, to a depth a little deeper than the blade is thick, to accomodate the leather for the front panel of the sheath. next time, i use a softer wood. this oak is a pain to carve.
i cut out a rectangle of leather a bit larger than the finished front panel will be, and soaked it in warm water for a while. next, i worked it by hand to soften it up a tad, and make it more pliable. this will allow better penetration of the water.
i am heating the water on the stove top, and will remove the leather once it has sat near a simmer for a few min.
next, i will place it over the female die [the wooden mold i carved out] and place the male die [the blade shaped piece] over the top, centered properly, and then clamp it firmly into place.
the back panel is already cut roughly to shape, and when the front piece is cooled, the two will be fitted together, holes punched, and the two stitched together.
after that, i will form the loop, punch, stitch and proceed to trim it to shape, then burnish smooth again. if i can install a couple rivets, i will.
the next sheath i try will be one of the side seam type.
i only half know what i'm doing here, so this will be fun.
well, i definitely didn't anticipate this much shrinkage. i don't think i needed to harden the leather at all, as thick as it is. i may have to start over with a new front panel piece.
here is the sheath i made, as well as a frog for one of the other knives, for my friend nick.
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...es/sheaths.jpg
i wish the molding showed more definition, but i think i softened the leather too much. it stretched, but it's now very soft and pliant, even after drying. i also should have trimmed the leather better before stitching.
Looks great man! You are one talented dude!
thanks ted. i know i'm going to come to regret sacrificing my saddlebags, but honestly i'd like some nicer ones anyway. i have long term plans to design and make some composite hard-bags. that would be the height of slickness.
Bro, you get any slicker you could slide under a door!....LOL!Quote:
Originally Posted by canid
Looking good. Are you adding straps (almost said thongs) to secure the knives in their sheaths?
i'm thinking about it, yeah.
well, i've got more than a few in the half done to mostly done range, but here are two more. these are the last two from the steel crash sent me:
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...le_more-02.jpg
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...le_more-01.jpg
i opted not to make a second of the 4" wavy hunter, so i free-handed one i really like the feel of. i guess it's kind of a nessie.
the large one will probably get a handle just like the original, it's just larger.
Nice. Me likey.
Nice stuff there canid.
Looking good as usual!
one knife i've always wanted to make is a leverletto. that's an itallian stiletto style automatic knife with a lever release, instead of the push button.
because automatic knives are not legal here, i want to make one which has no spring. if i can make certain that this would prevent it from being considered an automatic knife [it would still have to be opened manually, and the lock would serve only to lock it closed, and lock it open], then i'll get started on it. i absolutely love classic switchblade knives, and i used to own a functioning one that was very nice.
here's a picture to show what i'm talking about:
http://billdeshivs.com/bd/images/leverletto1.jpg
i have two panels of that pronghorn hunter sent me which would probably be well suited for scales.