#10 Done... Results of "Mycarta"

N

Nic.

Joined
Dec 8, 2014
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Hey all! This is my last blade with the saw blade steel, I have 3 1084 blanks ground out that just need to be heat treated. I finished the blade to 1500 grit and then acid washed the blade, but not bevel. I just coated the bevel in paraffin wax(does any one have a better way?). The Mycarta is burlap and turned out really neat! I sander down to 1500 and then rubbed in a dot of oil, I'm pretty happy! What do ya'll think? Pin spacing was my main downfall with this knife I think. The etch got a but messed up while sanding the handle and sharpening, I'll have to carefully re do it. Under a couple of the pics you can see the rough micarta, huge difference!



 
You did good up until that blade grind. That angle is good for an axe but very poor for a knife even with what you may think is a thin piece of steel.
Take the grind up to near the top of the blade and you could end up with something that you made and cuts very well.
Frank
 
Frank Niro said:
You did good up until that blade grind. That angle is good for an axe but very poor for a knife even with what you may think is a thin piece of steel.
Take the grind up to near the top of the blade and you could end up with something that you made and cuts very well.
Frank
Click to expand...

Ok. Isn't this called a "Scandi" grind? It goes about 3 times the steel thickness up the blade. It cuts well so far, so what is the issue? I'm really just asking, I want to learn
 
It is a scandi grind. It just depends what you will use it for. The higher the grind, the less the angle. The less the angle, the better it will slice. The mycarta looks good and so does the fit and finish. I know it takes a while with files but try taking the next one up to a full flat or a high flat. You will be amazed at how much better it performs. I would also sand the bevel out to at leat 400 or so and it will greatly improve the looks. Overall its pretty good but with a little more time and elbow grease it could be great.
 
A few thoughts. I don't think pin placement was your biggest problem with this one. As Frank said it is your bevels. Think of the width of your blade as cutting potential. If you grind your bevels 20% of the way up the blade you're getting 20% of the cutting potential. The numbers aren't scientifically accurate. It's just to make a point. Why not grind the bevels all the way up? Also, whatever height you make your bevels, make them FLAT and SMOOTH. You left a lot of deep scratches there. Strive to make the grind line very evenly spaced from the edge. Your line seems to be a little inconsistent. Another observation is that you didn't finish the choil very well where the underside of the handle transitions down to the heel of the cutting edge. Go in there with sandpaper wrapped around a round file or a pipe and get that area clean and smooth. There is also a nick or scratch in the tang at the butt of the knife in the second picture. That should be easy to clean up. Overall it's a nice job and the burlap scales look nice. At this stage I wouldn't make knives in bunches. Concentrate on one at a time and really try to solve every problem the best you can. If you aren't learning and growing as a maker with each knife you make you're doing something wrong. Making 1 excellent knife is time better spent than making 20 so-so knives.
 
Rookie25 said:
It is a scandi grind. It just depends what you will use it for. The higher the grind, the less the angle. The less the angle, the better it will slice. The mycarta looks good and so does the fit and finish. I know it takes a while with files but try taking the next one up to a full flat or a high flat. You will be amazed at how much better it performs. I would also sand the bevel out to at leat 400 or so and it will greatly improve the looks. Overall its pretty good but with a little more time and elbow grease it could be great.
Click to expand...
Ok, thanks. I ground the bevel with my belt sander, I'll try a different grind next time though. Alright, I left the sanding lines in the bevel intentionally, I thought it made a nice contrast with the rest of the sanded blade. Thanks!
 
i4Marc said:
A few thoughts. I don't think pin placement was your biggest problem with this one. As Frank said it is your bevels. Think of the width of your blade as cutting potential. If you grind your bevels 20% of the way up the blade you're getting 20% of the cutting potential. The numbers aren't scientifically accurate. It's just to make a point. Why not grind the bevels all the way up? Also, whatever height you make your bevels, make them FLAT and SMOOTH. You left a lot of deep scratches there. Strive to make the grind line very evenly spaced from the edge. Your line seems to be a little inconsistent. Another observation is that you didn't finish the choil very well where the underside of the handle transitions down to the heel of the cutting edge. Go in there with sandpaper wrapped around a round file or a pipe and get that area clean and smooth. There is also a nick or scratch in the tang at the butt of the knife in the second picture. That should be easy to clean up. Overall it's a nice job and the burlap scales look nice. At this stage I wouldn't make knives in bunches. Concentrate on one at a time and really try to solve every problem the best you can. If you aren't learning and growing as a maker with each knife you make you're doing something wrong. Making 1 excellent knife is time better spent than making 20 so-so knives.
Click to expand...
Ok, I'll do a different grind next time, I wanted to try the scandi grind. I'll fix it when I go home today, I thought the lines on the bevel in contrast with the sanded blade looked nice, I have seen other knives like this and liked them. The etch was kinda wavy, I'll have to redo it, it got messed up when I put the handle on it. Thanks.
 
Nic,

The bevels are where the knife has to perform. Leaving waves, deep scratches, pits and other defects causes drag and diminishes the performance of the tool. After all, you are a tool maker and the tool should work as well as possible. Surface effects that look "cool" are fine but best left to other areas of the knife that don't have a direct affect on performance. You're doing fine. Just remember function first then aesthetics.
 
The vertical lines are not a problem, it just looks like 50 grit lines. Take it to a 220 or 400. The smoother the bevel is, the better it will slice also.
 
I like making burlap micarta too. Typically mine has voids from all the air space in the burlap. Yours looks pretty good. How did you combat the voids? Thin resin?
 
Omega Leather Works said:
I like making burlap micarta too. Typically mine has voids from all the air space in the burlap. Yours looks pretty good. How did you combat the voids? Thin resin?
Click to expand...

It was fun! The burlap was pretty unruly to get flat, but it worked alright. I have no idea to be honest. This resin was pretty thick but I used a lot and then clamped it hard in the vise between 2 boards. I was temped to run over it with my truck and flatter 'er down, but the vise worked fine! There were no air pockets though!
 
Nic. said:
It was fun! The burlap was pretty unruly to get flat, but it worked alright. I have no idea to be honest. This resin was pretty thick but I used a lot and then clamped it hard in the vise between 2 boards. I was temped to run over it with my truck and flatter 'er down, but the vise worked fine! There were no air pockets though!
Click to expand...
I've found that excessive pressure will squeeze out enough resin to leave dry spots in micarta that has high density like denim. Burlap has more room. Maybe next time I'll clamp the crap out of it and see what happens. :) Thanks for the advice.
 
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