2011 mini knife KITH

[fast14riot]

Well everyone I hope work on the minis is coming along smoothly. Some of you may only have an idea, others may only have materials collected, while other may only have good intentions, but I just hope everyone gets one made! I hope some of you other makers out there who have never done one, or just made a few full sized knives give this a try.

For those who are on the fence, here is a nice little tutorial put together by our moderator (and participent in this KITH) Bladsmth, A.K.A. Stacy.

MINI KNIFE TUTORIAL AND WIP


Hope all is going well for everyone!

-Xander Holman

 

[PIndelicato]

Just curious...do these need to be heat treated?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

They don't need to be heat treated, but they should be.

 

[Mike Davis]

Ok....so i wondered if it was possible..... I did a real thin clay coat and took a razor blade and spread out some super thin fingers coming out of the clay, trying to replicate a choji hamon. I did 3 seperate normalizing heats before i attempted to quench. Well i turned the light out and watched as the blade came up to sunset red, checked for magnetism, and did a 3 sec on, 3 sec off interrupted quench in 125 degree water.....and prayed. It came out a touch bent but it went into temper cycles sandwiched between some pieces of 3/4 x 1 inch 1018 at 400 for 2 cycles of 2 hours. Came out straight as an arrow! Here is the result.

 

[Daniel Fairly Knives]

Mike, that really looks great!

I still haven't decided on a final design, I'm debating whether or not I should make a mini of something I haven't made yet like a sword or through tang knife. I'm not sure if my tactical style would be up to par with the great stuff I'm seeing here.

Great tutorial Stacy!

 

[koyote]

Mike-

really excellent!

Daniel- honestly, I see no problems with miniature tacticals. and it gives you options to do things you wouldn't normally do to dress it up (like... ivory scales or 2000 grit polished blade or something) I've seen a lot of bowies done as miniatures, and several of the more or less iconic combat knifes.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I'm not going to say what type mini I am making, but:
I did the yaki-ire on my blade today. I can't see a hamon yet, so it may or may not have one. I did the shitaji togi on the water stones, then I make the fuchi and kashira. I just finished engraving them. I have the tsuka, tsuba, and sepa rough shaped, and will finish them when doing final assembly. The menuki are two very tiny rattlesnakes...complete with scales and rattle. They will be under micro tsuka-maki. Saya will be a trick, but the plan is for a black lacquered saya. I will,off course, tie up a mini sageo.
There have been no short cuts or cheating done on this mini....every item is exactly to scale and fully functional. I have several extra blades that ended up a tad too small for the 10:1 scale after the togi, and will be used for other projects.

 

[fast14riot]

Holy cow Mike! That sure is fantastic! I can't wait to see what comes of that.

Daniel, I think a tactical knife would be nice, as was said, you seldom see them in miniature.

Stacy, sounds like you are really going all out on some sort of Japanese sword, I'm already on the edge of my seat!

I am thinking of starting something different for the KITH, as I have developed some issues with the blade I have started. Some scratches from the files, that if I sand them out it will end up to thin for scale, or end up with a dip in the blade. Stacy, the wire you talk about that is sold at hobby stores (W1), are you talking about push rod wire for model airplanes or somthing else?

I am glad to see that this is coming together smoothly, and some truly awesome knives are sure to come from this!


-Xander

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Yes, it is also called piano wire. Small needle files are usually W-1 ,too.

 

[Mike Davis]

Stacy, i am all in knots waiting to see that! Being this is my first mini, i am trying to take my time and make sure i do everything as absolutely best as i can...I started to rough the blade out on some stones. Can't wait to see it Stacy! I am super excited, as your mini's are amazing!

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I shot some photos of the parts to date under the microscope camera. The blade is still in the handle jig. The smaller blade is an extra that was too small for this project. Scale is 10:1 - the rattlesnake menuki are about 5mm long.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Here is one more shot of the blanks i will use to make the tsuba and seppa.

 

[cbr900son]

Now thats a mini!

 

[fast14riot]

I started working on the guard today. It took me about 15 tries to get one I think will work. Broke a bunch of mini drill bits in the process. I started with some worn out hack saw blades for the stock, they were pretty flexible but really tough and I couldn't get the slot straight, so I went to my bicycle parts bin, found an old fender that was the right thickness and cut it up. It is mild steel and I still broke some bits. So I decided to make a punch to cut the slot. Took an old screwdriver, ground it to shape, heated it to critical and quenched in water. It did get pretty darn hard. Made a few practice runs before I got the hang of it. The neat thing is the knife I am copying is actually made this way as well! The hole is slightly undersized which is perfect, I will be sure to get a nice tight fit.

Now a few quick pics...

Hope everyone is having a little fun and making progress!

-Xander

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Goodn deal.

I worked on the smaller ( compared to the bigger one) sword today, and took a lot of photos. I'll post a bunch and some tips tonight.

 

[Daniel Fairly Knives]

Cool stuff everyone!

I finalized my design and have all my materials gathered... I think!

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Here are some shots of the sword .
Photos:
1) micro-engraving on fuchi
2) test fit parts on Tuska
3)fitting fuchi to tsuka
4) Fitting parts
5)all parts ready for final assembly

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Some more shots of the wakizashi and its big brother.
1) Kashira
2) Cutting the Ana in the fuchi
3) Tsuka-maki
4) Finished
5) Daisho

 

[fast14riot]

Holy cow, Stacy! Those are just incredible! Any idea which one is for the KITH?

Daniel, good to hear that you are finally getting started! What materials are you using?

I managed to get the guard rough fitted to the tang after work, even while watching my little monster of a son. It has just enough play to get on easy, but I will peen it to the tang for a seamless fit. I got some leather thin enough to be true to scale for a stacked handle. I am really enjoying the fact that this knife is true to scale even down to the tang, but I don't know if I wil be able to install the pomell with two pins so I may have to practice a bit this week after I get done filing for unemployment compensation...=(


Let's see some great knives!
-Xander

 

[Daniel Fairly Knives]

Daniel, good to hear that you are finally getting started! What materials are you using?

I'm going for a 1/4" scale model of one of my choppers. I'm probably using O1 steel. The tubes will be 1/16" aluminum and I have a top secret handle material I made to make it cooler! 3" long and 1/16" thick!

I'm hoping for a sheath also.