.45 cal pirate pistol/folder

WOW Bruce

Your work is incredible. Thanks for sharing, I am at a loss words to describe the amazement I have for what you have done.

Does the blade lock in the closed position also to keep it in place during recoil?

Thanks again for sharing. I cannot get enough of these photos :)
Brian
 
BrianThie said:
WOW Bruce

Your work is incredible. Thanks for sharing, I am at a loss words to describe the amazement I have for what you have done.

Does the blade lock in the closed position also to keep it in place during recoil?

Thanks again for sharing. I cannot get enough of these photos :)
Brian
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The spring that assists the blade when opening will also keep the blade closed because of the over-centering effect at the blades pivot. No need for a detent this way.

Thanks for the compliments.
 
Made abit more progress the last couple days. I drilled and tapped the frame for the ram rod and turned some O-1 stock down until it looked like a ram rod. Also bolted the cannon (barrel) in place.

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I had to turn the heads on all the screws and cut them to length for the bolsters. Next comes the ivory grips. I need to get this thing in the mail this week for the embellishments. Just a couple more days of tuning and tweaking first. I'm having a walnut display box with a beveled glass lid made for it already too.

Thanks again for all the kind words guys!
 
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scottickes said:
Bruce,
Is that a nick I see in the cannon barrell?
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Yep there is a bigger one on the other side where the blade scrapes it when opening and closing. This falls into the "tuning and tweaking" for a day or two. Dont sweat the small stuff. I'm more worried about the assisted opener that is still untested completely or the hammer/trigger engagement and spring pressure.
 
Bruce, when I see that you have updated your posts it makes me smile in anticipation. I haven't been disappointed yet. Except when there are no pictures. :D This one's a winner!
 
I dunno what's crazier... You sitting there thinking "I need to make a pistol with a knife attached" or you sitting there building the knife with the pistol attached then you keep building them. I mean we've all seen historical items that we shake our heads at and file it under "that's cool" but you actually DID the cool thing and KEEP doing the cool thing. :thumbup:
 
Bruce, will you let us see the whole thing put together one last time before you send it for engraving? Also, a quick question. Do you select the areas to be embellished before you send it away, or do you leave those decisions to the engraver? Do you suggest a theme or specific patterns for engraving? If so, what do you have in mind for this one? I guess those are all questions. :) How lucky can someone get to wake up to this?
 
ddavelarsen said:
Bruce, will you let us see the whole thing put together one last time before you send it for engraving? Also, a quick question. Do you select the areas to be embellished before you send it away, or do you leave those decisions to the engraver? Do you suggest a theme or specific patterns for engraving? If so, what do you have in mind for this one? I guess those are all questions. :) How lucky can someone get to wake up to this?
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Hi Dave, yep I will snap a pic or two before it leaves for the engraving.

Any area big enough is a canvas for some embellishment. Inside curves are hard for the tool to move so those areas may not get anything or possibly just some texturing. As for the theme, I just tell him what time period it is from and how much my budget allows and he will cover accordingly. More money gets heavier coverage naturally. Their skill never ceases to amaze me. It pays to have somebody I trust and it takes them years to develop their skills and earn their reputations. This one is going to Tom Ferry. He is a friend and we have talked about it several times so he knows me well and understands my mind for this one. If it works out we will do another one.
 
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Another great project. Can't wait till its done. Tom is such a talented individual. He can do just about anything. His mind works differently than most of ours. Very creative.
 
Today I worked on the handle scales. I flattened the back sides and glued a thin fiber spacer on to help seal them from moisture. The bolsters are slightly dovetailed so I had to match the ivory to them. The rear bolsters each have a thin metal spacer that will be file worked and it is pinned and superglued to them.

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Bruce, is super glue the best way to attach fiber spacer material to the handle material? I have been using gorilla glue or epoxy, but they both make such a mess. If super glue is good for it i may start using it, sure would help with the cleanup. :D
 
Terry_Dodson said:
Bruce, is super glue the best way to attach fiber spacer material to the handle material? I have been using gorilla glue or epoxy, but they both make such a mess. If super glue is good for it i may start using it, sure would help with the cleanup. :D
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I only use super glue now. I really think its the best way to go. There is no clean up really. Not all super glues are created equal though. I hate that cheap stuff from the dollar store. I like EZ bond as it will give you some time to get things put together and clamped. I also use the accelerator for instant drying or the de-bonder if things go wrong.
 
Awesome...I'm slackjawed over here.

Maybe things have changed in the past 20 years or so but I remember accelerator always turning the super glue yellow on me. Ever have trouble with that?
 
bluejaunte said:
Awesome...I'm slackjawed over here.

Maybe things have changed in the past 20 years or so but I remember accelerator always turning the super glue yellow on me. Ever have trouble with that?
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I havent had the yellow trouble. I think super glue must be better these days.
Thanks for the compliment.
 
Keith_H said:
Looks great, Bruce. I assume that you are making this a take down construction?
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Yes, it pretty much has to be a take down because there are so many parts. I could permanatly attach the scales but I may as well just drill them for screws. I thought about tig welding the barrel in place too but its easier to remove and clean by just removing 2 screws.
Thanks for asking.
 
This is looking great and I'm sure the ivory and engraving will be as good a combination on this one as on your last one. Still, a pirate knife sounds a bit rougher to me. Maybe some nice beat up bark Mammoth scales on the next one you do?
 
Bruce Bump said:
I havent had the yellow trouble. I think super glue must be better these days.
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Don't discount my ability to screw up everything I touch. My father and I both have what he calls the "Sidam Touch". ;) :D

IMHO this one just screams for traditional, rough sailor's scrimshaw on those scales. You know, boats, dolphins, mermaids...that sort of thing.
 
Glad to see the project coming along so well Bruce. Tom was over today and brought his latest engraving efforts along for me to see. Bruce I really find it hard to believe how far and how fast his engraving skills have comes. These two knives I saw today took my breath away. He mentioned that he was expecting the cut -n - shoot pretty soon to work on. I know he will do an excellent job for you and the end customer.
 
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