Advice for newbie please..filling voids..burl finnishing

Joined
Jun 20, 2007
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28
Hi All
Iv made a few knives and done a blomin good job even if I do say so myself but now I need some help.
I took the plunge and purchased a damascus blank and some lime burl and everything looked great untill I got to the end of shaping the scales.They started off bookmatched but now I have one side that looks very nice and even but the other side looks fantastic but it has what I believe are called checks and voids in it.
How can I fill the voids without spoiling the knife and also how can I get a high gloss finnish on burl.Could I use a automotive spray laquer ?.

Any advice would be much aprieciated.

Thanks
Si
 
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I use acraglass gell from Brownells. I't an epoxy used for bedding rifle actions in stocks. works great, dries clear, just takes some time to cure before shaping.
 
On my Buckeye Burl handles ( and many other burls), large voids, cracks, etc. are the norm.
I put a cookie sheet under the grinder and catch a good bit of the sanding dust when doing the grinding. When the handle is at the final shape, I mix some sanding dust with clear epoxy,making a thick wood putty. I pack it into all the voids. I then sand the voids smooth (after the epoxy cures for a day) and when all is smooth, I coat the "repair" with super thin CA. This goes in and bonds the patch to the wood real good, filling all the pores. I fill all the tiny checks,pin holes, cracks, etc. on the handle with the CA,too. Sand, re-apply CA, and after about 3-4 times it is perfectly smooth and shines evenly. The repair looks exactly like all the other "eyes" and lines in the burl.
Stacy
 
Keep filling the holes and checks wth super glue and then sand flush.
Try a finish bt Formby's if you can find it .
take care
TJ
 
Hi All
Thanks for the advice and thanks to 82stang for asking what CA is (I didnt know either).
Stacy,am I right in thinking I can finnish the whole handle with ca and if done right will I end up with a glass like finnish ?.

Thanks
Si
 
Well, Yes and No.
If you continue to coat the handle and build up a thick layer of acrylic resin, then yes, it will get a glassy look (not everyone likes this), but it is not all that durable.
However, If you apply the CA, sand down with 400, apply,sand,etc. You will penetrate the wood fibers and seal the surface. The handle will buff nicely, but won't look like it was coated with plastic (this is preferred).
Stacy
 
Thanks Stacy that sounds like a much better finnish.I will have a go at it this afternoon.

Thanks again
Si
 
Stacy's first suggestion is the best and what I would use most of the time with larger checks and voids...if they are really small I would use just the cyanoacrylate method.

I would suggest getting a cyanoacrylate accelerator as well! Sometimes it takes the glue a while to set when it's just sitting on the surface...the accelerator will help speed things up a bit!
 
Ok thanks to the advice on here and on another forum I have filled the voids and I am now half way through doing a super glue finish.Its not easy but the results should be worth the effort.I will post a picture when its done.

Thanks for all the help
Si
 
Iv done it.......now where do I post the pictures for some feedback on my work ?.

cheers
Si
 
I tried to post in the gallery but for some reason Im not allowed so I will post it here


Hi all
After some help elsewhere on the forum I finnaly finished my damascus knife.
Iv only been doing this for a month and this is my 4th knife,Iv never made anything before but thought I would give it a go.
The blade is by "Alistar" who ever he is.Its 512 layers of 1095 and 15N20 with a rockwell hardness of 58-60.
The bolsters are buffalo horn and the scales are lime burl with a ca glue finish.This was my first and last attempt at unstabalized burl as it took hours and hours to apply 15-20 coats sanding in between.Red fiber liners finish it off along with 5mm stainless pins.
All in all it took me over 50 hours but as I said Im new to this and I am also dissabled.

Please tell me what you think and also what you think it is worth as I will have to sell it to buy more knife making supplies.

Thanks
Si

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh50/sigee32/Damascus_No1c.jpg

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh50/sigee32/Damascus_No1F.jpg
 
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Thanks Edro20 shame realy because I dont want to sell it.

Hi steven Iv just looked at the picture and everything you can see on the bolster is just reflection.It is almost totaly black although a little translucent with some faint white swirls under the surface.The picture makes it look cracked and multi coloured but in reality you have to hold it up to the light to see anything but black glossy horn.
 
Does anyone have any idea what I should be asking for this knife (if I can bring myself to sell it)

Thanks
Si
 
The finished product looks good. Nice job.

As far as pricing goes, it really depends on who made it , and who is buying it.
If the blade is a pre-made finished blank, add about $100-150 for the handle and finishing work. That is about all the traffic will bear on a semi-kit knife. If you made the blade yourself, from a purchased bar of damascus, and sent it out for HT, take the cost of the bar, and then add about $150-200 for the handle and labor.
If you made the damascus yourself,did your own HT, and it is sole authorship - you just have to figure out your costs and come up with a price that works for you.

Where you sell the knives makes a difference,too. At a flea market, Bill Moran would have had a hard time getting more than $100 for a knife. At the Blade Show, his knives fetched many thousands of dollars.

Selling at a local knife show is a good way to get some experience. But first,attend a couple and show your knives around to the makers there. They will be glad to look at them and critique you. You should be able to see similar knives by fairly newer makers and get an idea of pricing. PLEASE NOTE: I personally think that anyone who brings knives in their backpack with the intent to sell to non-table holders at a show, are cheats, and are stealing from those who paid for the right to sell knives.Some shows allow this, but most don't..
When you do pay for a table, and start in for real, be aware that just because a big name maker gets $750 for a simple drop point hunter, that has nothing to do with your (probably equally nice looking) knife and what it will get. I have sold damascus bowies for $350 (after an hour of haggling from my starting price of $450), and a few tables down the big name guy was turning down offers of over a thousand for an identical knife.
While not a hard rule, the bigger the show, the bigger the prices. That is partly because the bigger shows attract more well known makers, and partly because the show fees are higher.

Start at reasonable ( and most likely, not very profitable) pricing.

Another easy way to get your feet wet, is to pay for a knifemaker membership on this forum, and list your knives in the FOR SALE sub-forum. You will be selling to folks who know knives and who have seen your work on this knife.They will be able to look at your posts, see what you have done, and see where you are going. There is little hidden from the folks who purchase there.Take a look in the FOR SALE area, and see what pricing is like for similar knives.

Keep at it, and don't plan on getting rich doing this. It is a fun and rewarding hobby, that allows you to sell the end result for,say $300, thus justifying the fact that you spent thousands on equipment and supplies to do it, as being sound business sense.:)

One final thought and comment on prices and makers:
If someone purchases a finished or pre- shaped damascus blade for ,say, $200, then buys a set of mammoth scales for $150, adds about $50 in other needed items and supplies- He has about $400 invested in making one knife. He may decide to ask $750, thinking that is a reasonable price for all his "hard work".
Another known maker buys a mammoth tusk for $3000 and cuts out 30-50 sets of scales. He buys $500 of steel and makes many billets of damascus from it, forging 30-50 blades. He buys his finishing materials by the box, his belts by the dozen, and does his own HT. He makes 30-50 knives for a total of, say $4500.That works out to about $100-150 per knife for the materials. He sells his knives for $750, to compensate himself for all the "hard work". Yes , he makes more money at it, yes it takes a lot more equipment, yes it takes a lot more work. The big factor is that a potential buyer will know that,too. He will gladly pay for the skill and craftsmanship, but will unlikely pay for the same result in an assembled knife...... and most of the buyers can tell the difference.


Stacy
 
Hi Stacy
Thanks again for comming to my aid,and thanks for going to so much trouble to answer my question.
Going by what you have said my knife is going to be worth $150-$200 which here in the UK mean £75-£100.As Im disabled and house bound much of the time and my partner works full time I realy dont care how much of my time goes into a knife so the only out lay I have is materials.If I sell the knife for £75-£100 it will pay for alot of new materials and I can continue to make more and learn more so I am very happy with the figures you quote.Im not doing this to make money,I just love doing it and it stops me going mad starring at the walls all day.
Thanks again
Si
 
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