Amateur Hour - Customized Imperial and other traditional knives

Imperial Small Serpentine Jack (peanut?) Rehandle
2 blade - clip and pen
2 3/4" closed length
Hand-filed nickel silver bolsters
Nickel silver pins
Mammoth ivory handles
Natural patina

This was a very difficult build. It was my first time trying something with bolsters and end caps. This presented quite a new challenge to properly fitting the handles because you are not dealing with them being flush with one - but two ends! As a result, its not quite flush in a few places, but its mammoth and I didnt exactly want to throw it out and start over. Speaking of mammoth, this was my first experience working with it. It was also difficult due its flaking and inconsistent hardness, and not knowing for sure what it was going to look like fully sanded and polished. I got it shaving sharp too, but dang its tough to sharpen such tiny blades!

That said, I am really pleased with it. Its a slim little knife with alligator snap on both blades. No blade rubbing, and a beautiful patina on the blades.

My original intent was to list this one when finished, but right now I am on the fence....

What do you think?



















 
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Looks much better with the new scales, and really I don't think I've ever seen ANY small Imperial jack with handles/"covers" that didn't end up shrinking away from the bolsters, exposing either gaps (older Imperials) or the underlying metal (clamshells), except for my single Imperial serpentine which happens to be an advertising knife, and the clear material over top of the advertisement is still fully intact. This is more the exception than the rule, I think, so as long as you keep your expectations in check I imagine that a knife like that would draw some interest. Maybe one photo should include a "before" inset with a smaller pic in one of the corners showing what the knife used to look like. This gives buyers a comparison and reinforces that they would be receiving a unique knife that would require a rather rare skill set to even approximate.

If you find the secret to measuring material for a dual-bolstered jack like this I hope you pass along some advice. I'm still exceedingly nervous about the idea of tackling a rehandle/refurbishment project, even using one of the clunkers sitting in my fixit box. Your thread and these pics give me hope, though. :D :thumbup:
 
Okay trying something new here!

I am going to begin the next project soon, but this time I'll let you guys pick the material. Our candidate is an old Utica kutmaster Barlow. TsarBomba, this one will be my first non clamshell restoration. Currently it's dirty and rusty and missing it's composite handles.

While it soaks in some WD40, how about you guys vote on materials? I'll add up the votes in a few days to see what won.

Options:
  • Green Linen Micarta
  • Natural Stag
  • Old Antique Axe Handle



The third option involves a broken axe handle to an axe that I need to re hang. The axe belonged to my wife's grandfather, and is at least 60 years old. I believe the wood is hickory but I'm not sure.


Here is your before:

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The little imperial looks great Jeff! Those double bolsters on the serpentine frame look like they would be tricky to do.

The barlow will be a cool project. I vote for the old axe handle. I wonder what wood it is. Hickory maybe?
 
jprime84 said:
While it soaks in some WD40, how about you guys vote on materials? I'll add up the votes in a few days to see what won.

Options:
  • Green Linen Micarta
  • Natural Stag
  • Old Antique Axe Handle

The third option involves a broken axe handle to an axe that I need to re hang. The axe belonged to my wife's grandfather, and is at least 60 years old. I believe the wood is hickory but I'm not sure.
Click to expand...

Axe handle, 100%. It makes it more than a unique Barlow, it makes it a special one. One that has to go to the kids. This isn't even a question, and I'm normally a proponent of stag and green micarta. :D My only request related to this one is that you leave a 2-blade if at all feasible, and maybe try to emulate that oblong egg-ish shape in the bolsters that Uticas and Kutmasters always had. Do you have a "J. PRIME" stamp yet you can use on the new ones? Or, even better, the same text style as the old PRIMBLE Barlows with the "BL" taken out. :D Looking forward to the magic you'll undoubtedly work, sir. :thumbup:

Doing my doings today with a few of the bargain bin pickups, came to a realization. Those Japanese Sabre Barlows and daddy Barlows are pinned and fairly well-built, but you can get Delrin-handled examples with strong intact liners and a beefy blade* for virtually the same price as most of those old Imperials (and possibly even that Kutmaster), plus you're left with pre-drilled liners and much better extant bolsters (assuming you want to maybe polish some up and stamp the pile side instead of fabricating your own one day :)).

My refinishing skills are nonexistent for now, but I think that's how I'm going to start out when I get everything together for a bona fide attempt. The daddy Barlow I picked up would probably turn into a complete gem of a knife with some TLC and some refurbishing ability. Heck, I may start poking around some old family junk to see if there are any axes that don't need their handles any more. :cool:

* My old bone-handled Sabre is almost certainly carbon steel from the smell when I sharpened it, but this new Delrin one might be too clean to be anything but stainless -- I'll know more as I try to clean it up. Even so, the blade is a solid and clean/unpitted, pinchable clip. I think it can hold its own with any old carbon Imperial.
 
No knife updates yet, but after having a few success stories I decide to upgrade my garage workbench a bit.

Got a new dedicated light fixture, new drill press, new storage, and new dedicated bench top belt/disc sander. These with my other recent purchases of the grinder/buffer and band saw should put me in a position to decrease my work time and increase my precision. I am very excited!

471ebc86a509db126f8fe048179141df.jpg
 
jprime84 said:
No knife updates yet, but after having a few success stories I decide to upgrade my garage workbench a bit.
Click to expand...

Nice digs, Jeff, I'm sure the sander and grinder will serve you well (and increase your production enough where I some day won't feel bad about asking you to make some old Barlow liners and blades into a worthy heirloom knife. :D
 
Nice work area Jeff. I miss my garage/work bench. I have a bench in the basement of the new house but I hate making a dusty mess down there.

Your work is coming along nicely. How are you fixed for knives? I've got a couple clamshell Imperial full size Stockman knives in good shape.

dab4e68fe92ed35bf46d2e262c8fddaa_zpsasdgq4e9.jpg


The DE has had the Spey and sheepsfoot blades customized. They're now a spear point and a wharncliffe. Sharp little buggers too.

They're yours if you want them but there are two catches.

1, I have to go to Charlotte, NC tomorrow for six days so I won't be able to ship them until some time the following week.

2, You post a photo when you're finished with them.
 
Great work on the knives, if I find some good imperial shell handles I'll see if you want em, because I too want to see you providing this service in the future[emoji106]
Connor
 
ConBon said:
Great work on the knives, if I find some good imperial shell handles I'll see if you want em, because I too want to see you providing this service in the future[emoji106]
Connor
Click to expand...

I appreciate it - but no rush! I did some ebay stalking for a few weeks and I have a box of about 20 knives of various patterns. Should keep me busy for a while.

pertinux said:
Say, that looks great! The map: where you are, or where you want to be?

~ P.
Click to expand...

The map is of Jordan Lake in central NC near where I live. I fish out of my kayak, and bought the map as a reference, although I rarely get out on the big lakes.
 
Here is the latest refurb

Utica Cutlery Kutmaster Barlow
Sheepsfoot and pen - Carbon steel
Antique Axe handle covers

This was the first non-clamshell style I have tackled. You can see the before a few posts up. Covers are from an broken axe handle of mine that I need to re-hang. It was inherited from my wife's grandfather. I cut the handle slabs at an angle to the grain, producing the beautiful pattern that you can see. I took the two handle pins out of the knife, and removed the springs. I left the pivot intact, and cleaned everything. I flattened out the brass liners, and reassembled with new nickel silver pins.

I decided to leave much more of the original character in the knife's bolsters, blades, and springs. I did polish everything to remove any surface crud from the steel, but I did not sand any of it like I did the wood, other than the springs and liners along the back to make sure it was all even. Finally, new edges applied to both blades.

What do you think of the material?















 
jprime84 said:
Here is the latest refurb
Utica Cutlery Kutmaster Barlow
Sheepsfoot and pen - Carbon steel
Antique Axe handle covers
...
What do you think of the material?
Click to expand...

That old axe handle turned out better than I could have ever dreamed, I'm glad you chose it for your material. I think you may have just built the first Utica "ancient" Barlow. :D

Awesome work, Jeff! :thumbup:
 
So my next project is for a friend of mine who was looking for a medium to large single blade that is easily pinched open.

I found this "The Ideal" two bladed cigar jack with the clam shell style handles.
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The plan is to remove the secondary blade, and add an easy open notch. This will also be my first folder in stag. I have started cleaning things up. I still need to get bolsters done.
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Stay tuned!
 
Looks like it will be a good one Jeff!

Best way to haft the stag and keep as much of the natural character as possible is to sand it from the back side until it's just about flush with the bolsters.
 
Bolsters are soldered and stag has been cut to size and sanded to the right thickness. My next step will be to pin the stag to the scales and then rough shape the handles before assembly.

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