Another dagger?!?!

tryppyr

tryppyr

Joined
Feb 5, 2010
Messages
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I'm in trouble now. Last week my uncle took a look at the dagger I made for the KITH and said I ought to "keep it in the family". Actually, he asked me to give it to him. Last night my wife told me she was disturbed that I was giving it away. Turns out it was the first knife I've made that she really enjoys. She said "it has a classic look, unlike your other knives". ;)

Alas, as I have told both of them, I made a commitment to putting that one in the KITH, and I keep my commitments.

So, rather than finish up the other smaller knife I already started, I've decided to start on yet another dagger, just to keep the peace in the family (and let them know what I have done once I can do again).

This one will be a bit different. I'll be using Aldo's 1084 for this one instead of damascus. The bars I have are wider than the one I used for the KITH dagger (1.25" as opposed to the 1" bar for the KITH), so I'll have to rethink the profile a bit or do a lot more removal. I think I'll use the 1/8th inch bar stock for the blade and the 1/4 inch for the guard and pommel.

I've already sectioned the remaining hunk of ivory into two blocks and a pair of scales, and I'll be using the center block (tapioca look) for the handle on this dagger. There's already a challenge because this part of the ivory some voids at the end that will be the butt. Hopefully I can work around those and cover any remaining voids on the end with the pommel.

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Who knows... I might even get this one done by Christmas. :) Probably not.

- Greg
 
Looking forward to seeing this one come together. I'm sure your family will like it just as well as the first one.
 
You've made one already so this one, heck, you should have it ready by Sunday night! I have the utmost confidence in you Greg.

- Paul Meske
 
Yesterday I cut out the profile for the blade and tapered the tip. Today I cut in two of the four plunge lines and started the filing. I also cut out the rough shape for the guards and TRIED to dill out the slot. I burned through three drill bits and never made it past the halfway mark. Obviously, the 1084 is somewhat tougher than the 1095... or the drill bits are weaker.

I also filled the void at the butt end of the handle block. Mostly this was an experiment to see if the idea would work. What I did was fill the void with ivory dust, and tamped it down until it was pretty surely filling all the empty space. I then dripped some CA on it and tamped it until it seemed to have filled the void too. After letting it dry I sanded down top the surface and was disappointed to see a stark difference in color... much more gray than the ivory dust or the surrounding area, but the texture is right. Oh well, this idea isn't good enough for visible surfaces, so I'll try something else if I hit another void.

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Greg, I would suggest slotting your guards first and then shaping them. Much easier to work on a square part.
I think that you are now ready for a grinder. It looks like you are pretty much bitten by the bug.
 
Thanks for the advice, Patrice. I may need to start over on the guard anyway. If so, I'll follow your advice. As for the grinder, I'm still trying to figure out where I'd put it and how to get it portable enough to go outside (to handle the dust problem), yet anchored enough so I don't have to chase it when applying some pressure on the work piece. Not having a shop is a real limitation. One other alternative is for me to get rid of a lot of the other stuff I've been saving that takes up space in the garage (my old radio collection, for example). I might try to do that and find space for a grinder.
 
CAn I point out that the triangular ricasso area, while interesting on the dagger,

it shows up every little irregularity that isn't perfectly symmetrical and sharply shaped.
 
I finally got the guard slot roughed in. Ruined every appropriately sized drill bit I had (8 in all) doing it, but at least it's done. Sure do miss those carbide bits I bought some time back (and promptly lost).
 
Greg, i would suggest taking a torch and heating it up to a dull red and letting it cool in still air. That will take the hardness out of the center of the metal...I had the same issue with some of the 1084. Just an fyi for the next one :) Looking good so far.
 
I spent some time getting the guard and the blade blank together, mostly so I can determine whether to keep the guard or start over on a new one. The dimensions on this one are going to be different than the first, and I'm not sure I like the difference. The one is shorter (side to side) and fatter (top to bottom). I'm doing this because I expect the handle to be thicker on this one. I'm just not sure I'll like the proportions... especially when compared with the first. Much will change before this one is finished, but as it stands now, it seems a bit clunky.

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I have the same issue with space for a grinder. I fixed it by building a portable work station from a truck brake drum, length of 2 1/2" pipe , and a 12"x12" piece of plate for a top. Then I screwed a tab to the bottom of my grinder. I clamp the tab on the bottom of the grinder to the table top and voila, portable grinding station. Hope that helps some.
 
Calvin, if you could provide a picture of your setup that would be very helpful. I think I get what you're describing, but I'd like to be sure.
 
No offense, tryppyr, but your dagger looks much like... a dagger! I'm so disappointed :-P
 
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Well, who knows... maybe I'll carve a salmon into the handle this time... or maybe a bunch of them... swimming upstream to spawn.
 
I took a bit of a break from this project to wrap up some work I was doing for another of my hobbies (building a database of obsolete currency proof notes). I had to integrate data from 92 catalogues someone sent me detailing over 2100 auction lots I didn't have recorded before. Now that I've finished that project, I've started up on this one again.

Right away I determined that I don't want to use the guard I already started on, but I don't know what I *do* want yet. I'm putting that aside for now and focusing on the blade. Still using the big first cut file to hog away the bevels.

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Greg,
You do such good work with limited tools and it is an inspiration. On Wed. I was teaching my nephew how to make a knife (seems all little boys want to try). When I handed him the steel and a file He looked at me like I was crazy. So I brought him in to the computer and showed him your work. After seeing your work he went after the steel like a man on a mission. He made a great little knife using a file, sandpaper, and stones. Then he asked if I would show you a picture of it to see if you would be impressed. Well I haven't taken pics yet, but I will soon. So thank you for posting your WIP. He asked his dad yesterday at lunch if he could get a knifemaking set-up for Christmas so he could make more. So if you ever get discouraged just remember you are an inspiration to a lot of us.
Dan
 
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