Another slipjoint critique

T

Taximanny

Joined
Jul 27, 2015
Messages
460
This is my 6th slipjoint...
I'm starting to get the hang of it ( knock on wood)
Getting them to close dead center now, and with a my new reamer I can get the pivot pin to totally disappear in the washer.
Also this is my first CPM 154 blade and spring.

Would like some critiques
I would like to go to SS liners very soon.
Get a punch for the makers mark also been thinking of a shield of some sort.
Would it be wrong in the traditional sodbuster form.

Any critiques in helping me improve my work or suggestions on what I could do to my knives in the future?



 
There's nothing wrong with the looks of that folder at all! If I were to do anything it would
be to put more of a rounded curve on the scales- would take away the blocky look. Again
thats my take someone else may like it as is.
Ken.
 
kc custom said:
There's nothing wrong with the looks of that folder at all! If I were to do anything it would
be to put more of a rounded curve on the scales- would take away the blocky look. Again
thats my take someone else may like it as is.

Ken.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same.
I'm rounding the scales a big 1/16" away from the 1/16" liners.
I'm not sure how much to go.
Possibly all the way to the liners?
Is rounding it the norm / more eye pleasing ?
 
Is the nail knick supposed to be that far forward? I ask, because I don't know.

If I owned it, I would add a short dark leather lanyard. I would like to see a copper or brass lanyard hole. Copper would be really cool with that color handle, if possible.
I really think it looks great. Fine work.
 
RicFlair said:
Is the nail knick supposed to be that far forward? I ask, because I don't know.

If I owned it, I would add a short dark leather lanyard. I would like to see a copper or brass lanyard hole. Copper would be really cool with that color handle, if possible.
I really think it looks great. Fine work.
Click to expand...

Thanks
I'm not sure if mix matching the metal colors would jive much... But can't say it would be wrong or not even look good.
I don't do lanyards but I had some feedback from friends to have one in the knife.

I put the nail nick where it feels most comfortable to me when I grab the blade to open it.
 
Yeah once you get to the stage you're at now, you can start to look for areas that you can trim fat. If I'm nit picking (and that's all it'd be, you're doing just fine), you could slim the scales (thickness) down, and look at where you could remove material from the profile without exposing the part of the tang you want hidden.

Usually there's room to remove material from the "bolster" area, just look at the back square to see how much you can remove from the top, and the ramp to see at the bottom, look at the end in the closed position, and look at the bottom front of the bolsters/handle in the half stop position, if you've got a half-stop.

The more you can remove without exposing the internals, the more proportional the knife will look, there's something important about having the blade and the handle appearing roughly the same length in the open position. The handle looks a fair bit "taller" than the blade, which is kind of the same as the length factor I mentioned, you could take more material away from the bottom of the handle, flowing into the blade (i.e. not much at the heel, but more toward the bolster area) and make the whole thing look more proportional.



After that, it's just mechanical affectations, crispness of the walk and talk, snap, pull, etc, as long as everything lines up. Making sure you've got no slack or wobble.

One other thing is the inside grind on the bottom of the scales, which you usually have to get into with a slack belt or rotary platen to clean up. Making sure the "flat" at your liners is either consistent thickness all the way down, or a consistent flowing line from one end to the other.


Beyond that, I'd recommend learning or implementing peened pins to add texture and elegance. If your handle pins were nicely domed, it would add a ton to the overall package.


Like I said, splitting hairs. Although it's impossible for us to critique the mechanics from photos.
 
RicFlair said:
Is the nail knick supposed to be that far forward? I ask, because I don't know.

If I owned it, I would add a short dark leather lanyard. I would like to see a copper or brass lanyard hole. Copper would be really cool with that color handle, if possible.
I really think it looks great. Fine work.
Click to expand...


The nail nick position is a personal taste thing. I put mine even father forward on my small single blade because it gives better leverage and looks correct to me in the closed position. On multiblade knives I put them all over the place as needed to keep them from overlapping, etc. Some people really care about this, while others don't, to each their own.

Some people like long slim nail nicks, or long pulls, or heavily swooped nail nicks, foward, backward, etc. It's like with women, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Wouldn't have it any other way.
 
Thanks for the info Javand exactly what I'm looking for.
Want to keep improving and the little things like the ones you mentioned make a good knife a great knife.
While for the time being I'm almost satisfied.... Almost

But if I remove to much of the bolister area the lock up point sticks out more..
Yes I could possibly slim it down.
No half stops in my juniors I make, really wanted to stay somewhat traditional in its action.
But I'm not really a fan of domed pins. But maybe if I did a bone scale of some sort I would feel it to be mor appropriate.
I have really started to take a look of the inside of my knives... Making sure there is not a scratch.

As for the lock up points on the tang it has been very hard to get a nice slick look on them on the inside.
A place where I got to learn to get to better.

I need to get a file guide and give my fingers a break.
I've actually filed my thumbs raw trying to do this freehand.
 
I know what you mean, I cut all my choil notches by hand with a half round needle file before HT, and usually have a hole in one hand after doing a batch.

Yes, the more you remove from the bottom of the handle the more the back-square will show, you can mitigate this somewhat by leaving some material at the very end (bolster end), radiusing up into the body of the handle, which gives it some more drama, and makes it look more proportional.

You can hide this completely by putting a small horn there, such as on the knife below, on that one, as with most I make, the back-square/run-up are is completely hidden in the closed, half-stop, and open position. It's a bit of an affectation of mine, I like to hide them.

IMAG0224.jpg
 
Looking good! Put some up for sale. I think the blocky look is somewhat acceptable on a sodbuster, maybe not so much on a trapper. Next step I'd say would be to try adding some liners and trying your hand at shields like you said.
 
Javand always gives great advises!!! If you look closely to the picture he posted you'll realize what HE meant suggesting the added elegance of domed pins!!!! Now if you'd ever look at my goofy trials at doming pins.....another story ;)

As we work on folder scales we are used to see them single....and it looks thin! but when we put the knife together suddendly we face a blocky handle. Yes you can round it to the very liner, or just leave a thin scale "flat", how much it depends also on your liner thickness. Go see how beautiful Oeser's handle are....he rounds right into the liner when using coloured g10!!!
 
....By the way, i agree you can start proudly stamping your name on your knives!!!!
I especially like the blade finish and envy your nail nick, very well defined!
 
Right off that bat, I'd say that looks like a very well done sodbuster. I agree with Cooper that SBs normally have a little "blockiness" on the handle. As long as you find it comfortable, that's the main thing. Nail nick position looks fine to me. I normally will try to put mine a little more towards to point as well to give extra leverage.

My only very minor critiques are very easy fixes. I'd sand/polish your pins and washer just a little bit higher to at least match your blade finish. Right now the scratch lines on the pins and pivot area are kind of drawing my eye away from the rest of the knife. Lastly, it looks like your sharpening choil is ever so slightly forward of you plunge line. I think it looks a little more refined to have it perfectly tangential to the plunge, if that makes sense.
 
Really, really nice! That's my favorite slipjoint pattern.

I agree that you should try metal liners next (although I do like the g10). The only aesthetic thing that stands out to me is the satin finish on your pins does not line up with the finish on the blade.

Keep it up!
 
knife to a gunfight said:
Right off that bat, I'd say that looks like a very well done sodbuster. I agree with Cooper that SBs normally have a little "blockiness" on the handle. As long as you find it comfortable, that's the main thing. Nail nick position looks fine to me. I normally will try to put mine a little more towards to point as well to give extra leverage.

My only very minor critiques are very easy fixes. I'd sand/polish your pins and washer just a little bit higher to at least match your blade finish. Right now the scratch lines on the pins and pivot area are kind of drawing my eye away from the rest of the knife. Lastly, it looks like your sharpening choil is ever so slightly forward of you plunge line. I think it looks a little more refined to have it perfectly tangential to the plunge, if that makes sense.
Click to expand...

Andrew raises a good point, and it's something I see on a lot of knives. IMO, you always want your fittings at least the same finish as your blade. Personally, I always try to take them higher, as it adds positive contrast. Micarta and G10 will let you get away with pretty low grit finishes, but the pins will be scratchy if you stop when the phenolic looks finished.
 
One more thing about the sharpening choil, and this is strictly personal preference I suppose, but I find it a little more aesthetic to use a triangle file or even the edge of a thin half round file to cut in the notch. That way you can have a flat side that lines up with/follows your plunge line and looks more intentional. Again, it has more to do with aesthetics or personal preference I suppose, but you might try it and see what you think. If anything, it may be a bit more traditional as well.
 
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