Aspiration becoming Reality WIP (Pics 10/23/11)

cbwoods67 said:
Haha. That's for sure. I actually enjoy sanding. Plus, it seems to go a lot better when listening to music.

I think that for the next one, I may not even touch a file, and just do all of it with sand paper. We'll see.
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If you do that you should join a Buddhist monastery , just show the knife and I'm sure they'll let you in.
 
Yeah, I could never figure that out??? Why do they call themselves Hairy-Chrishnas if they are all bald? :)
 
bladsmth said:
Yeah, I could never figure that out??? Why do they call themselves Hairy-Chrishnas if they are all bald? :)
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Not wishing to get too gross here, but you've probably never seen under their saffron robes. Maybe THAT'S where they are hairy. ;)
 
Ok, I finished with 280 grit tonight. Hopefully I will have the afternoon off tomorrow and have a chance to sand to 400 and sand the tang. Hopefully.

Here is a pic of the mystery grit
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There were a couple times it came up as 225, and it feels somewhere around there, but I am not sure.

At this point, I don't plan to take the blade to a very high polish at all. Maybe 600 or 800 grit. I want to focus most of my attention on the edge, because this is after all, a user. There are several reasons for me not to polish the main bevel, but I can't think of many for the other side. Same with the handles. It seems like the micarta may get slippery at a high polish, especially when wet. I am all about functionality, so if there is something I am overlooking, please share.
 
That is a sheet of "FINE" grit emery. It is useful for the basic flat sanding of the blade before the smooth sanding steps. Grit is about 300-320. At 400 grit the surface will start to take on a nice matte look, and at 600+ will start to shine. Where you stop will be determined by your desired use....and your ability to quit. It becomes addictive when one looks at the blade and says, "Oh, I'll just sand this spot a little more..." and spends months sanding the blade because they always see a spot or micro-scratch.

At some point, declare it ready for the scales and continue on with construction. You can always go back and touch up a spot later.
 
bladsmth said:
That is a sheet of "FINE" grit emery. It is useful for the basic flat sanding of the blade before the smooth sanding steps. Grit is about 300-320. At 400 grit the surface will start to take on a nice matte look, and at 600+ will start to shine. Where you stop will be determined by your desired use....and your ability to quit. It becomes addictive when one looks at the blade and says, "Oh, I'll just sand this spot a little more..." and spends months sanding the blade because they always see a spot or micro-scratch.

At some point, declare it ready for the scales and continue on with construction. You can always go back and touch up a spot later.
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Yeah, I don't think I will worry about it too much on this knife. Is there enough of a difference in performance for it to matter?
 
Well I did more sanding up to 400 grit.
002.JPG


Am I incorrect in my understanding that with the handle, the rougher the better. There are no sharp edges or metal bits, but there are numerous scratches. I sanded enough to get the tape residue off, is that enough?

Also, Stacy, I sent you an email
 
Yep, rougher=better epoxy adhesion. If there is still tape residue, some WD-40 will get it off in no time, then just make sure to wash the blade down thoroughly before its heat-treated.
 
Yep, that is ready for HT.
The tang should be left in the "rough sanded" condition. When I clean it up post-HT, I will actually grind a shallow recess in the center of the tang to assure a resin reservoir under the scales.

After the HT, you can sand it up to 400-800 and let it be for a user.
This knife is quickly.....OK, not quickly, but finally coming to fruition :)
 
Hello all.
I got my knife back from Stacy, after he heat-treated it. He also thinned it out a lot for me because I left it way too thick.
001.JPG


I will update my progress in the next couple days. Maybe even again tonight.
Thanks for looking.
 
Lookin' good! You have a good teacher leading your way thru this knife adventure.:D
 
Wood rasp and half round bastard files work good on handle to rough shape then it's back to what you know best : sandpaper. WD-40 the finished handle liberally , leave for 5 minutes then wash with soapy water is an old trick I've used in my limited experience to finish the handle , I like to put a coat of tung oil on after too to get that darker look. Are you going for a fine finish or rough with the handles? Your almost there to having a fine blade you made by hand the hard way.
 
Ok I had a chance to do some sanding tonight.

Stacy suggested that I use a flat, hard surface and sand the knife against that, so that is what I did.
I went to a local home furnishing store, and asked if they had any scraps laying around. This square foot of ugly granite is going to be my friend for a long time to come.
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It is amazing what people are willing to give you when you ask.

Started with a sheet of 150 to help flatten the bevels and get rid of some imperfections.
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Then went on to 220 and switched back to the sanding block after a couple sheets on the granite.

This is the result after about an hour of sanding.
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004.JPG


I was able to get out most of the imperfections that were bothering me. Probably do a couple more sheets of 220 before moving up.

Now it is time to do some homework. (in other words, procrastinate and read the forums)

Thanks for looking.
 
duffy,
What does the WD-40 do?
I thought I would leave the handle somewhat rough, but I haven't ever played with micarta, so we will see how it goes.

Thanks for the kind words.
Cooper
 
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Cooper,
Isn't that trick about using the flat plate a good one :)

You did an excellent job of flat sanding the blade. It should go right up the grits with no problem once the surface is truly flat.

Duffy - The handle is canvas micarta, and will have a good grippy surface at 400 grit. I don't like to put any finish on micarta. A good hand buffing with a soft cloth and some neutral shoe polish will give it some luster if desired.

For those who haven't tried it - take a hard flat surface , like a granite surface plate, a piece of counter top, .....or a granite floor tile. Tape a piece of Wet-or-Dry paper to it and put some water with a little Dawn dish soap in it on the paper. Work the blade across the paper. The surface will flatten out quickly and very evenly. Change the paper as often as needed. Go up to about 400 grit this way and you should have a shiny and flat surface. Any low spots will show as dark places that look like deep divots. They usually are actually only a few ten thousandths of an inch deep. Once sanded flat, clamp the blade on the work arm and use a hard backer block and paper to go up to 2500 or if using 3M papers, all the way up to 8000.
 
Finally was able to spend a good chunk of time on the knife tonight.

Took a bunch of pictures, uploaded them to my computer, then it said they weren't there! That sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach made me want to throw up.
Luckily, I found them, so here they are:

Finished up with 220 grit
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Moved on to 320
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Then 400
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600
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800
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1200
100_5317.JPG

1500
100_5318.JPG

At this point, it was getting maddening. I couldn't figure out if I liked it or not, then I remembered the pack of polishing papers that Stacy sent me.
I started out with the green (30 micron). I used a circular motion with my finger. (not sure why) Then the gray (15 micron), and finished off with the blue. I used very little pressure and I like how it came out.
It looks scratched up, but I like it.
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Of course, I am sure that this knife will have many different finishes during it's long life.

Then it was time to tape the blade up and epoxy the handle on.
100_5325.JPG

I used J.B. Weld black and red mixture. I know that this isn't suggested, but it is the only epoxy I could find. Hopefully it will work.

Tomorrow I intend to make a sheath and finish the knife up. Hopefully I will be done before dark and be able to take some decent outdoor photos. We'll see how it works.

Thanks for looking.
 
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Good work, Cooper. Your sanding looks excellent.
The type of epoxy is not nearly as important with Corby bolts. Once the epoxy is cured, shape the handle, sand it down, and make a sheath. Go slow on the shaping, and sneak up on the final shape. After it seems right, and you sand it smooth, you can still take more off if it is a little fat...but if you go too far , you can't put any back on.
 
bladsmth said:
Good work, Cooper. Your sanding looks excellent.
The type of epoxy is not nearly as important with Corby bolts. Once the epoxy is cured, shape the handle, sand it down, and make a sheath. Go slow on the shaping, and sneak up on the final shape. After it seems right, and you sand it smooth, you can still take more off if it is a little fat...but if you go too far , you can't put any back on.
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Thanks Stacy. There seems to be something oddly therapeutic, yet addictive about sanding.
I will definitely go slow when shaping the handles.
 
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