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Beckerhead Knife Making and Modification Thread
- Thread starter granitestateofmind
- Start date
daizee
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2009
- Messages
- 11,090
HA! I'm running while looking over my shoulder!
Just wait 'til I attempt a puukko, then you can giggle at my effort.
Got a couple profiled, one ground. But that's been the case for several years and they haven't gone anywhere yet!
Just wait 'til I attempt a puukko, then you can giggle at my effort.
Got a couple profiled, one ground. But that's been the case for several years and they haven't gone anywhere yet!
knoefz
Gold Member
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2009
- Messages
- 3,165
I guess this kind of fits in this thread too...
I'm restoring an old hatched/hawk head found in the bank of the loire river earlier this summer on a canoeing trip.
The way it was found
rust removed
handle making is the next step
More pics in this thread
After a loooong pauze,
the project continues
Covid quarantine gives me time
First handle shaping
knoefz
Gold Member
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2009
- Messages
- 3,165
Happy to use my chisels
The mark sais Goldenberg
@The Warrior dug this op about them:
Looks like Goldenberg was a French tool company that got bought out by Stanley in the 80's. https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/anyone-have-info-on-a-goldenberg-axe.1118121/
1066vik
Gold Member
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2009
- Messages
- 21,314
Finished up one for a blade exchange on a forging page I follow on FB. Random draw recipients.
And the falchion is almost done
22 1/2" blade, currently just under 31oz, will drop another ounce or two when I sharpen it. Hammer marks left on purpose. Brass guard, copper ferrule, Osage hilt, brass doorknob pommel.
Balance point as shown is about 5.5" in front of the guard.
And the falchion is almost done
22 1/2" blade, currently just under 31oz, will drop another ounce or two when I sharpen it. Hammer marks left on purpose. Brass guard, copper ferrule, Osage hilt, brass doorknob pommel.
Balance point as shown is about 5.5" in front of the guard.
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2012
- Messages
- 3,818
Couple more pix here so as not to hijack the BK-62 scales release thread.
But FTR, I'm totally digging these!!
This project has taught me a LOT, exactly as Uncle Ethan promised.
Amazing! Care to share your thoughts as to what you learned? Even if it's just from a production standpoint.
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2015
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- 4,864
VERY NICE!!!Couple more pix here so as not to hijack the BK-62 scales release thread.
But FTR, I'm totally digging these!!
This project has taught me a LOT, exactly as Uncle Ethan promised.
- Joined
- May 6, 2012
- Messages
- 2,232
Couple more pix here so as not to hijack the BK-62 scales release thread.
But FTR, I'm totally digging these!!
This project has taught me a LOT, exactly as Uncle Ethan promised.
Now I'm wanting to mod my 62 to accept a lanyard under the scales like that!
daizee
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2009
- Messages
- 11,090
Thanks, folks, so much I could write... and will try, but may be in various installments.
Eero: If you can drill hardened steel, you can put an extra hole behind the last bolt-hole and the end of the tang (obv. I drill my AuKs before hardening). I'm using a 1/4" hole (countersunk too) through the tang, and a 7/32" hole in the end of the scales (clamp 'em together and drill on a drill press - easy to mess up even with press and vise!). 3/16" is what you need for paracord, but since there's a bight in there and potential alignment issues, I like a smidge more leeway.
If you CAN'T drill your BK-62, you could simply crank the front two bolts down (not with the walnut scales!) and run a lanyard through the 3rd hole. Not as clean, but zero-mod solution.
gmoneyluv
, re: lessons
The Kephart is such a simple design. I wanted to try my hand (haha) at flatter, wider handles, and it seems that handle VOLUME should remain fairly constant. One thing I've learned, reinforced here, is that if the handle height (spine-to-belly) matches (or exceeds) the blade height, you end up with much greater mechanical advantage for carving hard materials (wood). For instance, the BK-15 should carve wood much more efficiently than the BK-18, all else being equal. The Kephart embodies this idea, whether intentionally or not. It has a nice roughly 1-to-1 ratio, and the flatter handle allows very directed torque in material.
I usually don't like guards on utility blades that exceed the blade height (e.g. the 'waddle' on the BK-10 etc.), but in this case the handles are flat so far forward, and the speed bump modest, that it lets you get your hands around and in front of the scales very easily. The swell - or even 'peak' - of the handle fronts is actually VERY SUBTLE, which I only recognized when making scales from scratch. And it's a steep slope, not a gentle one. Kind of tricky to duplicate, tho I may try again with a new approach. Simple, subtle, but critical.
The profile of the Kephart/BK-62 is very very simple. When I make an AuK, after quick rough profiling on a big contact wheel, I only use one tool on the grinder: platen with 2" contact wheel/roller at the top. Everything is straight or 2" radius, which is why mine is slightly different than the '62. So that's nice from a process standpoint, and helps conserve symmetry.
The blade grind is also subtle and tricky. Ka-Bar's approach seems to be to set a fixed angle for the primary flat grind based on the math governed by a FFG at the blade belly, which may be slightly wider than the blade at the plunge (exaggerated in a few of my examples). This may result in over-grinding at the spine above the plunge. My AuK's use an adaptive grind, which means the primary angle of the FFG is sliiightly steeper at the plunge, and then relaxes a bit towards the wider belly. No over-grind. but this is tricky because it's the reverse of most blade grinds (and/or no significant distal taper beyond the effect of the swedge), and counter-natural to what your hands/blade/belt want to do. There's a risk of grinding away the belly (see red-handled AuK4 above, whose blade-edge got straightened a bit more than intended - satisfactory result, but different).
Balance on these blades is right at the front bolt-hole (a bit more back w/ micarta), just behind the guard-bump. This is ideal on this design, IMO. Given the length of these blades vs. my usual 3-3.75" models, I REALLY like to choke up around the handles, locking the front of the scales between my first and second fingers. Part of this is because I find the length from the scales' peaks to the butt a bit too short for anything but a fist grip. This is consistent with my own designs, where a 4.25" handle is juuuust enough for a short bladed knife. These blades are longer, so I want more handle. Hence my extended ricassos. I found that by adding 3/8" between the plunge and the scales yields a whopping 5/8" of extra handle length - a hugely efficient win, since I naturally want to choke up on these longer blades. And I don't miss the cutting edge length because I can actually USE all of it, and get better control from tip to plunge.
The Kephart design and the BK-62, based on Ethan's Colclesser Bros. example, is loaded with subtleties despite the simplicity. A lot comes together VERY well. I'm not sure how much was designed or accidentally just worked out. However, the same extensive testing and feedback loops didn't exist back then. So I feel comfortable doing my own refinements without feeling like I'm arrogantly trashing some iconic perfection of a design.
Ok, there's your essay.
Eero: If you can drill hardened steel, you can put an extra hole behind the last bolt-hole and the end of the tang (obv. I drill my AuKs before hardening). I'm using a 1/4" hole (countersunk too) through the tang, and a 7/32" hole in the end of the scales (clamp 'em together and drill on a drill press - easy to mess up even with press and vise!). 3/16" is what you need for paracord, but since there's a bight in there and potential alignment issues, I like a smidge more leeway.
If you CAN'T drill your BK-62, you could simply crank the front two bolts down (not with the walnut scales!) and run a lanyard through the 3rd hole. Not as clean, but zero-mod solution.
gmoneyluv
, re: lessonsThe Kephart is such a simple design. I wanted to try my hand (haha) at flatter, wider handles, and it seems that handle VOLUME should remain fairly constant. One thing I've learned, reinforced here, is that if the handle height (spine-to-belly) matches (or exceeds) the blade height, you end up with much greater mechanical advantage for carving hard materials (wood). For instance, the BK-15 should carve wood much more efficiently than the BK-18, all else being equal. The Kephart embodies this idea, whether intentionally or not. It has a nice roughly 1-to-1 ratio, and the flatter handle allows very directed torque in material.
I usually don't like guards on utility blades that exceed the blade height (e.g. the 'waddle' on the BK-10 etc.), but in this case the handles are flat so far forward, and the speed bump modest, that it lets you get your hands around and in front of the scales very easily. The swell - or even 'peak' - of the handle fronts is actually VERY SUBTLE, which I only recognized when making scales from scratch. And it's a steep slope, not a gentle one. Kind of tricky to duplicate, tho I may try again with a new approach. Simple, subtle, but critical.
The profile of the Kephart/BK-62 is very very simple. When I make an AuK, after quick rough profiling on a big contact wheel, I only use one tool on the grinder: platen with 2" contact wheel/roller at the top. Everything is straight or 2" radius, which is why mine is slightly different than the '62. So that's nice from a process standpoint, and helps conserve symmetry.
The blade grind is also subtle and tricky. Ka-Bar's approach seems to be to set a fixed angle for the primary flat grind based on the math governed by a FFG at the blade belly, which may be slightly wider than the blade at the plunge (exaggerated in a few of my examples). This may result in over-grinding at the spine above the plunge. My AuK's use an adaptive grind, which means the primary angle of the FFG is sliiightly steeper at the plunge, and then relaxes a bit towards the wider belly. No over-grind. but this is tricky because it's the reverse of most blade grinds (and/or no significant distal taper beyond the effect of the swedge), and counter-natural to what your hands/blade/belt want to do. There's a risk of grinding away the belly (see red-handled AuK4 above, whose blade-edge got straightened a bit more than intended - satisfactory result, but different).
Balance on these blades is right at the front bolt-hole (a bit more back w/ micarta), just behind the guard-bump. This is ideal on this design, IMO. Given the length of these blades vs. my usual 3-3.75" models, I REALLY like to choke up around the handles, locking the front of the scales between my first and second fingers. Part of this is because I find the length from the scales' peaks to the butt a bit too short for anything but a fist grip. This is consistent with my own designs, where a 4.25" handle is juuuust enough for a short bladed knife. These blades are longer, so I want more handle. Hence my extended ricassos. I found that by adding 3/8" between the plunge and the scales yields a whopping 5/8" of extra handle length - a hugely efficient win, since I naturally want to choke up on these longer blades. And I don't miss the cutting edge length because I can actually USE all of it, and get better control from tip to plunge.
The Kephart design and the BK-62, based on Ethan's Colclesser Bros. example, is loaded with subtleties despite the simplicity. A lot comes together VERY well. I'm not sure how much was designed or accidentally just worked out. However, the same extensive testing and feedback loops didn't exist back then. So I feel comfortable doing my own refinements without feeling like I'm arrogantly trashing some iconic perfection of a design.
Ok, there's your essay.
Last edited:
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- May 6, 2012
- Messages
- 2,232
Thanks for the suggestions. I've drilled some hardened 1095 before but never with Ka-Bar heat treat. Now that additional scales for the 62 can be bought I feel less nervous about drilling into them. If I get to it this weekend I'll post some pictures. My 62 micarta is on it's way now...
daizee
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2009
- Messages
- 11,090
1/4" is a small hole, but risk of windmilling is still real (on a drill press particularly). Keep that blade clamped down tight, and make sure the sharp edge is TRAILING if it spins with the bit AND taping up that edge is always a good idea.
