Beckerhead Knife Making and Modification Thread

[crimsonfalcon07]

NCSlice, wax hardening is a time honored technique; I use it myself, especially when I want to have something look like leather but feel like kydex. I use paste wax and soak it in repeatedly with a heat gun, although you could dip the whole thing into melted paraffin and let it soak. Procedure was done with leather armor, and called courbouilling. You want the wax to permeate the voids in the leather as much as possible though; it's kinda like stabilizing wood.

 

[NJBillK]

Would this have any adverse effects on wet forming? If hot wax is used, could I then form it after the soak?

 

[Col Defender]

Four guys ready for HT. If I have time to finish them, a couple, at least, will come to the May Gathering on Becker Mountain!

 

[Ray Settanta]

I like that top one!

 

[daizee]

Old hickory mods are fun! I gotta do another one soon.

Nice Kephart!

Re: leather
the warm soak is a VERY good idea, and I can totally see the appeal of chilling the wax quickly. I've not done the wax thing, but I've handled some and the results are really impressive.

 

[crimsonfalcon07]

Would this have any adverse effects on wet forming? If hot wax is used, could I then form it after the soak?

Not likely. Make sure it's formed, boned, and fully dry before you soak it with wax. In my experience, once you've courbouilled it, it's TOUGH. The way that I do it, the leather comes out as stiff as kydex, but tougher. Also, it's water resistant. I think I put up a video illustrating that. I made my carry holster in that way as well.

 

[daizee]

Bladite, re: last night's woodworking tools conversation and Marking Knives

This is what I was trying to find a picture of - I took these this morning. This is my housemate's variation on my kiradashi design, simplified up-sized, and made visually 'faster' by changing the lines. It's a bit more Japanese-esque than my patterns, which makes sense since she's got the some of the genes to go with.

These are 6" OAL and feel amazing in the hand for what is simply a flat piece of steel. They're a bit long for a pocket knife, for which the birus are a better fit. But as a bench tool these are sweet. We did several sets and sizes together last year, and both the big ones are still here - I don't know if this is the one was done by her or me - they are virtually identical. These will be in the next waterjet batch along with my birudashi.

 

[Bladite]

Bladite, re: last night's woodworking tools conversation and Marking Knives

This is what I was trying to find a picture of - I took these this morning. This is my housemate's variation on my kiradashi design, simplified up-sized, and made visually 'faster' by changing the lines. It's a bit more Japanese-esque than my patterns, which makes sense since she's got the some of the genes to go with.

These are 6" OAL and feel amazing in the hand for what is simply a flat piece of steel. They're a bit long for a pocket knife, for which the birus are a better fit. But as a bench tool these are sweet. We did several sets and sizes together last year, and both the big ones are still here - I don't know if this is the one was done by her or me - they are virtually identical. These will be in the next waterjet batch along with my birudashi.

those are very pretty... not sure if the grind on that side works for marking for a right hander... i'd want to have a straight edge in my left hand, then light score, and then 2-3 more times more heavily... but cut down, not under cut... what's the nomenclature on grind side? the ones above are what? left hand grind/right hand edge?

as a marker, most of the time, i'd be using the needle point, less edge cutting, but who knows? maybe i'll adapt. i'm thinking more like a classic x-acto; or if you google "paul sellers stanley knife" there's that thing. i have one, i like it. less elegant.

i want elegant...

more like this grind: https://crosstownoutdoors.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/scaled-kiradashi/ (right hand grind, left hand edge?)

or both... some of the sweet marking knives have bevels on both sides, and sometimes actually have a diamond bevel... but those are not dashis.

 

[granitestateofmind]

my fishy-dashi striking knife:

Bevel on the left, flat against the straightedge.

 

[Bladite]

my fishy-dashi striking knife:

Bevel on the left, flat against the straightedge.

that's so cute!

 

[daizee]

those are very pretty... not sure if the grind on that side works for marking for a right hander... i'd want to have a straight edge in my left hand, then light score, and then 2-3 more times more heavily... but cut down, not under cut... what's the nomenclature on grind side? the ones above are what? left hand grind/right hand edge?

so many thoughts.

For a long slicing knife, like you'd use in the kitchen, the bevel is typically on the side opposite your eye. So a right-hand knife would be ground on the right side. Usually the bevel side is convexed and the 'flat' side is honed flat (even if it has a concave surface). this arrangement peels material away with less sticking and gives good hand-eye control when used in the proper hand. It's less versatile for other cuts, however.

For these kiradashi, I like the reverse: the primary bevel goes on the side with your eye, and the edge bevel on the opposite side. This still lets you sight down a flat surface, though it isn't square to your hand. The reason I prefer this for these small knives is that they are used in many other orientations.

1) Due to having bevels on both sides (though not symmetrical), you can steer in both directions
2) you can steer through curl-cuts with your right hand - trimming hangnails, for example. A picture would be more clear
3) your dominant hand can lay the primary bevel flat on a surface to shave or clean it - cleaning stuck glue or raised wood grain, for instance.
4) symmetrical bevels are more predictable in use, but twice as much work to make, sand, and tricky to get cleanly aligned. For the price point, it's a case of diminishing returns. You also lose #3 unless you go for a single-side edge bevel, and I think #3 is a neat feature in a bench or pocket knife
5) I have no idea what is traditionally most common, and I suspect they have been made every conceivable way regardless.

My preference in kiradashi is for right-hand/left-bevel (or reverse) OR complete symmetry like a traditional western-style knife. The other combinations don't make as much sense to me (I've tried most variations).

 

[Bladite]

i'm not sure quite how to respond to that yet

with chisels, they are used in both orientations, but not like a knife, but pushing, on the flat.

unless you are cutting mortises, so... but you still use both sides, and you index on all flats, as needed: back, front, *and* the bevel...

 

[daizee]

i'm not sure quite how to respond to that yet

with chisels, they are used in both orientations, but not like a knife, but pushing, on the flat.

unless you are cutting mortises, so... but you still use both sides, and you index on all flats, as needed: back, front, *and* the bevel...

sounds like you need one of each to decide for yourself.

I don't do a lot of woodworking, so most of my use of small knives is free-hand.

A chisel usually has no microbevel, but they are very thick and have fairly steep primary grinds. The 'dashi above are 0.140" thick with a shallower primary for more knife-like behavior, which naturally requires an edge bevel for strength.

 

[james terrio]

Good grief, I've missed a lot in this thread lately... you guys are on fire!

Four guys ready for HT. If I have time to finish them, a couple, at least, will come to the May Gathering on Becker Mountain!

Looking good! I wouldn't have made the notches that deep on the narrow tang one... they don't have to be very deep/large to give the epoxy a couple spots to "hold" onto.

Not likely. Make sure it's formed, boned, and fully dry before you soak it with wax. In my experience, once you've courbouilled it, it's TOUGH. The way that I do it, the leather comes out as stiff as kydex, but tougher. Also, it's water resistant. I think I put up a video illustrating that. I made my carry holster in that way as well.

I need to try that :thumbup:

my fishy-dashi striking knife:

I like that, too

 

[Bladite]

two by two, hands of blue

 

[granitestateofmind]

Doing a little etching and blackening. Gonna strip them, maybe tomorrow. Or maybe not.....I'll see how the day goes.

 

[Col Defender]

Just finished this hunter with the handle from an antler furnished by the customer. (Wish I could keep it myself but it must go.) Blade is 3/16" 1084, convex ground and hidden tang with a brass foreplate.



This one is also pictured a few posts earlier of knives ready for HT. This is the one with the narrow notched tang.

And now that the pic is here and on fb, I already have two more orders for a similar knife.

 

[daizee]

Nice piece of horn there, Colonel.

These three just out of the oven:

 

[orezona]

Took me a little longer than I anticipated to finish up the blade but here it is...

For reference, here's what it looked like originally:

(This came to me from my Dad who was the original owner when he got it from the PX in Vietnam in '67. The short story is I loved this knife as a kid as he would let me wear it camping and when he sent it to me for my birthday a couple years back I was very disappointed to see he let some dude put it to a bench grinder to "sharpen" it. Note the rounded tip! It wasn't until I joined the main BF forum that I got the urge to fix it up and renovate it)

To sum up everything I did:

• Filed down and re-tipped
• Cut off the top of the guard
• Altered the "saw" by filing down the edges and removing the last three "teeth" before the swedge
• Unsharpened the swedge (it had been put to the grinder as well)
• Cleaned up the grinder marks on the blade
• Sanded/Polished it from 200 all the way to 2000 grit, including Flitz silicone polish compound and Hoppe's polishing cloth
• Applied some lanolin to the handle
• Attempted to convex sharpen the edge with sandpaper and a old mousepad... with mixed results. Finally got a decent edge with just my cheap-o Lansky ceramic rod set up at 20˚/side
• Forced mustard/vinegar patina
• Slight polishing of the primary bevel after-the-fact for aesthetics
• Light coat of mineral oil on all the steel

Only a couple slight cuts to myself in the process!

Overall I'm pretty satisfied with the outcome. The only thing I may continue to work on is the guard is loose but I think oiling up the stacked leather handle with some mink oil might fix that when the gaskets expand.

Keeping the sheath as-is because it's remarkably in good shape for how old it is... 48 years!

 

[TravisH]

Very nice work, orezona!

Only a couple slight cuts to myself in the process!

Yeah, combat knives seem to require feeding every once in a while.