- Joined
- Oct 6, 2001
- Messages
- 677
OK!!! First I grind the blade. Bob has a neat jig to hold the blade in place. Once I got the feel and controlled my body language it went fine. Bob showed me how to etch the lines on the blade to guide me - The general idea is to get the grind lines the same on both sides. Bob said that I did quite well. That meant everything to me. The picture below shows when my blade hit the grinder for the very first time!
After marking the location for the holes for the frame and liners, I drill very carefully- Bob sets up all the machines for me (proper drill bits etc) and I perform the task.
Cutting out the solid Bronze backspacer on the band saw. This made me very nervous. One slip and fingers would be flying.
As you can see, Bob was quite concerned about this procedure also. But he insisted that I do this all by myself.
Certain procedures call for the grinder to be wet- An apron and gloves are required.
We take a break for lunch (15 minutes). At Bobs house, each sandwich must have the appropriate toothpick.
Here is the MK1 almost ready for assembly (or so I thought). Note how we mark the scales to be sure what goes where. The G10 has an adhesive plastic film on it that remains until the knife is completely built. This is to protect the G10 material from abuse during profiling. Bob was the one who removed the plastic, as he didnt want to risk me cutting the scale and damaging it.
I assemble my knife- or so I thought. At least 10 times, after putting it together Bob said; Neil- looks just great- now .take it apart!
My TTF-6- ALL DONE! (Actually, we call it a TTF-5.9 because I messed up the tip and it came out 1/16 short.)
Well thats it. An experience to remember forever. Bob shows that not only is he the Knifemaker par excellence that he has proven himself to be- but also a great teacher, a gracious host and an all around genuine great guy.
Thanks, Bob- for the thrill of a lifetime.
Sincerely, Neil Ostroff
After marking the location for the holes for the frame and liners, I drill very carefully- Bob sets up all the machines for me (proper drill bits etc) and I perform the task.
Cutting out the solid Bronze backspacer on the band saw. This made me very nervous. One slip and fingers would be flying.
As you can see, Bob was quite concerned about this procedure also. But he insisted that I do this all by myself.
Certain procedures call for the grinder to be wet- An apron and gloves are required.
We take a break for lunch (15 minutes). At Bobs house, each sandwich must have the appropriate toothpick.
Here is the MK1 almost ready for assembly (or so I thought). Note how we mark the scales to be sure what goes where. The G10 has an adhesive plastic film on it that remains until the knife is completely built. This is to protect the G10 material from abuse during profiling. Bob was the one who removed the plastic, as he didnt want to risk me cutting the scale and damaging it.
I assemble my knife- or so I thought. At least 10 times, after putting it together Bob said; Neil- looks just great- now .take it apart!
My TTF-6- ALL DONE! (Actually, we call it a TTF-5.9 because I messed up the tip and it came out 1/16 short.)
Well thats it. An experience to remember forever. Bob shows that not only is he the Knifemaker par excellence that he has proven himself to be- but also a great teacher, a gracious host and an all around genuine great guy.
Thanks, Bob- for the thrill of a lifetime.
Sincerely, Neil Ostroff
