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- Jan 27, 2008
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My in-law's keep a cottage on their 90 acre ancestral farm on a knob of land known as "Black Point" which sits on the coast of the Northumberland Straight outside Pictou, Nova Scotia. From that farm I collected the materials for this knife handle.
The birch bark from a moderate size, 50-60 yr old tree. Its good and solid, and with a little sanding it was free of bumps and loose foliated layers.... perfect material. I've been excited about building this knife for quite a while just to get the chance to try birch bark.
I also cut a lump of wood off a big ole' Red maple where the wood had grown around a broken/cut branch years ago and become quite large. This is a basketball size/shape of wood that I thought might have some nice grain. It does... its subtle.... but its wavy and chatoyant and hard as hell. I was hoping the final oiled color would be a bit more "golden", but I'm pleased with the wood none-the-less.
The weathered moose antler is from a huge rack left on my porch by someone - we know not who - about two years ago. It has acquired a beautiful, warm, yellowish hue, but is otherwise solid and unbelievably noxious when sanded or cut. (Note... if you've never worked with antler, of any type, here's a tip: wear a damn respirator!!)
Anyway, here's the specs and the crappy photos. Sheath is in the works.
Blade/Guard: 5 inch cutting edge,3/16th, O1 stel, stock removal. Hand sanded to 1000 grit. File worked blade spine.
Handle: 4 5/8" long, Birch bark(33 sheets), Red Maple, weathered moose antler. Bloodwood veneer and black fiber spacers. Buffed Watco Danish oil finish.
Butt cap: hand shaped moose antler lanyard ring attached with epoxy and four ring-shank brads epoxied into 1/16 pre-drilled holes.
Thanks for looking.
The birch bark from a moderate size, 50-60 yr old tree. Its good and solid, and with a little sanding it was free of bumps and loose foliated layers.... perfect material. I've been excited about building this knife for quite a while just to get the chance to try birch bark.
I also cut a lump of wood off a big ole' Red maple where the wood had grown around a broken/cut branch years ago and become quite large. This is a basketball size/shape of wood that I thought might have some nice grain. It does... its subtle.... but its wavy and chatoyant and hard as hell. I was hoping the final oiled color would be a bit more "golden", but I'm pleased with the wood none-the-less.
The weathered moose antler is from a huge rack left on my porch by someone - we know not who - about two years ago. It has acquired a beautiful, warm, yellowish hue, but is otherwise solid and unbelievably noxious when sanded or cut. (Note... if you've never worked with antler, of any type, here's a tip: wear a damn respirator!!)
Anyway, here's the specs and the crappy photos. Sheath is in the works.
Blade/Guard: 5 inch cutting edge,3/16th, O1 stel, stock removal. Hand sanded to 1000 grit. File worked blade spine.
Handle: 4 5/8" long, Birch bark(33 sheets), Red Maple, weathered moose antler. Bloodwood veneer and black fiber spacers. Buffed Watco Danish oil finish.
Butt cap: hand shaped moose antler lanyard ring attached with epoxy and four ring-shank brads epoxied into 1/16 pre-drilled holes.
Thanks for looking.
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