Bloodwood Endura II Experiment

V

Vess

Joined
Oct 2, 2001
Messages
583
Well, the "Endura Experiment" is finished. :D

Tried many new things on this one:

1. Grooved thumb-rest behind a Spydie hole, like in the Gunting.
2. Mosaic pins to make the scale even more secure
3. Clip was retained over the scale (same holes, longer screws)
4. New scale creation method (for me, not in general)

endura2_all.jpg


The scales were actually cut out to match the knife before gluing, which is not how I normally do it. Usually I attach a rectangle and cut/sand it down to size. The fit turned out pretty good on this one, and the time to make it was cut down by about 1/4, but I just didn't like it. The rectangle method just gets that little something extra to the precision of the scales matching... :)

The grooved thumb-rest was doable, and feels pretty good.
The mosaic pins are leftovers from a boot knife, and add to the otherwise plain scale.
And the clip seems solid enough so far. I was concerned that with use the wood might get compressed or damaged, but so far it looks solid. After all, it is bloodwood, which is in itself pretty hard...

Next on the chopping block: the SS Jesters! :)
 
I am from Toronto too, where are you guys located? I would like to visit the shop and see what you got for sale.
 
Very nicely done. Was the thumb ramp done with a dremel or files or something else? Also, when you attach a block then shape it, do you ever have problems with dust and grit getting into the knife? How does one avoid this?
 
Hunter > No shop, no store, just a VERY small basement and the little old me. Friends and family help out thinking up designs sometimes, but that's about it... :)

Claude > It was done by hand with a triangular diamond file, without even using a ruler! :eek: Risky, but I practiced it a few times and got it down to almost perfect. Same setup as for the regular fileworking: the knive locked is a vise, and a freehand file.

As for the dust, yes, the knife will be full of it. But it cleans up pretty easy, and I usually give it a good go-over with a compressed air can. Then I just oil it and it's good to go. It's nothing bad really, if you carry a knife in the jeans pocket or a backpack, in a few months the dust and lint will accumulate, creating almost the same effect. Open knives like Millie and Shabaria are easier to clean, of course, but the rest aren't too hard either. But since it's wood, I can't wash it in water, so compressed air is the only sure-fire way I know of cleaning the dust out completely. And finally, it's soft wood dust that can't damage tempered steel. If it was G-10 or carbon fiber, it might be another story, but even near the pivot and without cleaning the wood dust will get crushed into even finer particles and fall out all by itself... :)
 
AWE
SOME
!!!

Vess, you've really got me motivated to do all kinds of crazy things to my dragonfly. I'm going to try stag scales. Mmmmm . . . . .
 
Vess,

Very, very nice work. Good on you lad! You make me proud to be a fellow Canuck.

Best wishes, Jeff/1911.
 
Beautiful work Vess, the mosaic pins really add a touch of class to it. If you are concerned about compression in the wood where the clip screws pass through it, you might want to experiment with a technique model airplane builders use - drip a litte thin CA into the empty holes, then sprinkle on a bit of baking soda, then blow off the excess. The thin CA penetrates the wood a bit, and adds hardess when it dries. The baking soda insures the CA has dried and also fills some of the pores in wood. The end result is more crush resistant than untreated wood.
 
Vess, thank you for sharing another one of your great creations. Hats off, sir, and congratulations, it's a beautiful work :) As usually ;)
 
vess, need some advice please. i want to try my hand at some file work. what kind of files do you use? i was looking on ebay for some diamond files, but not knowing the first thing about them, i would like some advice. any perticular brands you like or dislike?
 
Jestyr > No particular brand. I got some in a set at Radio Shack once, but they stripped quickly, and were expensive. Then I found a hardware store where they sell them out of a crate, so with them I only pay for the actual ones I need (round, triangle, oval), and don't have to get a whole set. Cheaper too... :)

Basically any diamond file will do, just go slow and don't lean on it too much or it'll strip fast. Don't let it overheat, and dunk it in water so the diamond dust won't fly into the pivot. And that's about it... :)
 
I've put those thumb-serrations on a couple of knives now, & one technique is to use a dremel tool with the small cutting wheel to make the initial grooves, then finish them off with a hand file. Sometimes starting with the hand file can be hard, because it slips and leaves imperfections until you are able to establish a groove for it to sink into.

Of course, my serrations have never looked as perfect as Vess's, so take that suggestion for what it's worth. But they're pretty good.
 
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