Bowie WIP - Knife now complete

[DEllis]

Before I start grinding the bevels I thought I would ask a couple of questions. I've never ground a swedge so I'm a little unsure of the order of operations.

My plan is to grind the main bevels first, full flat grind. Get them to 220 grit, then grind the swedge.

Any tips on grinding the swedge. Or does anyone have a link to a good video on the subject?

I grind the bevels first, and then rough the swedge in with the grinder(freehand, but you can also use a guide or jig) and then finish the swedge with a file.........slow, but it works.
Darcy

 

[S.Alexander]

Thanks Darcy. I like the idea of using the file to straighten the grind. Most of my finishing takes a while anyhow.

 

[S.Alexander]

Ok I finally got some more time to work on the bowie today. My real job is really getting in the way here...

Time to grind the bevels in. Back to the trusty ol' file guide.


I mark the edge with a black sharpie, then scribe it on both sides using a drill bit.


I knocked down the edge with a worn out belt, then on to the 36 grit blaze belt. Here's the first side after 36 grit.


Here's the profile after 220 grit on the belt sander.


I took the edge down to .023 so far. As you can see the plunges are uneven. The plunge lines are actually lined up due to the file guide, but they are uneven at the bottom. I believe this is due to the terrible tracking on my grizzly. The belt gets pushed to the right when I put pressure on them. Oh well, just more hand finishing with files and sandpaper...



On another note, I will be buying a new grinder in 2015. The grizzly is a beast, but is just way too fast. It's hard to do any finishing on it. I just have to sell a few knives to fund this grinder...

 

[DEllis]

Looking good so far.
One suggestion when rough grinding bevels. Keep the grind a bit lower(away from the spine) until you are on to finer grit belts. Otherwise you will sometimes run out of steel and grind the plunges too high. Your grinds look good, but you will not have much wiggle room for finishing. I typically leave the flats along the spine a bit wide until after heat treat.
Darcy

 

[S.Alexander]

Yeah the plunge almost got away from me there and bit the spine. I'll definitely be more cautious next time. I'm all hand sanding from here so I'm in the clear

 

[S.Alexander]

Double post

 

[S.Alexander]

I started cutting in the swedge with my grinder. I found I didn't have enough control. I switched over to a hand filing the swedge. Took more time, but the side I did solely with the file looks better.

I stamped my makers mark on the ricasso.

Now on to hand sanding before heat treat. Here it is at 60 grit.

 

[Burl Source]

Thank you for posting this thread.
I am enjoying watching the knife progress and your candid comments.
I also like seeing the other guys sharing tips.

 

[Willie71]

When cutting the swedge in, I find grinding at an angle of about 30deg, almost like grinding lengthwise gives more control. Small bites too, so you can establish the angle. I use a 200 Norax, which cuts clean, but doesn't hog too much off in the small bites I do. I rough them in then clean them up with a relatively fine file. It's a slow learning curve, and one of the most frustrating things for me to learn.

 

[S.Alexander]

Thank you for posting this thread.
I am enjoying watching the knife progress and your candid comments.
I also like seeing the other guys sharing tips.

Thanks for the comment Mark. I'm enjoying making this knife too. Keep an eye on the progress and I'm sure you'll recognize the handle block...

When cutting the swedge in, I find grinding at an angle of about 30deg, almost like grinding lengthwise gives more control. Small bites too, so you can establish the angle. I use a 200 Norax, which cuts clean, but doesn't hog too much off in the small bites I do. I rough them in then clean them up with a relatively fine file. It's a slow learning curve, and one of the most frustrating things for me to learn.

Starting with a higher grit makes sense Warren. 60 grit was removing steel way too fast!

 

[Augus7us]

Looking good Shane, I'm enjoying following along.

Question on the swage; how close to an edge do you grind them? Is there any standard size everyone sticks to?

Also, are any differences between a clip and swage?

Thanks!

 

[S.Alexander]

With this swedge I'm not getting it anywhere close to sharp. It's a bit different than some knives where they can basically be another sharpened edge.

It will depend on the lines you want for the swedge and the thickness of the spine. With a ffg the tip gets pretty thin. Add another sharpened edge on top and the tip would be too thin IMHO.

AFAIK swedge, swage, clip, and false edge all mean the same thing.

 

[BallewBlade]

That's a bummer your grizzly won't track properly. I have the same problem from time to time on my HF 1x30, it is so dang frustrating! I can't wait to finish the 2x72 I'm building!

 

[S.Alexander]

I got a little care package in the mail today. Thanks Darcy! BTW, what kind of wood is that?

 

[Willie71]

Shane, another thought crossed my mind this morning. I usually leave the edge about 0.040 to 0.045" before heat treat. That gives me a little play with mild warp, and I can go to the grinder to remove decarb. Sanding a large blade by hand is no fun. I aim to be down to 0.020 or just under coming off the grinder with a 100, or 65 Norax. (They get finer as the numbers get smaller. 100 is about 220g, and 65 is about 400g. With the lower quality grinders you and I are using, there will be some deeper marks to sand out. I start with 220g redline, and if there are a few deeper grits, I go to 120g. I have a grinder in the box painted and ready to assemble, but I keep procrastinating on it. I really need to put it together.

 

[S.Alexander]

I'm usually around .025 or .03 with 1084 steel before heat treat. Hasn't been a problem with smaller blades yet. I'll have to knock the edge back a bit before heat treat though because I'm sure my hand sanding will thin it too much.

I definitely need a better variety of belts. I have to do a lot of hand sanding as it stands right now. And yeah... A better grinder is definitely on the menu. Get to work on yours Warren!

 

[DEllis]

I got a little care package in the mail today. Thanks Darcy! BTW, what kind of wood is that?

View attachment 498273

Glad to hear it showed up.
That is a piece of birch burl I found on a cut down tree that was left to rot in a clear cut.......crazy buncher operator Anyway, it weighed about 90 pounds......I cut it and dried it and had it professionally stabilized by WSSI. Here's some of it on these 2 handles........it's pretty nice stuff, and a bit different from most other burls I've seen. I'm sure you will put that chunk to good use:thumbup:
Darcy

 

[S.Alexander]

Got some more work done today, thanks to Christmas holidays.

Here it is sanded to 320 before heat treat. I knocked the edge back to .03" as well.



Now I'm getting it ready for the clay coating. I trace the blade out on a piece of cardboard, then cut out the clay shape I want to achieve. I do this to keep the clay relatively even on both sides of the blade.







Then I mix up the satanite and apply it to the first side of the blade. When I'm done the first side I clean off my clay template, flip it over, and apply to the second side.

 

[S.Alexander]

The clay has dried, now to austentize!

Took it up to 1500 degrees in the ol' evenheat. Quenched in 130 degree canola oil.





After quench I tempered it twice at 425 degrees. Next I'll clean up the tang and draw it back with a torch. Then its down to blade finishing, etch and polish.

 

[S.Alexander]

I guess i should make sure that I am planning this in the right order. I lean on those with some more experience here...

Clean the tang and draw it back.
Dial in the shoulders.
Finish hand sanding.
Etch and polish hamon.
Fit then attach guard.
Fit then attach handle.
Finish handle and guard.

Thanks