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Bowie WIP - Knife now complete

shane_o_ca said:
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
Click to expand...
Sounds like you got the right order there.:thumbup:
Darcy:)
 
Just remembered.......you should add "performance testing" somewhere in there before final blade finish........sharpen it and go cut some stuff......make sure that it's a blade worth finishing.
Looking forward to the rest of your progress on this.
Darcy:)
 
DEllis said:
Just remembered.......you should add "performance testing" somewhere in there before final blade finish........sharpen it and go cut some stuff......make sure that it's a blade worth finishing.
Looking forward to the rest of your progress on this.
Darcy:)
Click to expand...

Great idea Darcy. I will add that in after I draw the tang back.
 
That is some nice work coming along. I'm glad to see people were happy to offer you some copper but if you're ever needing some locally, copper electrical bus bar can often be found in 1/4" from electrical contractor suppliers
 
I cleaned up the tang and started cleaning the scale from the flats. Next I wrapped the blade in a wet rag, and drew the tang back to a blue colour with a propane torch.





Then I did some performance testing. I put a quick edge on the blade and did a few tests. First was the brass rod test. The edge had some flex with no chipping, bending or rolling.

Then I chopped away at this chunk of 2x4 for a bit. It would've been easier if I had a temporary handle on the knife.







After chopping at the 2x4, I made 100 cuts in a piece of cardboard. It made the cuts without a problem.



I checked the edge after the testing, and there were no chips or deformations. I'm pretty happy with the heat treat, so I will continue on with the build :)
 
Here I am squaring up the shoulders again before fitting up the guard. The files made quick work of the shoukders. Before and after shots.



I am into final hand sanding on the blade now. Up to 320 grit so far. No pics yet.

I find hand sanding kind of therapeutic. It's a time where I can relax, listen to music, and I don't have to think about anything else. Call me crazy I guess ;)
 
Here are a couple of hand sanding pics. The first is at 600 grit. In the second pic I marked out where there were still sanding marks from the previous grit.



I finished hand sanding up to 1500 grit then its time to etch the hamon. I used water and ferric chloride in an 8:1 concentration.

I left it in for 5 minutes, cleaned off the oxides, then put it in for 5 more minutes.



I use Mother's mag polish to reveal the hamon.


Here's how it looks after some polishing.

 
That hamon came out better that I was expecting. Great job!!! I'll have to try the ferric chloride with 1084 if I make another bowie out of it. :thumbup:
 
Willie71 said:
That hamon came out better that I was expecting. Great job!!! I'll have to try the ferric chloride with 1084 if I make another bowie out of it. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Thanks. I like how it turned out as well. 1084 hamons are interesting to do. One day I'll venture towards w2 when I can acquire some fast oil.
 
Before I go any further I wrapped up the blade to protect it from scratches.



Now it's time to work on the guard. I changed my original design. I like this much better.


First I marked out the rough lines where the tang will sit. Then I drilled a couple of small holes at the top and bottom of the slot. I wish that I had access to a mill... But I don't, so I have to use a jewelers saw.





Here's the nasty looking slot I created.



Now its on to needle files and sandpaper to square up the slot. I'm sure if you've been following along that you will recognize the carbide file guide yet again.


Here the first side is squared up.


Now I've flipped the guard over and I'm doing the other side.

 
It's getting there Darcy... It's getting there ;)

Today I got the guard dry fitted on. I now see why guys use a surface grinder on the tang. I had to use my digital calipers on multiple spots along the tang and ground down any spots that were slightly thicker than the area around the shoulders. I had one spot around the middle of the tang that was a couple thousandths thicker and the guard was getting hung up there. Now I know what to look for next time.

After a few tries at a dry fit, and taking the needle file to the slot to make it fit, I finally got it.

Now I have to clean up the face of the guard and attach it with some JB weld.


 
If you are careful, you can get the ricasso quite flat with some 220g paper on a granite or other flat surface. It's the poor man's surface grinder. :thumbup:
 
Willie71 said:
If you are careful, you can get the ricasso quite flat with some 220g paper on a granite or other flat surface. It's the poor man's surface grinder. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

That's true... And I do that when getting wood nice and flat so there is not much difference.
 
The tang should taper from the ricasso back toward the butt. That way the guard will slide on easily and then snug up just as it meets the shoulders. When I do mine they are a firm press fit, but they will slide effortlessly until within 1/4 inch or so of home. Some guys make a small step down from the flat of the ricasso to the flat of the tang.......either way works well. If your tang is one consistent thickness it'd be a pain to make the guard fit snug with no gaps. I just measured the tang thickness on the hunter I am working on, and it's .200" at the shoulders, and about .150" at the end where I will thread it for a pommel nut.....
Your fit looks pretty good from the side view.
Darcy:)
 
Yeah the fit is good IMO but it definitely would have been easier to taper the tang... Next time.
 
I cleaned up the face of the guard using a block of wood with a notch on it. This made it easier to sand.


Then I attached the guard with job weld.



After the epoxy set on the guard I cut out the spacers using the same method as the guard. No need to worry about a precise fit though, so it went much faster.

Here it is all glued and clamped.



Up next I will start prepping the handle material.
 
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