- Joined
- Mar 6, 2006
- Messages
- 186
Blade : 5160 satin finish - 7 1/8"
Guard : Bronze
Spacer : 416 stainless with rope filework surrounded by bronze
Handle : Curly Maple Stabilized by WoodLAB with bronze buttcap and pin. - 4 7/8"
Overall : 12"
Well here's my latest. Has a few new things to it as well. The blade was forged at the ABS Hammer-in I think it was fall 2007. It's some of the 5160 they had there.Was kind of guided through the forging by Jerry Lairson. Was originally aiming for a bit of a recurve, but it didn't end up with very much, so I just went with a bowie.
Decided it was time to attempt some filework so found a fairly simple pattern, and attempted it. Turned out quite well as the first attempt. Two files perished in it's creation. *snap* The bronze fittings are from some plate I bought from the back of a pickup at Tannehill this last time, and I can't remember the name of the guy. I can almost...
Bought some silver brazing stuff, and took a little lesson from Brion Tomberlin. Easier to see it done. Funny thing is both of the buttcaps we brazed that day fell apart. First one we attempted a small tang on by first millingout a slot, but in the end went with a screw. I ended up tossing it aside to possible use as a guard at some point as I kept having trouble trying to get it to stick. Two thoughts being not enough surface area for the screw head because of the milled slot, as well as maybe my vise was sucking too much heat out. So went to the next I'd attempted, it failed, and i redid it, this time by clamping a thin piece of metal to the bench and using it to support the piece. It was an old blade I had sitting around. This time it worked great, could tell it flowed out much more, and that's the one that went on the end of this knife. One problem was trying to drill a hole and thread it on, it would end up cocked to one side or the other, so I guess you'd either need to start with a large square, get it threaded on and then cut away what isn't needed, or I had another thought which was to make up the rectangular one, drill the hole out big and do like I did in just epoxying it on, but give it a vaseline coating which once the epoxy set, should allow it to unthread, which would be useful if the cap needed etching. Basically casting in the threads. Might try it.
Ran into one little problem shaping the handle, which meant I had to shape down the bronze spacers a tiny bit more, so the roped spacer stands just a bit proud.
Was a pain to glue up *laughs*
The blade has a satin finish, I feel probably the best one I've done yet. When I went over to Brion's for the brazing lesson, saw how he was doing one of his, so kinda oriented myself the same, and I feel it helped me keep the pattern straighter and more uniform.
The bevels on the clip was soemthing new I tried, and will be doing more of, as it was very simple. Now if it was a curved clip that was concave I'd be in trouble *laughs* So most of the clips I'll be doing will be straight until I can figure out a good method for concave curved.
Anyone have suggestions on how to avoid very tiny perpindicular scratches to the blade finish when gluing it up and removing the epoxy? One I've heard is to get some very soft tissue which I willprobably try. Scuffed up the bronze a bit getting the epoxy all off, shoulda used the slower set. a little Flitz took the scuffs right out and actually polished up the bronze to a much higher sheen.
The wood for the handle was some I had sent off and stabilized, it was one I actually had listed on my website, but decided to use it as I wanted some curly maple for this handle.
Feel free to question comment or critique.
Beau Erwin
Guard : Bronze
Spacer : 416 stainless with rope filework surrounded by bronze
Handle : Curly Maple Stabilized by WoodLAB with bronze buttcap and pin. - 4 7/8"
Overall : 12"
Well here's my latest. Has a few new things to it as well. The blade was forged at the ABS Hammer-in I think it was fall 2007. It's some of the 5160 they had there.Was kind of guided through the forging by Jerry Lairson. Was originally aiming for a bit of a recurve, but it didn't end up with very much, so I just went with a bowie.
Decided it was time to attempt some filework so found a fairly simple pattern, and attempted it. Turned out quite well as the first attempt. Two files perished in it's creation. *snap* The bronze fittings are from some plate I bought from the back of a pickup at Tannehill this last time, and I can't remember the name of the guy. I can almost...
Bought some silver brazing stuff, and took a little lesson from Brion Tomberlin. Easier to see it done. Funny thing is both of the buttcaps we brazed that day fell apart. First one we attempted a small tang on by first millingout a slot, but in the end went with a screw. I ended up tossing it aside to possible use as a guard at some point as I kept having trouble trying to get it to stick. Two thoughts being not enough surface area for the screw head because of the milled slot, as well as maybe my vise was sucking too much heat out. So went to the next I'd attempted, it failed, and i redid it, this time by clamping a thin piece of metal to the bench and using it to support the piece. It was an old blade I had sitting around. This time it worked great, could tell it flowed out much more, and that's the one that went on the end of this knife. One problem was trying to drill a hole and thread it on, it would end up cocked to one side or the other, so I guess you'd either need to start with a large square, get it threaded on and then cut away what isn't needed, or I had another thought which was to make up the rectangular one, drill the hole out big and do like I did in just epoxying it on, but give it a vaseline coating which once the epoxy set, should allow it to unthread, which would be useful if the cap needed etching. Basically casting in the threads. Might try it.
Ran into one little problem shaping the handle, which meant I had to shape down the bronze spacers a tiny bit more, so the roped spacer stands just a bit proud.
Was a pain to glue up *laughs*
The blade has a satin finish, I feel probably the best one I've done yet. When I went over to Brion's for the brazing lesson, saw how he was doing one of his, so kinda oriented myself the same, and I feel it helped me keep the pattern straighter and more uniform.
The bevels on the clip was soemthing new I tried, and will be doing more of, as it was very simple. Now if it was a curved clip that was concave I'd be in trouble *laughs* So most of the clips I'll be doing will be straight until I can figure out a good method for concave curved.
Anyone have suggestions on how to avoid very tiny perpindicular scratches to the blade finish when gluing it up and removing the epoxy? One I've heard is to get some very soft tissue which I willprobably try. Scuffed up the bronze a bit getting the epoxy all off, shoulda used the slower set. a little Flitz took the scuffs right out and actually polished up the bronze to a much higher sheen.
The wood for the handle was some I had sent off and stabilized, it was one I actually had listed on my website, but decided to use it as I wanted some curly maple for this handle.
Feel free to question comment or critique.
Beau Erwin
I hope you will be doing more in the future. 