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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Cavalcade of Carvers (preferably folders)
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I totally agree with Chris Lubkemann about the SA Tinker. These make good whittlers too, and I often modify them for my young whittlin' students. That key ring and tab has to go! Totally in the way when using the small blade. I usually make the small blade into a Wharncliffe and the large one into a clip, though I have done it the other way around.
As I said, this work can be done with a file, and for only one or two knives that is all that is needed. I do lots of them though, and for that I use a 4x36 belt sander with an 80 grit belt for the rough work. The coarser belts cut cooler than fine ones. A belt sander with a careful user will not burn blades. Belt sanders like this can be bought at most tool stores for 100 - 150.00.
DO NOT USE A BENCH GRINDER!! Even very careful users will burn blades. With the belt sander, it is fairly easy to keep things for getting too hot in a hurry. Use light pressure, quench often, and use fresh belts. After rough shaping and bevel grinding, a 120 grit belt can be used to smooth things up a bit, and then a stone and strop for the finishing touches.
Use some truly junk knives to practice some (say 5 -10 blades) before venturing on to a Rough Rider, and maybe 20 of those before an old Camillus or Schrade.
As I said, this work can be done with a file, and for only one or two knives that is all that is needed. I do lots of them though, and for that I use a 4x36 belt sander with an 80 grit belt for the rough work. The coarser belts cut cooler than fine ones. A belt sander with a careful user will not burn blades. Belt sanders like this can be bought at most tool stores for 100 - 150.00.
DO NOT USE A BENCH GRINDER!! Even very careful users will burn blades. With the belt sander, it is fairly easy to keep things for getting too hot in a hurry. Use light pressure, quench often, and use fresh belts. After rough shaping and bevel grinding, a 120 grit belt can be used to smooth things up a bit, and then a stone and strop for the finishing touches.
Use some truly junk knives to practice some (say 5 -10 blades) before venturing on to a Rough Rider, and maybe 20 of those before an old Camillus or Schrade.
WhittlinAway
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Thanks for not giving up! I've really enjoyed looking at the knives and examples of work that you've posted.
BTW, I can see all of the images that you've posted when I view it through the web, but with Tapatalk on my phone, they didn't come through at first. It looks like your first few posts had an extra set of IMG tags wrapping the images. Not sure what was causing that, but it looks like you figured it out.
WhittlinAway
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That's good to hear. I just got a Recruit that I'm giving that treatment to. I hadn't considered making the large blade into a clip, but I may just do that.
I'd like to reiterate that it's very doable with a file. Based in large part on your kind encouragement to me in another thread to give it a try, I got a set of files and found that modding blades is quite enjoyable. I think you also warned me that it's kind of like whittling and hard to stop once you get a taste of it. You were right.
BTW, I didn't really know how to select or use a file and found the prospect a bit intimidating at first. I imagine others may be in the same boat. Fortunately I got some extremely helpful advice in the MT&E forum when I asked there about a starter file set for blade modifications. That was all I needed to get going.
I'll probably try a belt sander at some point, but for now I'm enjoying the files. I've been using a wood block as a support as you suggested earlier in this thread.
Thanks again for all your helpful advice and encouragement.
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- Dec 21, 2015
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Can you please post a picture of one of your modified Tinkers? I would love to have you do that to one of mine to make it a dedicated whittler.
I do not have a photo of a modded Tinker, and I no longer have any to take pics of, but in the next week I expect to be doing some knife modifications and when I do I will take some pics and post them.
That's good to hear. I just got a Recruit that I'm giving that treatment two. I hadn't considered making the large blade into a clip, but I may just do that.
I'd like to reiterate that it's very doable with a file. Based in large part on your kind encouragement to me in another thread to give it a try, I got a set of files and found that modding blades is quite enjoyable. I think you also warned me that it's kind of like whittling and hard to stop once you get a taste of it. You were right.
BTW, I didn't really know how to select or use a file and found the prospect a bit intimidating at first. I imagine others may be in the same boat. Fortunately I got some extremely helpful advice in the MT&E forum when I asked there about a starter file set for blade modifications. That was all I needed to get going.
I'll probably try a belt sander at some point, but for now I'm enjoying the files. I've been using a wood block as a support as you suggested earlier in this thread.
Thanks again for all your helpful advice and encouragement.
Thanks for taking the time to research this whole file thing. I am sure this will be helpful for others. I should have specified that I use a single cut medium flat file for this work, the kind that are readily available from a chainsaw dealer. They (and I) use them for filing down the depth gauges (rakers) on chainsaw chain when sharpening the saw. Since I have them for that purpose, I used them for knife modding too.
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You guy's and gals have inspired me with your knives and whittling expertise. I did not have a designated whittling knife so I picked this Case up today it is a 2003 NOS. Tomorrow I will get some Basswood and try my hand at carving out some stuff. I will post pictures of projects and cut fingers as I go along. Oh and Gary try to post something less expensive next time. 
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2007
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- 737
Hey guys it's been a while only reading due to lack of time.
Anyway here are the two I use the most The case whittler it's a wonderful general purpose carving knife, while the other one an old Solingen without markings, is better for smaller carving and fine detail, I've modified the point to allow tight curves to be carved.
these next two where the ones I began with
Numerous times I have fantasised about selling all my knives and have a dedicated whittler made for me.
Around 3 5/8" spear main blade sitting inside the frame(or Long clip point like case 6318) As a general purpose blade, then two secondaries both scimitar shaped one around 1 3/4" for roughing out with a thicker grind and one 1" fine detail blade maybe with extended tang to reach into tight spots, well... Dreaming is free, isn't it?
Regards
Mateo
Anyway here are the two I use the most The case whittler it's a wonderful general purpose carving knife, while the other one an old Solingen without markings, is better for smaller carving and fine detail, I've modified the point to allow tight curves to be carved.
these next two where the ones I began with
Numerous times I have fantasised about selling all my knives and have a dedicated whittler made for me.
Around 3 5/8" spear main blade sitting inside the frame(or Long clip point like case 6318) As a general purpose blade, then two secondaries both scimitar shaped one around 1 3/4" for roughing out with a thicker grind and one 1" fine detail blade maybe with extended tang to reach into tight spots, well... Dreaming is free, isn't it?
Regards
Mateo
Hey guys it's been a while only reading due to lack of time.
Anyway here are the two I use the most The case whittler it's a wonderful general purpose carving knife, while the other one an old Solingen without markings, is better for smaller carving and fine detail, I've modified the point to allow tight curves to be carved.
these next two where the ones I began with
Numerous times I have fantasised about selling all my knives and have a dedicated whittler made for me.
Around 3 5/8" spear main blade sitting inside the frame(or Long clip point like case 6318) As a general purpose blade, then two secondaries both scimitar shaped one around 1 3/4" for roughing out with a thicker grind and one 1" fine detail blade maybe with extended tang to reach into tight spots, well... Dreaming is free, isn't it?
Regards
Mateo
Dreaming is free for sure, but go ahead and make your dreams. That will cost a little more but not nearly as much as getting a custom made knife. The ones you do will work just as well as the customs and might even look almost as good too.
You have good skills, and have done some good whittlin'. I am confident, and you should be too, that you can modify existing knives to be exactly what you want in a whittlin' iron.
Well, at least to get going on the quest. I have radically modified hundreds of pocket knives for whittlin' and haven't quite got the perfect one yet.
WhittlinAway
Gold Member
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- Feb 11, 2016
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- 2,541
Hey guys it's been a while only reading due to lack of time.
Anyway here are the two I use the most The case whittler it's a wonderful general purpose carving knife, while the other one an old Solingen without markings, is better for smaller carving and fine detail, I've modified the point to allow tight curves to be carved.
...
Mateo, welcome back! I always enjoy looking at your little guys and knives. I particularly like the lumber jack.
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- Mar 15, 2007
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- 737
Thanks Greg it is appreciated, I have left a couple more pictures in the whittling threadMateo, welcome back! I always enjoy looking at your little guys and knives. I particularly like the lumber jack.
Thanks for the confidence mr chips, actually I have played a bit with Rotary tool in a couple of knives and tried the scimitar shaped blade on an opinel I modified and thinned out. I carved with it for a while and loved it, but I broke the tip off.
The problem I encounter with slipjoints is that I almost always remove the nail nick when I change the shape and they become almost impossible to open. Any advice is welcomed.
That's why I think about a custom, (well that and the liking for fancy knives we all share and brought us here in the first place). Besides I think I have THE ONE in my head pretty clear. (Yeah right
)Mateo
Thanks Greg it is appreciated, I have left a couple more pictures in the whittling thread
Thanks for the confidence mr chips, actually I have played a bit with Rotary tool in a couple of knives and tried the scimitar shaped blade on an opinel I modified and thinned out. I carved with it for a while and loved it, but I broke the tip off.
The problem I encounter with slipjoints is that I almost always remove the nail nick when I change the shape and they become almost impossible to open. Any advice is welcomed.
That's why I think about a custom, (well that and the liking for fancy knives we all share and brought us here in the first place). Besides I think I have THE ONE in my head pretty clear. (Yeah right
Mateo
Use a cutoff grinding wheel for a dremel type tool and eye protection of course. Just kind of whittle a bit at a time, and you can put a very useable nail nick in a blade. It won't look exactly like a factory job, but it will work.
