- Joined
- May 18, 2011
- Messages
- 1,476
Hey all!!
I have been trying to get into knife making. As I am getting more comfortable, I have been trying to attempt new things and mod some blades I already have that I previously been too scared to do anything with.
I have done alot of experimenting with this project. Some things I really like, others....well...I think I failed with. But I learned alot in this project and would like to show you what I have so far.
I loved my Bushlore, but it seemed lacking. The handle was always dull to me (hated the micarta), sheath retention sucked (even after wetforming), and the grind felt too fat for my uses. I actually put it on the shelf for many years because of these issues. I decided to try my hand at my first "real" mod, and turn my Bushlore into a puuko-style blade. Again, I have alot to learn, but this project made me learn from alot of mistakes and discoveries.
I am not done with the sheath yet, and I will keep you all posted on its progress, but I am too excited not to share. I broke my leather punch, so the project is on hold at the moment. Im going to burnish and clean up what I can tonight while I wait for my new punch to come in so I can add the belt loop..
Since I like some other blades better at the moment, Im unsure whether or not ill keep it. But it feels good having a production piece that is truly one of a kind.
Handle is made out of Moose Antler, Maple Burl, and Birch Bark. I reground the blade into a full-height convex, cut the tang into a hidden tang and added the new handle.
PSA: Birch bark is my new favorite handle material as of the last 6 months or so. It is warm in the hand when its cold, has a great tactile purchase even when wet, inexpensive, very light so your knife weighs near nothing, looks great, and doesn't require epoxy. As I've found, epoxy is unnecessary and actually ruins the look and feel of the bark.
Things I should have changed/done differently:
-Polished the blade more. I left many scratches and didn't polish to a mirror. Now that I am almost complete, I feel lazy, and should have been more patient, instead of being excited in the project and saying to myself "This is good enough" and just wanting to be done. Rookie mistake #1.
-Not burned the antler. I wanted to try my hand at torching the antler for more color variety. I found that in my inexperience, I did not get consistent burns, and the antler would not burn near the wood or birch bark, as it acted as a heat sink. The antler on the edges got torched more. Ill stick to burning antler in other projects I have where I believe I will have more control over the burn and it will look nicer. (I want to make a custom opinel handle and an all moose antler puukko handle complete with a moose antler sheath.)
- Build a more interesting, and longer handle. The handle is very comfortable, but has no curve, I should have added more material to allow more creative shapes like my last knife handle I completed. It also could be 0.25" longer. the handle is only ~3/32" at most shorter than the blade. That was done mistakenly by leaning into the belt too hard by accident.
-Done a more interesting shape for the wooden insert. I don't like the teardrop shape. On a knife this wide, it looks too fat and goofy. I should have gone for my favorite design I've been doing with the "dog tooth", my modified style of insert that's a more exaggerated shape than the traditional puukko sheath. Originally, I was going to try a second attempt at a Sami Sheath with more purple wood, but I decided against it for whatever reason.
-Experimented with leather stamping and making designs. I experimented and failed alot on this knife, I should have tried more new stuff anyway. Once I learn how to make basic designs online, I think I'm going to get the sheath wet an try it out.
Critiques, questions, overall banter is more than welcome. Thank you all for looking.
Cheers!
-DeadFall27
I have been trying to get into knife making. As I am getting more comfortable, I have been trying to attempt new things and mod some blades I already have that I previously been too scared to do anything with.
I have done alot of experimenting with this project. Some things I really like, others....well...I think I failed with. But I learned alot in this project and would like to show you what I have so far.
I loved my Bushlore, but it seemed lacking. The handle was always dull to me (hated the micarta), sheath retention sucked (even after wetforming), and the grind felt too fat for my uses. I actually put it on the shelf for many years because of these issues. I decided to try my hand at my first "real" mod, and turn my Bushlore into a puuko-style blade. Again, I have alot to learn, but this project made me learn from alot of mistakes and discoveries.
I am not done with the sheath yet, and I will keep you all posted on its progress, but I am too excited not to share. I broke my leather punch, so the project is on hold at the moment. Im going to burnish and clean up what I can tonight while I wait for my new punch to come in so I can add the belt loop..
Since I like some other blades better at the moment, Im unsure whether or not ill keep it. But it feels good having a production piece that is truly one of a kind.
Handle is made out of Moose Antler, Maple Burl, and Birch Bark. I reground the blade into a full-height convex, cut the tang into a hidden tang and added the new handle.
PSA: Birch bark is my new favorite handle material as of the last 6 months or so. It is warm in the hand when its cold, has a great tactile purchase even when wet, inexpensive, very light so your knife weighs near nothing, looks great, and doesn't require epoxy. As I've found, epoxy is unnecessary and actually ruins the look and feel of the bark.
Things I should have changed/done differently:
-Polished the blade more. I left many scratches and didn't polish to a mirror. Now that I am almost complete, I feel lazy, and should have been more patient, instead of being excited in the project and saying to myself "This is good enough" and just wanting to be done. Rookie mistake #1.
-Not burned the antler. I wanted to try my hand at torching the antler for more color variety. I found that in my inexperience, I did not get consistent burns, and the antler would not burn near the wood or birch bark, as it acted as a heat sink. The antler on the edges got torched more. Ill stick to burning antler in other projects I have where I believe I will have more control over the burn and it will look nicer. (I want to make a custom opinel handle and an all moose antler puukko handle complete with a moose antler sheath.)
- Build a more interesting, and longer handle. The handle is very comfortable, but has no curve, I should have added more material to allow more creative shapes like my last knife handle I completed. It also could be 0.25" longer. the handle is only ~3/32" at most shorter than the blade. That was done mistakenly by leaning into the belt too hard by accident.
-Done a more interesting shape for the wooden insert. I don't like the teardrop shape. On a knife this wide, it looks too fat and goofy. I should have gone for my favorite design I've been doing with the "dog tooth", my modified style of insert that's a more exaggerated shape than the traditional puukko sheath. Originally, I was going to try a second attempt at a Sami Sheath with more purple wood, but I decided against it for whatever reason.
-Experimented with leather stamping and making designs. I experimented and failed alot on this knife, I should have tried more new stuff anyway. Once I learn how to make basic designs online, I think I'm going to get the sheath wet an try it out.
Critiques, questions, overall banter is more than welcome. Thank you all for looking.
Cheers!
-DeadFall27
