Custom combat scales

Knifemaker87 · Nov 7, 2011

I have been working alot of overtime and while one machine is running, i have been playing around with another.

I am working on a knive for my cousin who is a SEAL and deployed overseas. It is a big combate knife and i wanted something fun for the handles. i really like the texture on Busse Combat knifes so i thought i would give something like that a try.

Here is what i came up with. I have these scales in two patterns, a "feather" style pattern and then in a bolder pattern. The scales a 8"x2.5" by 1/2" black linen micarta 3/8" black synthetic 1/4" natural canvas micarta, 1/4" natural G10 and 1/8" linen micarta.

1/4" natural canvas with the "Feather"

1/2" Black Linen with the bold pattern

thanks for looking!
~Chris

Nowicki · Nov 8, 2011

Nice. Looking forward to seeing them on a knife.

Knifemaker87 · Nov 8, 2011

Nowicki said:
Nice. Looking forward to seeing them on a knife.

me too!
i did modify the "bold" pattern... less bold now.

petah · Nov 8, 2011

Let's see the combat knife

Knifemaker87 · Nov 8, 2011

petah said:
Let's see the combat knife

this is the second of two knives i made from this pattern. the blank looks like this:

Mitchell Knives · Nov 9, 2011

The scales look great, as does the knife design!

jonnymac44 · Nov 9, 2011

Wow! Everything is looking good....the scales, the profile of the blade..nice work bud!!

Question, did you do the texturing of the scales freehand with something like a Dremel? The textures look really great, but don't look like they were CNC'd.

Nice work!!!

Knifemaker87 · Nov 9, 2011

Mitchell Knives said:
The scales look great, as does the knife design!

thanks! i have the blade ground and heat treated i just have to get through all the other crap that is higher priority before i can get this finished up.

jonnymac44 said:
Wow! Everything is looking good....the scales, the profile of the blade..nice work bud!!

Question, did you do the texturing of the scales freehand with something like a Dremel? The textures look really great, but don't look like they were CNC'd.

Nice work!!!

thanks! I am curious though, what makes you say they weren't CNC'd? i made them on a CNC lathe set up as a rotary milling machine. i used three sizes of endmills on them for varying widths and depths. 3/8", 1/4" and 1/8"

R APPLEBY · Nov 9, 2011

Very cool, looking forward to seeing the finished product.

jonnymac44 · Nov 11, 2011

By saying they didn't look CNC'd I wasn't implying that they didn't look good, my friend! The groove lines just seemed to me like they had just a bit too much wave and artistic beauty to have been done by a CNC. I really thought they had been done by hand with a dremel or rotary tool. Either way, they are amazing looking scales and I think when they're finished on the knife it will be a really good look!!:thumbup:

Knifemaker87 said:
thanks! i have the blade ground and heat treated i just have to get through all the other crap that is higher priority before i can get this finished up.

thanks! I am curious though, what makes you say they weren't CNC'd? i made them on a CNC lathe set up as a rotary milling machine. i used three sizes of endmills on them for varying widths and depths. 3/8", 1/4" and 1/8"