Custom Fighter WIP

[Phillip Patton]

Well, I didn't get pictures of every step of the etching process, but it's pretty repetitive anyway. The way I do it is this. After sanding it to 400 grit, I etch for ten minutes, neutralize, sand the oxides off with 600 grit paper, etch for 10 minutes, neutralize, sand with 800 grit, then repeat with 1000 grit, then again with worn out 1000 grit. Some patterns I'll buff, but not this one.


Here it is at some point in the process (after sanding with 600 grit, I think):

And here it is after the last etch. I might go over it with some 12000 grit paper if I think it needs more shine.

After lunch, I'll make the guard stock.

 

[Salem Straub]

Very enjoyable WIP, Phillip. Nice knife, too.

 

[Phillip Patton]

Very enjoyable WIP, Phillip. Nice knife, too.

Thanks, Salem! You're doing all right yourself, and congrats, too. I saw you're not taking orders now. Feels good, doesn't it?


OK, a few pics of making the guard. I used what was left of the billet that the blade came from. First, I welded a handle to it, since I hate using tongs, and put it in the fire:

and drew it out to 1/2" square, and 18" long:

I marked it in the middle, and twisted one half clockwise, and the other counter clockwise (anti clockwise if you're on the other side of the pond).

Both sides twisted and squared up:

One side ground with the angle grinder and cut in half:

 

[peterinct]

The blade is looking GREAT Phillip. Anxious to see the progression. The twisted damascus guard should be awesome!

Peter

 

[Phillip Patton]

Next step on the guard is to cut each piece in two, and grind the mating surfaces flat and clean with the belt grinder:

Then arc weld them together and to a handle:

Then forge weld. I took three welding heats to make sure it was all welded solid. Then forged it down to 3/8" thick and 3/4" wide.

Then I did a few normalizing cycles to refine the grain. At the same time, I ground it clean again:

When I finished normalizing, I stuck it in the still hot forge to let it anneal. This usually works for me; if it doesn't, I'll have to use the oven instead.

 

[NickWheeler]

GREAT thread Phillip!!!

That blade steel is frick'n gorgeous... very nice work!!! :thumbup:

 

[Mink]

Subscribed, fantastic looking work.

 

[Erin Burke]

Phillip,
Do you have any photos of your hard/soft sanding sticks for hollow grinds? I think that one of the reasons that I avoid hollow-grinds these days is that I've never come up with a good sanding stick/hand-sanding process for them.
Erin

 

[Tad Lynch]

Phillip,

Great design. I'm really enjoying the thread.

Tad

 

[carby131]

wow i am both amazed and inspired!
you have opened my eyes to the real world of knife making you truely are an artisan!
i would love to see more of your WIP's
thank you for shareing

 

[fivefold]

wow i am both amazed and inspired!
you have opened my eyes to the real world of knife making you truely are an artisan!
i would love to see more of your WIP's
thank you for shareing

I couldn't agree more! :thumbup:

 

[Phillip Patton]

Hey all,
Well, sorry for not keeping up with this. Things have been real busy, and not likely to let up soon (getting ready to move...). But I have a bunch more pictures to post. So, without further ado...


Here's the guard blank after thermal cycling and annealing:

After grinding clean with the belt grinder:

Then I run it through the surface grinder on both sides to make it nice and square and parallel:

Then it's coated with dykem, a centerline is scribed (btw, the line is scribed on the weld seam, not the center of the chunk of steel) and marks are made for the drill bit:

Erin, I'll try to get some pics of my sanding sticks next time I'm in the shop.

 

[Phillip Patton]

Now the holes are drilled:

and the webbing is removed with a round file:

At this point, I made sure the tang was tapered and straight:

Then the slot is filed out until the tang slides most of the way up:

When it's close, the guard is hammered onto the guard shoulders and inspected for gaps.

If there are gaps, (and there were, sadly) they are closed up by peening the material at the edge.
Once I'm happy with the fit, then I draw a couple lines so I'll know where the center is:

 

[Phillip Patton]

Now I slot a thin spacer. This is to be used to align the guard and handle block.

The spacer is glued to the guard with CA (super glue) and then holes are drilled for locating pins:

 

[Phillip Patton]

Now the end of the handle block is cut to the correct angle, the shape of the handle is drawn on, and the outline of the tang is traced on:

Then a centerline is drawn on the end, and marks are made for the drill bit:

Now the block is put in the drill press vise, and the edge of the tang tracing is lined up with the drill bit:

Since regular twist drills can wander in some materials, I start the holes with brad point bits, then finish with the extra long twist drill:

Do the same with the other side:

then do the ones in between:

 

[Phillip Patton]

Then the webbing is removed using the drill bit:

and if it's a tight fit (and this one was) material is removed with files and drill bits, until it slides all the way up:

To be continued...

 

[Allen Newberry]

Thanks for taking the time to show us your process.

 

[keithf]

Looking great ! Can't wait to see this done. Thanks for sharing your process.
Cheers Keith

 

[Patrice Lemée]

Any progress Phillip? Withdrawal is hard, the shakes are getting bad.

 

[Phillip Patton]

Any progress Phillip? Withdrawal is hard, the shakes are getting bad.

Ha ha! Sorry, I just spent a week out of the state, and I've not got back into the swing of things yet. Should get something done on it today, I hope.