Damascus integral tag-along

[NickWheeler]

I'm not gonna call this a WIP, because somehow or other, I lost some of the photos. And for the most part, you can look at the thread in my signature line to get a long winded explanation of many of the same steps.

Also, thinking about the "messy thread" about posting pics, I thought maybe I should try to share something that might be interesting or halfway helpful.

I snapped the pics to send to my collector friend that ordered this knife.

Since I haven't done any video stuff for awhile, I decided to record some stuff while working on the handle the other day.

Fortunately, the knife is done already. I probably won't get everything posted tonight though.

Thanks

This was the goal, along with the handle block.

Cut Aldo's 1084 to length on the bandsaw to match up with my Kelly Cupples 15N20.

Grind scale off 1084. Absolutely required? I don't think so, but it sure doesn't hurt.

Good to go...

Stack and tack...

 

[NickWheeler]

Get it hot...

Squish it...

Hack into short pieces and face mill for nice and flat/clean mating surfaces

Ready to go

Stack and tack again

 

[NickWheeler]

Weld, cut, draw...

More heat...

Measure, cut, clean...

Stack and tack

Time for more heat and squish

Make sure dog is watching out for your billets...

 

[NickWheeler]

Hopefully end up with a couple decent sized bars that are around 280ish layers

Start squishing one of the billets down to 3/8" thick, and to the rough profile of the pattern.

More hammer/squish

Little tweak here and there

Press in the start of the bolster/choil transition

Start the tang with extreme drawing dies

Pretty close... which is smarter in this situation that exactly dead nuts...

Get it muy caliente... then start making a steel potato chip.

Like that.... but more...

There we go...

Hmmm, expensive steel potato chip---

 

[NickWheeler]

Grind from Ruffles to Dorito...

Double check sketched pattern will fit

Quck and dirty etch to make sure there's a ladder hiding in there

Surface grind bolster area to establish two flat and parallel sides on this thing

Starting to see a glimmer of precision off in the distance

Little bit-O grinding to get it to the desired profile

On the right track (or so I thought...!!!)

Mark center line for blade.... enter those parallel surfaces

Little bit of grinding to clean it up before going into the salt bath.

 

[SBranson]

Well, I, for one, am rapt with anticipation. Thanks Nick.

 

[NickWheeler]

Go through thermal cycles in salt bath- lose photos. :foot:

Quick pass on the 9" disc

Harden with salt bath and Park50- lose photos :foot:

Check hardened blade for pattern with a quick and dirty etch

Lose ALL photos of the finish grinding... :grumpy: :foot:

Make new guide to cut in bolster shoulders

Hand sand to 800, grind and finish clip, fit up handle block---- whoo hoo, move'n forward

Bed handle, start shaping handle, shape bolsters and get to an 800X finish on bolsters---- Find FREAKING CRACK in bolster. :grumpy: Practice your cuss word vocab. Know your reputation isn't worth ruining over this---even though mortgage is due in a week. :foot:

 

[NickWheeler]

After a lot of pointless kicking and screaming... compose yourself and start over.

Attempt #2

All those steps above... again. Through the salt bath they went...

It might have grown just a tad

Catching up with its broken brother...

#2 has been heat-treated, finish ground, hand sanded to 800, clip ground and sanded to 800, handle fit, then bedded to blade/tang... then roughed out on belt grinder. No pics of rounding out the bolster sides.

And it was at this point I decided to try the record button on the camera again...

 

[NickWheeler]

Part 1 *side note* you may or may not notice that the gut I had grown in the first photos is missing in the videos, and I think it's because I finally got back on track with diet and working out and went from 260# in post 1 to 226 in the videos...

[video=youtube;N99qQ7KgQBs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N99qQ7KgQBs&feature=plcp[/video]

Part 2
[video=youtube;PA6I21L4MZI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA6I21L4MZI&feature=channel&list=UL[/video]

Part 3
[video=youtube;7TmZ0m9x1kM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TmZ0m9x1kM&feature=channel&list=UL[/video]

 

[NickWheeler]

Next step
[video=youtube;Ubx2e4-gUMw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ubx2e4-gUMw&feature=channel&list=UL[/video]


[video=youtube;Nc4y1bFj3co]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc4y1bFj3co&feature=channel&list=UL[/video]

Okay, that's it for tonight... it's past my na'night time!

 

[Brian Ayres]

Thank god you fast forwarded to the second blade. I was already up way too late and would've sat on the couch waiting to see what came next. I can't imagine the heartbreak at that point.
That must be your new shop?
Looks roomy!

 

[DamienC]

cant wait to see it finished, nick are you a master smith yet

 

[Calvin Richardson]

I gotta tell ya Nick, you are a huge inspiration. Your handles and designs help me keep going and help me stay excited about making knives.

 

[BenR.T.]

Thanks for posting your process Nick. I for one always learn something new from them, and my handle shaping is one area I would like to work on.
Looks great! :thumbup:

 

[bobbywett]

Really Great Work!

 

[Mike Davis]

Awesome as always Nick. Sucks to hear about the cracked bolster, you can send it to me for destruction testing Looking really good!!!

 

[PT Doc]

Incredible work. Great videos to help connect the dots. Thanks

 

[Tai Goo]

That's great Nick!

 

[Mike Turner]

Great Tag Along Nick :thumbup:

 

[Burl Source]

Beautiful knife Nick.
I would be willing to bet I know which Bill this is going to.
It is looking exactly like what I would hope to have one day.
I really like the ladder pattern.
Too bad the wood is so ugly.

Just teasing you.
Everything about the knife looks great.