DONE! Refinishing/Refurbishing knives: My current project. DONE!

You're welcome buddy.....and I didn't say enough in my last post. The more I look at these pictures, the more it is apparent the work you put into this project! The Case looks like a brand new knife. The sheath looks great, blade finish is crisp as can be, and the handle job is superb! Very cool to bring an old piece like this back to life. You did awesome!:thumbup:
 
Thank you sir, I do appreciate the kind words! I really wish I had a light box to take some decent pictures with :).

I actually did a lot more with this knife than I had intended. First thoughts were to just clean up the blade's rusty spots, reglue and sand the old black plastic handles, glue and restitch the sheath and sharpen it. But once I started, it was all downhill from there! I hope the owner likes everything I have done!
 
Excellent work, your friend should be amazed. I really like the shot w/o the flash, beautiful osage you found.
 
Thank you! It was actually a large slab given to me from a previous customer. He had a piece that measured about 6 x 12 x 2 that had been cut about 10-15 years ago. He gave it to me to use on his order and said to keep the rest!! It's a shame there are some voids and splits in the wood, but I have been able to work around most of them. I gotta learn how to do the toasting to bring out that pretty reddish/orange/brown grain!
 
Great work Griz and a good job documenting it too for us to see. In the past I've done quite a few sheaths where the blade was coming through the welt/stitching. I've gone to reinforcing those areas with Ca and an accelerator. Lots of times it can indicate a poor design where the blade is resting there when in the sheath. Try it next time. While ya still have the sheath open reinforce the blade side of the welt with the Ca. Makes em pretty stout in a weak spot.
 
Thanks, that's a great idea! Do you have any issues with the blade rubbing the CA impregnated spot and dulling the edge there?
 
Thats awesome. The leather looks great, and I really like the idea that the knife will serve it's owner, and maybe their kids for decades to come. You really should sharpen it though. :D.
 
I gave it to my buddy today and he loved it! Then he asks me how much he owes me...and I realize we didn't talk about a price!! So, I'm like..uh...20 bucks? He reacts like I was going to tell him $60-80! Then before he left I was like ya know what, it's on me...as a thank you. He's bought 4 knives from me so far and gained me a customer as well as putting my name out to local people and places. I didn't have to buy anything for this project and it kept me busy while my fiance is 3.5 hours away at the children's hospital with our unborn baby.

The leather turned out WAY darker than I had anticipated, but it still looks awesome...I am VERY pleased with how well the whole package turned out.

Sharpening? Yeah, I'd LOVE to be able to put an edge on that just scares the hair into separating! LOL!
 
Gotta love giving new life to an old piece! I'm eyeballing a Schrade guthook in my cabinet that's begging for a new look!
 
Awesome stuff man. What kind of sharpening system did you use? I'm having problems getting a super fine edge on some of my stuff due to the hardness of the edge.
 
For the moment, I use a Lansky Deluxe Diamond set. It has 4 hones, XCoarse, Coarse, Medium and Fine. For establishing my initial degree of sharpening, I usually use the coarse. Then I move to the medium, then to the fine. Now, after working the fine for a bit, I will jump back to the medium for a couple passes to work the burr down even more, then back to fine to finish out. Then, I strop on a strip of leather rubbed with green compound. It's nothing fancy, which is something I hope to remedy soon. I'd like to get a Blue Sapphire hone to add to my set and build a set of different strops.

From my reading, the diamond set is the way to go. It doesn't require much effort at all to get a very nice edge.

I am also considering buying a Work Sharp knife sharpener...they have recieved GREAT (consistent) reviews and put on a very, very nice convex edge.
 
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