Finished #4. Would love feedback and constructive criticism.

[Core Knife Co.]

I'm pleased for the first time. It isn't perfect, but I've seen worse.

It has some mistakes in the grind around the plunge line on both sides. That's something I'm going to have to look out for and try not to make in the future. I'm still not very good at doing the scales but again, getting better. I did the majority of this knife with files and the jig I made. I finally went out and got a Craftsman 2X42 and was able to finish up with the grinder. I'm not really sure how to do that. I was looking for that nice, crisp line towards the spine, but I couldn't achieve it.

More trial and error.

 

[thegeek574]

That is absolutely beautiful. where can i order one?

seriously, though, that is a sweet knife. it looks very nicely chunky.

 

[Seals]

Good looking blade.I like the shape.Scales rounded or tapered at the front look better to me.I also like a fatter rounded handle.Did you leave the tang exposed to whack stuff with?Good job Mike!What kind of steel?

 

[Core Knife Co.]

Yeah, I left it exposed for that reason. It's Aldo's 1084 steel heat treated by Peters.

I knew I should have tapered the scales more at the front, but honestly, I think I'm afraid of messing up by taking too much material off. It takes me so long to get them assembled, I don't want to choke and ruin them. I'm going to have to practice on that. I cut out (4) more of this exact pattern, so maybe I'll just play around with some wood so I won't get all agro if I make a mistake.

 

[tobinsmith]

Sweet knife. Nice design, too. I think the handle is a little chunky, but if you have large hands, it's not as much of an issue.

I like it; I say make another

 

[lonepine]

How did the switch from files to grinder go? When I got my 2x42 production increased but quality went down (not that it had very far to fall), until I got accustomed to it.

What are the dimensions of the knife? What is the liner material in the handle? I like the design of your knife. You did a good job.

- Paul Meske

 

[Skimo]

Looks like a heck of a user to me!

I LOVE that fat flat!

Great choice on the scale material, it reminds me of raw halibut, may not sound great, but I love it.

If you aren't happy with it, I sure would be.

 

[daizee]

Wow, that's a fabulous first knife!
it's shaped a lot like mine, but monstrously large in comparison. How could I not like it? :-D
The liners look like leather.

-Daizee

 

[Angus McGunnigl]

Good job. I like the contrast between scales and liner. Blade shape looks very practical and useful.

 

[Mike Davis]

Nice job! I will say the handle does look a little thick but it is only an issue if you have small hands Nice, let's see the next one

 

[james terrio]

You've included some nice features like the liners and exposed tang for thumping, that's cool and fun to do. Now go back and get those nasty scratches off the spine

Order some good ceramic or zirc belts from TruGrit or Supergrit for your shiny new Craftsman, and check out all the neat and cheap mods you can do to it here and on YouTube.

I cut out (4) more of this exact pattern, so maybe I'll just play around with some wood so I won't get all agro if I make a mistake.

That's a very smart plan. It looks to me like you've done your homework and are off to a great start. Excellent choice of materials and HT, good handy design. Chunky isn't neccesarily a bad thing in a handle, you got big mitts... if it's comfortable, run with it. Use it like you stole it, you'll soon find out if you need to round off the edges, etc.

I think I see a little epoxy built up along the scales... keep some acetone and a clean rag handy when you glue them up, most of the extra goop can be wiped right off. Let it start to harden for a few minutes, then you can scrape away excess with a piece of brass rod or flat with a chisel point ground on it. (for getting in tight spots/right next to the scale, etc.) Brass won't scratch your steel. If you don't have any brass on hand, shoot me an email with your addy and I'll send you a bona-fide custom-made epoxy-scraper-offer

 

[Seals]

That craftsman is great for shaping scales.I dont think your handle is too fat at all.Id go in and round it off though.Even if you get into your liner and make it fade into the scale,that would look cool.( :

 

[Core Knife Co.]

Everyone has made very valid points, and I really do appreciate everyone taking the time to comment.

I really put everything I had into this one. From start to finish. I learned a lot more from this knife than I did the previous three combined. The scratches on the tang as an example. It looked and felt completely smooth. I was really proud of how clean it appeared. But the more I messed around with the scales, the more damage I did to t he knife. Scales really are my arch nemesis. I'll have to try and locate some brass for the epoxy. I used the acetone, but there are signs of it as mentioned. Once I dunked it in sulfuric acid, my mistakes just jumped off the page.

The scales are very chunky but they are actually very comfortable to me. I don't have extremely large hands, but I do have thick hands. The boxiness just fits me well. Problem is, they most likely won't fit everyone that way, so I need to get over my fear of messing up, and start rounding them out more.

I cannot achieve that crisp grind line. I focused hard and researched this forum for hours and days on end, but I just haven't learned the tricks yet. Reading something and then trying to transfer that information over into real world experience sometimes takes a lot of trial and error. That's where I am now.

 

[james terrio]

I cannot achieve that crisp grind line YET.

Fixed that for ya It just takes practice, when you nail one the first time you'll be turning cartwheels and grinning like a little kid. Hang in there man.