First sale

Walt2

Walt2

Joined
Mar 13, 2001
Messages
1,157
I am just a hobbyist, but have just completed my first knife that someone asked me to make for him. Roger Linger tempered some blades for me and it was one of them. It is a D2 skinner at 60.5 HRC with stabilized curly Koa wood scales. I used the Nelsonite that Darren Ellis sells, on the scales, using the canning jar method and it worked great.
 
Walt2,
Congrats on your first knife sale.
The knife sounds very interesting . Do you have pictures?
What is nelsonite?
 
Thanks Darrel, no I don't have any pics. The Nelsonite is a wood stabilizing product. Pool/billiard cue manufacturers use this product on the pool cues. Darren Ellis also uses this and sells it. Here is a link to his site.
www.ellisknifeworks.com/
Anyone who understands the principle of canning pickles can use this for small amounts of wood. A wide mouth canning jar and a water bath will do the job. I used one of those burners that hooks up to a propane bottle and most people use them to fry fish/oysters/shrimp. I used 2 jars at a time.
 
I think Walt sent me seven blades total and I can honestly say his grinding on those was of the finest I have yet seen. I too wish we could see a pic of the finished knife.

RL
 
Walt2, please next time show photos some of that curly koa is fantastic !. I'm sure Roger "heat treated " your blades not just "tempered " them. That's part of the learning process. Kepp working at it .
 
Hey Walt, excellent! Congratulations on your first sale! :) If you have any pics of that knife please post them, we'd all love to see it. I love curly Koa, it can be a very great looking wood. Again, congratulations! :)

-Darren
 
Thanks for the compliment Roger. Mete, the "temper" comment was a case of lazy on my part. Easier to type temper than heat treat/temper. I don't have a digital camera and if I did someone would have to instruct me on how to post pictures. I don't think I would be allowed to anyhow. I will try and borrow one in the next couple of days.
 
I would accept HT for heat treat ! The photos are necessary if you want us to comment , good or bad, on your knife. There are many skilled makers here who can give helpful hints .
 
Congratulations, Walt! ...who would've known you got bit by the bug.

Glad to have you here.
 
Congrats, it's a rush isn't it. I wish I could see the knife but, maybe on the next one. Between what Roger said and the description, it sounds like a nice one. I've got a quick question on the Nelsonite, if you don't mind. I just got some from Darren and threw in some Thuya Burl and vaccumed it. Did your wood sink? I know in some stabilizers the woods done when it sinks. Thanks.
 
J. the Koa didn't sink, however I did some scales that I obtained from someone else and don't know what they are, that did sink after they were in the solution for several days. I put them in and then we had to go out of town. When we got back they were not floating anymore.
Thanks for the comments everyone. I have pictures of the knife on a floppy but I don't know how to post them. I've never done it before and there is a lot about computers that I don't know.
 
Thanks Walt2. If you've got the picture on disk you should be able to put it in the computer and e-mail it on one of us fella's who can post it for you. I'd be happy to do it and ther looks like a bunch of us who wanna see it.
:)
 
These were taken today which is a very cloudy day here. The coloration and grain in the Koa wood doesn't show up as well as it does in the sunshine. Also one thing that for some reason doesn"t show in the photo's is a small half round(what I will call a notch) where the cutting edge ends at the plunge line.
WALT2.JPG


WALT.JPG
 
Walt, WALT!!!!!! That's great.

The notch you refer to is called a 'choil'. It looks as though it was cut with a round file, which is a common way of doing it. Since I was lucky enough to hold that very grind in my hot little hands I can testify that it was very well done.

I am so pleased to be able to see a picture of the finished knife. I remember you have at least one more of the same profile but in 52100.

Very nice work and the handle work looks as though it matches the workmanship of the steel work; which means you will have a happy customer.

Thanks J. for helping out in getting pictures published.

RL
 
Thanks J. for posting the pictures. Roger, there was actually two more of the blades in the same profile. One D2 and one 52100, both with hidden tangs. Something to keep me occupied in my spare time. Thanks to everyone for the comments.
 
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