Grade 7 Enviro School Knife Builds

[Randydb]

I want to start by thanking Derrick Tappin of TripleX Knives and Shane Alexander of SA Custom Knives for their help. They went out of their way to set my students up with the supplies and help I needed to build knives with my students. I really appreciated their help. Genuinely nice guys!!!

I teach at the Maple Ridge Environmental School in British Columbia. This fall I decided to have the grade 7s make knives as their "gift" from our school. They go to high school next year. The responses to my initial post were pretty funny. Basically, "There is no way on earth your principal/AO is going to allow your kids to make knives!" But our school is outside, in the woods, hands on, every day. On any given day over half of the students with have a knife in their pocket. They are a tool we use a lot and the kids treat them with respect and are safe.

After a bit of messaging around Derrick at Triplex Knives and Shane from SA Custom Knives set me up with the help and things I needed.

I started by having the grade 7s find quality spalted wood in forest. They had to hand cut the wood and keep searching until they found nicely figured/spalted wood. It was going to take too long to dry it so I traded them for wood that I had already found and dried myself. I had the grade 6 students find wood too and theirs is drying for next fall.

Trading day. Opening up their blanks, choosing their wood, drawing their handles.

 

[Randydb]

They rough cut their scales and then we sent them to K&G to be stabilized. The kids really liked the way the grain of the different woods popped when we put a bit of mineral spirits on them and they saw what they would look like finished. When the stabilized wood arrived it didn't look all that pretty with the excess resin on it. A couple kids were asking me if it was too late to change their wood. It took a bit of convincing to get them to believe it would look beautiful one day.

A few pictures of handle work being done. I have the kids wear respirator and eye protection. They didn't like those pictures, "We look like aliens," and asked for a vote for "cameo" pictures without protective gear. So these pictures are just set ups for artistic reasons!

 

[Randydb]

A few more handle work pics.

 

[Randydb]

The students shaped their handles using files and carving knives. Mostly did a lot of filing.

Once we had the handles roughed in it was time for Shane Alexander to show up and do sheaths with us. It was a miserably rainy cold day and Shane was great with the kids. He made the learning easy and fun. We designed the sheaths, cut them out, glued them up, and dipped them in the vinegroon (mix of vinegar and steel wool). Shane and I were a bit dubious, especially when the leather sort of went an ugly grey for the first few minutes. But lo and behold it turned a beautiful pure black within about 10 minutes. Shane is the handsome guy with the travel mug in the first picture. After that the kids used the drill press to make holes for sewing up their sheaths.

 

[Randydb]

A few more pics of the sheath making.

 

[Randydb]

So some pictures of the knives and sheaths the kids made.

 

[Randydb]

More pictures of knives and sheaths. It was raining a bit when I took the pictures so you can see some drops on the sheaths and knives. A few knives aren't quite done and the kids need to sand and polish some of their blades.

 

[Randydb]

A few more. The kids really enjoyed making their knives. They are incredibly proud and wore them every day for the last two weeks before Christmas break. They found a million excuses to use their knives too.

 

[Hengelo_77]

Good stuff!
Good thing the kids learn to work with there hands and create.

 

[DougSeward]

Outstanding job. You, Derrick and Shane have made a lasting impression on those kids. Well done. -Doug

 

[i4Marc]

Fantastic! We need more of this. Kids need to learn how to think and create with their own hands rather than watching tv and texting.

 

[Randydb]

It makes learning so much more fun and real when you do it hands on. They learned a ton about wood (did you know the spider web like lines in spalted wood is a "barrier" put up between different types of fungi?) and how to spot where figuring will occur. They understand how to use a bunch of tools and learned about how the acid in vinegar and steel reacts with the tannins in the leather to turn black. They are beginning to understand how heating and cooling the steel makes it hard.

The best part is how connected they are to their knives. They spent many hours on them and they each have a gem they are very proud of. They have a keepsake that will last a lifetime.
Two of the kids just got their hunting licenses. They both are dreaming of skinning their first deer with their knives.

 

[S.Alexander]

Randy I think their knives and sheaths turned out great. It was a neat experience to be able to help you and the kids with the project.

It was interesting to see how each child's personality came out in their knife and sheath. I would say there are some promising knife makers in the group! If you ever need help with other classes in the future then I would be happy to help.

Is that your knife and sheath in post #12?

 

[Randydb]

Thank you Shane. It was great to have you out to help. I had no idea how to do sheaths so it was a great learning experience for me too! Yes, that is my knife in post 12. I couldn't let the kids build all by themselves!

You are right about the kids personalities in their work. They spent a lot of time choosing their wood, designing handles, choosing the type of wood for their pins and making their sheaths. Each turned out so unique and cool. It's funny but many of them already know things they want to do differently when they make another knife! I told them they need to teach their shop teachers to make knives next year at high school. Maybe they can heat treat their blades there. Don't think knife making will sail in a regular high school. Although my 16 year old son and his friend convinced their Social Studies and Metal work teachers to let them make a flame thrower as their WW 1 project. Weren't allowed to bring it to school...only video. After much designing, welding and testing they can shoot a flame about 30 feet. So there is a bit of hope.

I have to say thanks to the people who have answered my million questions on this forum too. It is an amazing place and I have learned a ton here. I wouldn't have been able to do this project without the help I have received here.

I will definitely hit you up again for help Shane. Thanks again.
Randy

 

[TLR]

That's great. I instruct at a wilderness school for a week in the summer for 8-10th graders and it's a lot of fun. I love passing along the skills I've learned through the years.

 

[Randydb]

Wilderness school....what sort of skills do you do? I did fires with flint and steel in the fall....no fire...you get cold weenies and raw potatoes for supper! Shelter building in January, orienteering in the spring etc. I'm always interested in what others are doing with bush skills. I am planning on getting a guy in to do friction fires with a bow drill.

Randy

 

[Augus7us]

Those turned out great Randy! Looks like you have some happy kids there!

What I learned in wilderness school is fire bows are great for TV! I would never want to rely on one unless I was in the desert.

Some other ideas are carving camp tools like tent pegs, eating utensils, trap triggers, etc. Another good one I think is often over looked is knot tying. Knowing a variety of knots is vary handy in the bush. Essential items to pack for a hiking/fishing/hunting trip such as rope, bic lighter or ferrocerium rod, bandanna, rain poncho, metal canteen and of course a knife!

-Clint

 

[Djinn]

This makes me happy.

 

[Randydb]

Bowdrill...I can't make a fire with those either Augus. But we had a guy at our school on a day that was pounding rain and he managed to light numerous fires with the kids. I think it was magic. I want to take a survival course in the summer and understand more about fire making and foraging. I'm good up to flint and steel, but after that Im failing.

We get into lashing, and knots with the kids too. They are pretty impressive. We do a ton of carving too. They just carved crochet hooks and are going to crochet toques soon.

Djinn, it makes me happy too! I love my job. I keep thinking I have to be dreaming! What a blast doing school like this.