- Joined
- Dec 5, 2005
- Messages
- 27,641
This project has been in the works for probably two years at least.
It all started with a sketch, like every project I get involved in;
Much tweaking occurred, a CAD model was rendered by a close friend of mine, Eban, and eventually six blanks were waterjet cut from 8mm thick Bohler Uddeholm powdered A2 steel.
A picture from Dana, the waterjet guy;
An artsy pic once I received them;
I sat on the blanks for several months, waiting for the right guy to come along and take on the project. In the meantime, a machinist friend of mine, Mitchell, helped me out by chamfering the holes and surface grinding the blanks. I wanted these to be as finished as possible before I sent them along to a cutler to have them finished out.
Ryan Weeks and I have been friends for a number of years now, and we've worked on some great projects together over that time. But Ryan wasn't set up for plate quenching, and so I was unsure about whether or not I could lean on him again for this particular project. Fortunately, along came Ben Tendick, a cutler of growing reknown, who graciously helped Ryan figure out what he needed to do in order to properly harden this air hardenable steel through a plate quench.
I brought all six blanks with me to the Seattle show last April with the intention of mailing them within the US to Ryan in order to save on mailing charges. Although Chris Roberts drove me to the post office, it was unfortunately closed, and so I lugged the heavy box back home with me and mailed them from here.
Ryan's been having kids, moving, building his shop and doing 'life stuff', so he hasn't had the opportunity to work on this project til recently. And he's killing it!
Here are the blanks after heat treatment;
Bevels rough ground pre heat treat, and now blended into a nice convex surface;
Tested;
We're talking about finish now; whether to media blast, or belt finish. Ryan's tried the scothbrite belt finish and we both think it's dope.
And, the most exciting part- seeing the finished project!
So, there will be six of these lil beauties in total for this first batch. I'll be keeping one for testing, and selling two in order to get a return on my investment. Ryan will be selling the remaining three, with kydex by David Brown. You probably won't be able to get one from this first batch unless you're quick, but if you are interested, drop Ryan a line and let him know. After I am able to test this hatchet out, there might be some tweaks to make to it, but it could become a model that Ryan might make more of. He does seem to like it
As I pursue my dream of becoming a legit cutlery designer, friendships like the ones which led to the outcome of this project are not only crucial, but make it far more worthwhile than a payout. I couldn't do this myself at this stage in my life, and I'm so grateful for the kindness and friendships that help make my vision a reality. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the Hatchet Jack project!
It all started with a sketch, like every project I get involved in;
Much tweaking occurred, a CAD model was rendered by a close friend of mine, Eban, and eventually six blanks were waterjet cut from 8mm thick Bohler Uddeholm powdered A2 steel.
A picture from Dana, the waterjet guy;
An artsy pic once I received them;
I sat on the blanks for several months, waiting for the right guy to come along and take on the project. In the meantime, a machinist friend of mine, Mitchell, helped me out by chamfering the holes and surface grinding the blanks. I wanted these to be as finished as possible before I sent them along to a cutler to have them finished out.
Ryan Weeks and I have been friends for a number of years now, and we've worked on some great projects together over that time. But Ryan wasn't set up for plate quenching, and so I was unsure about whether or not I could lean on him again for this particular project. Fortunately, along came Ben Tendick, a cutler of growing reknown, who graciously helped Ryan figure out what he needed to do in order to properly harden this air hardenable steel through a plate quench.
I brought all six blanks with me to the Seattle show last April with the intention of mailing them within the US to Ryan in order to save on mailing charges. Although Chris Roberts drove me to the post office, it was unfortunately closed, and so I lugged the heavy box back home with me and mailed them from here.
Ryan's been having kids, moving, building his shop and doing 'life stuff', so he hasn't had the opportunity to work on this project til recently. And he's killing it!
Here are the blanks after heat treatment;
Bevels rough ground pre heat treat, and now blended into a nice convex surface;
Tested;
We're talking about finish now; whether to media blast, or belt finish. Ryan's tried the scothbrite belt finish and we both think it's dope.
And, the most exciting part- seeing the finished project!
So, there will be six of these lil beauties in total for this first batch. I'll be keeping one for testing, and selling two in order to get a return on my investment. Ryan will be selling the remaining three, with kydex by David Brown. You probably won't be able to get one from this first batch unless you're quick, but if you are interested, drop Ryan a line and let him know. After I am able to test this hatchet out, there might be some tweaks to make to it, but it could become a model that Ryan might make more of. He does seem to like it
As I pursue my dream of becoming a legit cutlery designer, friendships like the ones which led to the outcome of this project are not only crucial, but make it far more worthwhile than a payout. I couldn't do this myself at this stage in my life, and I'm so grateful for the kindness and friendships that help make my vision a reality. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the Hatchet Jack project!
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