I'm Making My First Knife/WIP

No problem just watching this thread and try to help out when I can. One thing I can tell you is: Listen to Stacy and follow his advice. He did something similar for me a while back and I did a whole WIP on it as well. So looking forward to seeing someone else take the journey as well. One thing he told me which has stuck with me is..... Just because it's your first knife, don't take shortcuts or declare something "close enough" because it's your first knife and you'll do better down the road. Spend the time to do everything to the best of your ability and it will pay you back when you complete the project.
 
I am going to try really hard to take my time. Thanks for you help again. How did your knife turn out and what did it look like?
 
It's the one in my avatar. Here are some better pics of it. Unfortunately I've been out of the game for a little over a half year but just getting some more time now to get back in the shop.

Knife024.jpg

Knife026.jpg


I like how this shot shows satin the hand rubbed finish well the first looks like a mirror finish. Unfortunately it started drizzling when I took the pic so it has a lot of water spots on the blade.
Knife029.jpg


Made from ATS-34 with micarta handles.
 
Yeah, I really like that satin finish than the mirror finish. That is an awesome knife. What kind of Micarta is that as well? I really like the color.
 
Thanks. It's just a brown micarta that I got from Stacy. If you take it to a very fine grit it polishes up real nice. Here is basically what it looks like when I got started. I never thought it would've looked like that finished when I was making it.

handle1.jpg
 
Thanks Fletch, for chiming in with your experience.

Brian - The edges are scribed by me when I make a blank for someone, but you may well end up filing them away while adjusting the shape ( if you make and changes) so knowing how to put the line back is important. The drill bit trick works pretty well. The simple ones from the knife suppliers cost less than $30. One of the forumites used to sell a high tech marker he machines, but I don't think he sells it anymore. What I like about the hand held ones ( like K&G sells http://www.knifeandgun.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=CTS1 ) is that you can hold the blade in your hand and mark the edge. The ones laying on a flat surface require the blade to be straight,flat, and even thickness . The hand held ones can be used on blanks with bolsters, like integrals, or odd shapes.
When you first start sanding/shaping Micarta, it looks uglier than a nude pin-up of Rosanne Barr, but finishes up as an attractive and tough handle. The orange Micarta on your handle is the last of a batch I haspecial made for me many years ago. It makes a superb wilderness handle...easy to spot and good to grip. The brown material that I used for Fletch came from TKS.

Micarta can be purchases in scales, blocks, or sheets. The scales are from 1/8 to 3/8 thick, and blocks are usually 3/4" thick, The economic way to purchase the material is in sheets, which are usually 5X12" or 12X12". The sheets come in the same sizes as the scales and blocks, but are much cheaper in the long run.

Other good uses for Micarta are making work rest, jigs and clamps, and handles for files and other shop tools.

Brian - I have been handling this cutout with the scales in place and really like the feel of this knife. I think you will be very pleased with the final results you get.

Something I noticed that I don't know if you planned on or it happened that way, is that the butt and the edge line up perfectly. It makes for a clean line, and good handling. Many drop the butt too far, or make the handle too high. Yours is dead right.
 
Stacy, I am glad to hear that the handle is working out ok. I was worried about it. I have been thinking about making other knives after this if I like it and I was just wondering about the micarta dimensions and stuff. Where do you get your sheets and blocks?

I didn't really plan the butt of the handle to match up like that. I just seemed right when I was designing. I had a couple of different placements for it and that placement won.
 
All the suppliers sell Micarta. I order from TKS and Jantz mainly. The brown/tan stuff from TKS is nice. The Tex-tuff G-10 is good ,too.

Once in a while, I find a big slab of black Micarta at my local scrap yard. I have purchased a 36X24X1.5" slab for $1.00 a pound. Thank you NASA ( they scrap their surplus at the yard).
The scrap guy said they got a whole sheet , 4'X8'X2", once and a local machine shop scooped it up the next day. I guess they had really nice tool rests and jigs for a long time. I would love to make a bench top from 2" Micarta.

On that note, I just lucked out and bought 36 18X18" slabs of polished black marble to make the bench tops for my new shop.....for $200. That is 54 feet of hard and flat counter top for less than $2.50 a sq ft. I found it in the local trader paper.
 
Micarta is a material ( paper or cloth) laminated and impregnated with phenolic resin. G-10 is a type of fiberglass. It is a glass fiber sheet, laminated and filled with an epoxy resin.


BTW, I think I have everything in your box, so I will mail it as soon as I can get to the PO.
The kit has:
Knife blank in CPM-154
Handle scales in orange Micarta, drilled for Corby bolts and thong tube
Thong tube and Corby bolts
Sanding sheets from 120 grit to 2500 grit
One pack of 3M papers from green ( 400) to white (8000)
Sanding block
Files in coarse and fine half-round, and a finishing file
File handle
File card
Instructions
 
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I was pretty sure there was a difference between Micarta and G-10.

I can't wait to get the box. Thanks again.
 
The box has a block of stabilized wood in it - this is the sanding block.
Cut the abrasive sheets to the same width as the block. Use a thick rubber band to hold the strip to the block. I like the big blue ones at the grocer, that bundle broccoli together. The grocer will probably give you a dozen if you tell him why you want them.

The ends of the strip go up on the block ends and are held in place by the band. Use this block in even strokes and it will sand a true flat bevel. Change the strip when it gets worn. Sometimes, just turning it around 180 degrees will get more life from the strip.
 
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