Just finished this knife...

R

R.C.Reichert

Joined
Jul 26, 2008
Messages
1,006
Hi! I just wanted to show you a knife I just finished. It's an 18th century style trade knife....
Steel: 1080 with antique finish. Pins are mild steel, peened over round and buffed.
Handle: Roasted Curly Maple (colored darker with Ferric Acetate)
Sheath: 10oz veg-tan blackened with the same Ferric Acetate solution, deer rawhide laced with an elk antler belt button.

I hope you guys like it.:)

0042.jpg
[/IMG]
 
Last edited:
Great looking knife and sheath! How do you do the ferric acetate on the leather? What proportions, lenght of time, etc. I really like the look.

Phil705
 
Thanks! I just used a plastic container with about a litre or so of plain white vinegar and stuffed in a bunch of steel wool (not the soapy kind). It takes about a week or two till the brew is strong enough to work really well. You can either dip the leather into the solution and it will turn almost instantly black through and through or you can apply it with a brush or dauber. I decided to just make the sheath and apply the Ferric Acetate with a brush on the outside. It dries up a solid, absolutely beautiful charcoal black color....no streaking, no stained hands, and the color will not rub off or come out. First time I tried this I was so impressed that I have used it ever since. One thing that I do after the blackening process is to mix up a slurry of baking soda and water and I rub that over the leather just to neutralize any acidity that the vinegar may have left. The baking soda dries up and is brushed of easily after. If you want to dip the leather so the color goes all the way through (and it will literally go solid black right through to the middle of thick 10oz leather) you will probably need to soak the leather after coloring in some baking soda and water to neutralize it thoroughly. To finish off the sheath I apply a homemade 18th century style paste wax made from a melted mixture of beeswax and neatsfoot oil.
 
Last edited:
Hey that turned out real nice! :thumbup: Now I have got to ask as it caught my eye as soon as I read it. "Handle: Roasted Curly Maple (colored darker with Ferric Acetate)".
What is Roasted Curly Maple, I mean I know what Curly Maple is but where does the Roasted come into it? :confused:
 
Dixieblade57 said:
Hey that turned out real nice! :thumbup: Now I have got to ask as it caught my eye as soon as I read it. "Handle: Roasted Curly Maple (colored darker with Ferric Acetate)".
What is Roasted Curly Maple, I mean I know what Curly Maple is but where does the Roasted come into it? :confused:
Click to expand...

Thanks! The Roasted Curly Maple I picked up at the local wood supplier (Windsor Plywood) here in Red Deer. I got myself a fairly large board of it back a year or so ago. They said the wood was specially treated by "roasting" it in a furnace or kiln giving it a slightly darker appearance and a slight smoky aroma. To be honest, I love using this wood, but when I went back last time they said they were out of stock:( and the place that did the roasting treatment was no longer around.:( Would really like to get more of this wood.

I think it is something like this (see link), but my maple does not seem like soft maple, but I don't really know the difference anyways. It was the same golden brown color when I got the wood though. I only made the knife handle one shade darker with the Ferric Acetate just cause I wanted to try it out on the wood. I tried another piece and it turned the color of really dark walnut...looked really cool too.

http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://sharpslumber.com/images/caramelized1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://sharpslumber.com/caramelizedmaple.html&usg=__iBgv4AnUdP70ySN5AA23FeJS0aU=&h=400&w=300&sz=10&hl=en&start=14&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=brFxlcWx230A6M:&tbnh=124&tbnw=93&prev=/images%3Fq%3Droasted%2Bcurly%2Bmaple%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-ca:IE-SearchBox%26tbs%3Disch:1

The stuff they're using here is very similar too....
http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://lh5.ggpht.com/_V8vzH6r-2mo/S13L9bFifiI/AAAAAAAAAQI/ezKM9s_0OGQ/IMG_4170.JPG%3Fimgmax%3D512&imgrefurl=http://decibelguitars.com/proto3/&usg=__mLIGUNCbidmdF_GB_xv6KLaX3HI=&h=341&w=512&sz=26&hl=en&start=4&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=iy0xmh_PIV-FJM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=131&prev=/images%3Fq%3Droasted%2Bmaple%2Bwood%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-ca:IE-SearchBox%26tbs%3Disch:1
 
Last edited:
Very cool! The antler button is a nice touch. Is that something that was widely done in the period, or just a brainstorm of your own?
 
Very very cool piece my friend. And thanks for the info on making the blackening dye. Is there a way to make a nice brown dye along the same lines?
 
james terrio said:
Very cool! The antler button is a nice touch. Is that something that was widely done in the period, or just a brainstorm of your own?
Click to expand...

Thank you! I'm not sure whether the antler button would have been period correct or not, but it seemed to fit the period look I think.:) It was actually just an idea I had of my own since I was usure how to make or where to obtain a metal type frog button.
 
GrizzlyBear said:
Very very cool piece my friend. And thanks for the info on making the blackening dye. Is there a way to make a nice brown dye along the same lines?
Click to expand...

Thank you for the comments. A natural brown dye can be made by boiling the husks from Black Walnuts as far as I know. I have been wanting to try that, but unfortunately where I live there aren't any Black Walnut trees around...not that I have seen anyways.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top