How To Make some jig bone scales

[Âchillepattada]

Hello,
I'm looking for a tutorial to make such scales.

Thanks a lot

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[waynorth]

Here is an interesting, but poorly edited youtube post:

Looks a little scary! I wonder if the smith has ever jigged a finger or two!!

 

[Jack Black]

Interesting Charlie, can't say it did much for my headache though!

Do you know how GEC do it, there jigging seems to be the best in the business?

 

[Âchillepattada]

Thanks Charlie ! And about the dying process ?

 

[waynorth]

Achille and Jack, I don't know everything about those processes, but from what I have observed I will outline what I know.
In the USA over the last few decades bone was jigged in the "flat". Bone was sliced, then run under various rotary cutters to make the desired marks. Then dyed (later for a description), and fastened (pinned or glued) to the pattern liners. The edges were then sanded down to the shape of the underlying liners. That is why so many knives have a blocky, square-edged shape, if made in the late 70's to the present. Bill at GEC figured out the way older knives were done, and started doing this when he opened GEC!! The bone was cut to the pattern before it was attached, and shaped or "rounded" to give the handle a softer, better feel in hand, then jigged (rotary cutters shaped to go over the shaped handle material!) over the rounding, giving a shaped dimension! Just like old Remington, Cattaraugus, and many earlier knives!!
Before attaching, dying is done with handles immersed in small tanks of dissolved dye, usually heated, and some even under pressure. (Think Slow Cookers or Pressure Cookers on your stove top!!).
Stir occasionally and dry thoroughly!!
There may be videos of some of these processes.
Bill won't show how he jigs the bone. He worked hard for years developing the processes, and isn't willing to share the details with the competition.

 

[hovan2yourknives]

Interesting video...thank you!

I'd kill to find a master maker where I live who would be kind enough to let me apprentice...

 

[Randy3000]

Here is a video, midway through (around 2:00) you can see a jigging machine. These machines are hard to come by. Most individuals do it with a dremel and a good wheel burr or two.

 

[failbot]

Good topic, for the sake of interest I sharpened a piece of broken file as a chisel and decided to try. It's brutal, fingers and hand get tired quickly, the mini chisel constantly tries to slip off. I think the old pattern ones were not made entirely by hand, but with an additional small hammer, like do creators of 3D paintings on thin sheets of copper. And most likely i need to clamp the knife in a vice, and not hold it in the air in other hand