Maynard's Delkalope

Looking good, do you have it glued up yet?
 
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Not yet, everything is flush and ready, that .005" bronze was a pain to work with, really flexible and hard to flatsand. I need a better method to cut the slots out.
 
Cutting slots has always been a pain, I still use a drill press and a file, the reason I was asking if it was glued up yet was to mention that it's easier to deal with when you color the stag with the potassium permanganate before you glue everything up and start working it. Stag is one of those funny things to work with that you just have to sometimes leave well enough alone. It seems most makers only want to work with stag scales because they have more control over the shape of the handle, which is why they command a premium price. Crowns, rolls and tapers are the shape they are from start to finish the only control you really have with them is the length. I hear a lot of makers complain that they hate working with stag, other than scales, because it's never the right shape or size. FWIW I try to bring the stag and the washer stacks to even to each other and try and leave as much as the stag as natural as possible. My opinion is you can't over work it, you have to work with it as is, just leave it be what shape it's going to be, but just make sure the handle is smooth and comfortable. It's not an exact science, you have to leave the chips lay where they fall, the only other control you have here is to choose an appropriate size piece for the knife you're building, which you did here. I hope some of this rambling makes some sense.

 
Looking good John, if it were me I would lightly wash the antler with the P.P. and let it air dry, it will turn purple then tan or brown and repeat as necessary until you get the color you like. When you're done with the dying process I would assemble the knife and then do the final finishing to it. I would carefully take down any sharp bumps very carefully, enough just to make the handle comfortable.
 
The Potassium Permanganate should be here tomorrow, thanks Scott, I wasn't sure whether or not to soak it, or apply it on the surface. I'm gonna experiment with some pieces from the same antler.

I'd like to leave the antler as it is, but it's slightly thicker towards the front so I may have to thin a little bit. I wanted to cut closer to the crown, it had great figure, but there was some mice chewmarks that forced me to cut further up.. When I get the spacers shaped down we'll see what happens.
 
John, question for you is the antler glued, and or is the handle completely assembled? Or, do you finish it like this then disassemble dye and reassemble? Hope that wasnt too confusing?
 
I just talked to Maynard, he asked if it hurts the cows feelings when I cut leather. Then he asked if micarta was an endangered species. I told him it's made from bald eagle, he might go into a deep depression now.
 
Dopic1 said:
John, question for you is the antler glued, and or is the handle completely assembled? Or, do you finish it like this then disassemble dye and reassemble? Hope that wasnt too confusing?
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Not assembled yet Scott, just making sure all the pieces are flush. Will probably epoxy everything together at once, except the end cap, I'll epoxy that and do the peening before it cures. Every so often tap the cap with a piece of PVC pipe as I peen the tang, if that makes sense.
 
lessismore said:
Not assembled yet Scott, just making sure all the pieces are flush. Will probably epoxy everything together at once, except the end cap, I'll epoxy that and do the peeing before it cures. Every so often tap the cap with a piece of PVC pipe as I peen the tang, if that makes sense.
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Yep makes perfect sense, if Maynard gets too depressed because of the endangered Micarta I'll take it.
 
Ha, I had to edit that last post, I left out the "n" in "peening". I was peeing before the epoxy cured.
 
Dopic1 said:
Yep makes perfect sense, if Maynard gets too depressed because of the endangered Micarta I'll take it.
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So far I've had a maroon piece in all three stacks that I've done. Maybe I'll stick with doing that, I think it goes good with leather.
 
lessismore said:
The Potassium Permanganate should be here tomorrow, thanks Scott, I wasn't sure whether or not to soak it, or apply it on the surface. I'm gonna experiment with some pieces from the same antler.

I'd like to leave the antler as it is, but it's slightly thicker towards the front so I may have to thin a little bit. I wanted to cut closer to the crown, it had great figure, but there was some mice chewmarks that forced me to cut further up.. When I get the spacers shaped down we'll see what happens.
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My experience with the P.P. is a little can go along way, it also stains finger to a dark chocolate brown also, ask me how I know that:D, I mix about a table spoon to about 2 to 4 ounces of water and I put on a pair of latex gloves and wipe it on with a cotton ball a little at a time until it turns the antler purple, I let it dry and then wipe on more if I need to. I like to try and make the antler as close to natural as I can. I have a friend who's a taxidermist and he mixes his P.P. with rubbing alcohol, he says it drys faster, but I'm not in that big of a hurry, the water base stuff drys in a bout 10 minutes or so. IIRC the sambar stag was soaked in it to kill off any parasites and bacteria that might be still on the horns prior to export.
 
mitch4ging said:
^^^. What Scooter said! :thumbup:

Scott H, love that stag on that one as well!
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Thanks Mitch, that's elk antler with potassium permanganate on it. I posted that pic because it's a good example of how I like to leave my handles as natural as possible even up to the stack leather portion.
 
What can I say, I take pity in you guys that were born wrong-handed:eek: You guys and you're smudgy handwriting, wait, do people handwrite anymore? Young lefty's might not know that!
 
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