AFAustin
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2004
- Messages
- 2,488
I’m not the first one to modify a Muskrat so as to have a wharncliffe blade accompany the clip, and in fact my inspiration for jumping in was jmarston’s very nice job on his Case model: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/case-improved-muskrat.1599529/#post-18269154
(jmarston's nice mod)
I really think clip + wharnie (or sheepsfoot) is a terrific blade combination, and I had a great candidate for the mod: my Case Muskrat in orange curly zebra wood. It’s a beautiful knife, and doesn’t even suffer from the sometimes Case Muskrat malady of a proud spring. See, e.g.: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/lets-talk-muskrats.1374363/ (posts #42 & #52).
But my mod skills are modest, and while I’ve managed a few nice tweaks with my trusty Work Sharp Ken Onion and Blade Grinding Attachment, I’ve never tried to cut off a large section of blade. I use a Dremel for various chores but have never used the cut-off wheels at all, much less on a very special knife. But I finally decided that today was the day.
I first sharpened up both clip blades, and then made the decision as to which clip would undergo surgery. The logical choice, I guess, would be to leave the mark side clip intact as the master. But there were two issues that caused me to be unorthodox and do it the other way around. First, the mark side clip when open sat at a downward angle which I thought more appropriate for a draw cut wharnie blade. And second, the mark side blade’s point sat a little proud above the well when closed, and while I could’ve brought it down a little, I really didn’t want to change its shape, not to mention the extra work it would’ve required. In contrast, the pile side clip opened pretty straight out with no downward cant, and when closed the tip sat comfortably deep in the well. So, I was happy to go the unorthodox route.
I secured the knife in a small vise, and fired up the Dremel. The little cut off wheel, as flimsy as it looked, did its job admirably, and in a minute or so the amputation was done. Now it was time to shape the wharnie, and I went to the WSKO BGA. A while back, Gary Graley showed how to fashion a little insert between the belt and the platen on the BGA: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads...ife-grinder-attachment.1445402/#post-16644875 I used the platen and insert and began a belt progression to shape and smooth out the wharnie. I liked jmarston’s version where he kept the hump---a nice tribute to the blade’s origin---but decided I was going to make mine rounder and with more of a typical wharnie shape.
I’m pretty pleased with how it came out. Actually, more like relieved that I didn’t screw up such a beautiful knife! It may need a little more tweaking here and there, but it’s pretty much done so I decided to go ahead and put up this thread. So, here it is: my Hawbaker, or Improved Muskrat, or maybe just Morphed Muskrat.
Thanks for looking,
Andrew
(jmarston's nice mod)
I really think clip + wharnie (or sheepsfoot) is a terrific blade combination, and I had a great candidate for the mod: my Case Muskrat in orange curly zebra wood. It’s a beautiful knife, and doesn’t even suffer from the sometimes Case Muskrat malady of a proud spring. See, e.g.: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/lets-talk-muskrats.1374363/ (posts #42 & #52).
But my mod skills are modest, and while I’ve managed a few nice tweaks with my trusty Work Sharp Ken Onion and Blade Grinding Attachment, I’ve never tried to cut off a large section of blade. I use a Dremel for various chores but have never used the cut-off wheels at all, much less on a very special knife. But I finally decided that today was the day.
I first sharpened up both clip blades, and then made the decision as to which clip would undergo surgery. The logical choice, I guess, would be to leave the mark side clip intact as the master. But there were two issues that caused me to be unorthodox and do it the other way around. First, the mark side clip when open sat at a downward angle which I thought more appropriate for a draw cut wharnie blade. And second, the mark side blade’s point sat a little proud above the well when closed, and while I could’ve brought it down a little, I really didn’t want to change its shape, not to mention the extra work it would’ve required. In contrast, the pile side clip opened pretty straight out with no downward cant, and when closed the tip sat comfortably deep in the well. So, I was happy to go the unorthodox route.
I secured the knife in a small vise, and fired up the Dremel. The little cut off wheel, as flimsy as it looked, did its job admirably, and in a minute or so the amputation was done. Now it was time to shape the wharnie, and I went to the WSKO BGA. A while back, Gary Graley showed how to fashion a little insert between the belt and the platen on the BGA: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads...ife-grinder-attachment.1445402/#post-16644875 I used the platen and insert and began a belt progression to shape and smooth out the wharnie. I liked jmarston’s version where he kept the hump---a nice tribute to the blade’s origin---but decided I was going to make mine rounder and with more of a typical wharnie shape.
I’m pretty pleased with how it came out. Actually, more like relieved that I didn’t screw up such a beautiful knife! It may need a little more tweaking here and there, but it’s pretty much done so I decided to go ahead and put up this thread. So, here it is: my Hawbaker, or Improved Muskrat, or maybe just Morphed Muskrat.
Thanks for looking,
Andrew
Last edited:
It looks like it came from the factory like that.
