synthesist
So many knives so little time
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2004
- Messages
- 933
Lurker to worker…..it’s funny when a sea change hits you. I’ve played “at” making knives for a long time, played with, and collected, knives for a lot longer. I’ve read all the “how to” make knives books ever written, (some many times it seems). My wife says I could probably write one by now. I’ve made straight knives that were okay and use some of those daily in my kitchen but I’ve never done much with folders other then use some of them a lot, admire others and take a bunch of them apart to see how they tick. I’ve had the privilege of watching, up close and personal, a world-class folder maker, Tim Wright, produce a knife and once upon a time had an article about him making a knife published in a Japanese knife magazine. But I’ve never tried to make a folder.
Over the past year I’ve gotten to know one of BF’s best knife makers, Ken Erickson, a bit, looked over many of his knives and read many of his WIP articles. Recently I read the one he authored about making a whittler for about the 12th time……………….. then I spoke with him about a project he’s doing and casually mentioned an idea I had for a project of my own. What was that you ask…………………..?
Buckle up.
Ken suggested that I should take pictures of my idea and post them. So you can blame him for this project. So this is all his fault. Without that prod I'd never have bothered to take pics, much less post anything.
Anywayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
A couple days ago I was digging through my knife collection, which I’m in the process of re-defining for the umpteenth time. In a drawer, in a box, untouched for years, I discovered a cache of Camillus #72 whittlers. Understand that these ubiquitous (made since 1946 continuously I believe) knives are really a stockman configuration that Camillus and the Boy Scouts of America have decided, on their own, to call a whittler. These are dandy knives for whittling with. I always seem buy them when I stumble upon them.
Soooo several of my 72s have broken blades; it’s always one of the small blades, the saber grind main blade looks bullet proof. I dumped the box of them out on my desk and, idly, wondered if one of my junkers could be re-configured into a “true” whittler pattern. So I took a couple, one without any scales (the scales were corroded celluloid/plastic so I pried them off at some point in the past) and another with nice Delrin scales, apart. I cut through the pins with a utility knife and a hammer and the knife fell apart. Piece of cake so far………….. Pretty grimy cake. I’m winging this btw.
Then I took another one apart……………….. 3 down. The pile of parts is growing.
As I sit there, I now have 3 knives in pieces. 7 usable blades, single and double ended springs, a couple of brass center scales, 2 good liners with bolsters attached but no scales and 4 liners with bolsters and Delrin scales. I destroyed all the pins (go figure) but I plan to replace them with 3/32” nickel silver rod anyway.
H’mmmmm. My wife is laughing at me now as I jumble the pieces into various knife configurations, a whittler and swell center, double ended jack. She quietly (that means without rolling her eyes btw) but wisely asks if those blades are still sharp? Good point………………… I dull them with a file.
More to follow………………………
Feel free to comment on my being a dilettante
Corey “synthesist” Gimbel
Over the past year I’ve gotten to know one of BF’s best knife makers, Ken Erickson, a bit, looked over many of his knives and read many of his WIP articles. Recently I read the one he authored about making a whittler for about the 12th time……………….. then I spoke with him about a project he’s doing and casually mentioned an idea I had for a project of my own. What was that you ask…………………..?
Buckle up.
Ken suggested that I should take pictures of my idea and post them. So you can blame him for this project. So this is all his fault. Without that prod I'd never have bothered to take pics, much less post anything.
Anywayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
A couple days ago I was digging through my knife collection, which I’m in the process of re-defining for the umpteenth time. In a drawer, in a box, untouched for years, I discovered a cache of Camillus #72 whittlers. Understand that these ubiquitous (made since 1946 continuously I believe) knives are really a stockman configuration that Camillus and the Boy Scouts of America have decided, on their own, to call a whittler. These are dandy knives for whittling with. I always seem buy them when I stumble upon them.
Soooo several of my 72s have broken blades; it’s always one of the small blades, the saber grind main blade looks bullet proof. I dumped the box of them out on my desk and, idly, wondered if one of my junkers could be re-configured into a “true” whittler pattern. So I took a couple, one without any scales (the scales were corroded celluloid/plastic so I pried them off at some point in the past) and another with nice Delrin scales, apart. I cut through the pins with a utility knife and a hammer and the knife fell apart. Piece of cake so far………….. Pretty grimy cake. I’m winging this btw.
Then I took another one apart……………….. 3 down. The pile of parts is growing.
As I sit there, I now have 3 knives in pieces. 7 usable blades, single and double ended springs, a couple of brass center scales, 2 good liners with bolsters attached but no scales and 4 liners with bolsters and Delrin scales. I destroyed all the pins (go figure) but I plan to replace them with 3/32” nickel silver rod anyway.
H’mmmmm. My wife is laughing at me now as I jumble the pieces into various knife configurations, a whittler and swell center, double ended jack. She quietly (that means without rolling her eyes btw) but wisely asks if those blades are still sharp? Good point………………… I dull them with a file.
More to follow………………………
Feel free to comment on my being a dilettante
Corey “synthesist” Gimbel
