- Joined
- Oct 15, 2014
- Messages
- 67
Hello folks, I'm Marc from Texas.
So I embark on yet another hobby....I have many already.
Ive had a love for knives and tools from a very early age. I remember finding and playing with my dads khukuri knife he kept in our shed. My step dad taught me to sharpen knives when I was fairly young as well, so I was able to make blades shave early on. I also love to tinker, learn, build or customize things so it was inevitable for me to eventually start tinkering with knife making as yet another hobby.
After reading and watching some videos on the topic I came across a video that shared a logical suggestion which was to start with inexpensive steel or blade blanks so I found a cheap knife on Amazon for $8.20 shipped. It wasnt obvious from the photo on the product page, but the long distance between the handle and edge really make it an awkward knife. In the end, I just decided it didnt matter since I was starting my learning curve.
First I ground off the sharp funky tabs that acted as the hand guard. Also, I found some inexpensive mesquite scales at my local wood working specialty store here in Houston. A little later I ordered some nice high carbon steel Russell Green River Hunter blanks, & corby pins, from Midwest (USAKnifemaker.us I think was the url). I plan on making my 2 best friends a couple of hunter/bushcraft style knives for Christmas gifts since they are both wanting to start hunting with me and really dont have any gear yet.
So, back to the knife Im learning on.
I reprofiled the tip to a spear shaped tip over the funky tonto.
I used my marble floor tile to make the tang nice and square so the scales will fit nicely with no gaps.
Heres a photo of my work area. For now, I can't justify an expensive 2x72 sander so the Harbor Freight 1x30 will have to suffice. It's definitely lacking, but I was surprised at how fast this thing can remove stock. The most annoying thing about it is the bump where the belt is seamed together when it constantly thumps my work away from the platen. It would be nice to be able to tighten up the belt more also, but the adjustment range on this unit is not so robust. For hobby use though, it was a great addition to my little home garage shop for $36 after a 20% off coupon.
I've profiled my scales some, added a finger groove, and cut some brass pins to affix the scales.
Above, I mocked up the scales on the handle to get a feel for how much stock I would want to remove to make a comfortable grip.
Here, I had profiled the scales more, beveled/rounded off both ends of the scales since those areas would be much harder to shape once mounted. I then mixed up some PC7 epoxy and attached the scales after cleaning all mating surfaces and roughing them up some.
The several photos above show me getting my final handle profile finished to my liking.
I then began applying multiple coats of boiled linseed oil after cleaning the handle of sanding debris.
I think it's looking quite nice, although the shine goes away...
I started mocking up a pattern to make a sheath for it. I wanted to go with a horizontal small of the back type rig, but honestly don't think it will work well with a serrated spine. This will likely never see much carry by me, so I'm just going to make a belt sheath for it and call it a day. My next creation from one of the Green River hunter blanks I have will likely have a horizontal rig with the ability to strap on a belt harness as well. Ive seen some really nice examples done by some very skilled knife makers/leather workers, so there is plenty of inspiration.
Here was my first maker's mark I came up with. It's not my typical mark I use on my artwork, but was much easier to create in the nail polish. It's an "M" with a "Y" turned 90 degrees...yes, my initials are MY.
I'm a Mechanical Designer by trade and have the website DesignbyMarc.com because at some point I'm going to make a site and get a DBA going for some tax relief since I do contract work and could also possibly start selling some random things I create there as well. So, I toyed around with a DBM maker's mark.
It has been fun so far, but as for making symmetric grinds on blades with my HF sander, it's not easy and I have some learning to go. I think it may get easier once I switch to some regular carbon flat bar that has yet to be heat treated. I'll likely start that up after I finish crafting the 3 Green River hunters I have in the queue for my two friends and myself.
Feel free to share your thoughts, suggestions, etc. Thanks for looking!
So I embark on yet another hobby....I have many already.
Ive had a love for knives and tools from a very early age. I remember finding and playing with my dads khukuri knife he kept in our shed. My step dad taught me to sharpen knives when I was fairly young as well, so I was able to make blades shave early on. I also love to tinker, learn, build or customize things so it was inevitable for me to eventually start tinkering with knife making as yet another hobby.
After reading and watching some videos on the topic I came across a video that shared a logical suggestion which was to start with inexpensive steel or blade blanks so I found a cheap knife on Amazon for $8.20 shipped. It wasnt obvious from the photo on the product page, but the long distance between the handle and edge really make it an awkward knife. In the end, I just decided it didnt matter since I was starting my learning curve.
First I ground off the sharp funky tabs that acted as the hand guard. Also, I found some inexpensive mesquite scales at my local wood working specialty store here in Houston. A little later I ordered some nice high carbon steel Russell Green River Hunter blanks, & corby pins, from Midwest (USAKnifemaker.us I think was the url). I plan on making my 2 best friends a couple of hunter/bushcraft style knives for Christmas gifts since they are both wanting to start hunting with me and really dont have any gear yet.
So, back to the knife Im learning on.
I reprofiled the tip to a spear shaped tip over the funky tonto.
I used my marble floor tile to make the tang nice and square so the scales will fit nicely with no gaps.
Heres a photo of my work area. For now, I can't justify an expensive 2x72 sander so the Harbor Freight 1x30 will have to suffice. It's definitely lacking, but I was surprised at how fast this thing can remove stock. The most annoying thing about it is the bump where the belt is seamed together when it constantly thumps my work away from the platen. It would be nice to be able to tighten up the belt more also, but the adjustment range on this unit is not so robust. For hobby use though, it was a great addition to my little home garage shop for $36 after a 20% off coupon.
I've profiled my scales some, added a finger groove, and cut some brass pins to affix the scales.
Above, I mocked up the scales on the handle to get a feel for how much stock I would want to remove to make a comfortable grip.
Here, I had profiled the scales more, beveled/rounded off both ends of the scales since those areas would be much harder to shape once mounted. I then mixed up some PC7 epoxy and attached the scales after cleaning all mating surfaces and roughing them up some.
The several photos above show me getting my final handle profile finished to my liking.
I then began applying multiple coats of boiled linseed oil after cleaning the handle of sanding debris.
I think it's looking quite nice, although the shine goes away...
I started mocking up a pattern to make a sheath for it. I wanted to go with a horizontal small of the back type rig, but honestly don't think it will work well with a serrated spine. This will likely never see much carry by me, so I'm just going to make a belt sheath for it and call it a day. My next creation from one of the Green River hunter blanks I have will likely have a horizontal rig with the ability to strap on a belt harness as well. Ive seen some really nice examples done by some very skilled knife makers/leather workers, so there is plenty of inspiration.
Here was my first maker's mark I came up with. It's not my typical mark I use on my artwork, but was much easier to create in the nail polish. It's an "M" with a "Y" turned 90 degrees...yes, my initials are MY.
I'm a Mechanical Designer by trade and have the website DesignbyMarc.com because at some point I'm going to make a site and get a DBA going for some tax relief since I do contract work and could also possibly start selling some random things I create there as well. So, I toyed around with a DBM maker's mark.
It has been fun so far, but as for making symmetric grinds on blades with my HF sander, it's not easy and I have some learning to go. I think it may get easier once I switch to some regular carbon flat bar that has yet to be heat treated. I'll likely start that up after I finish crafting the 3 Green River hunters I have in the queue for my two friends and myself.
Feel free to share your thoughts, suggestions, etc. Thanks for looking!
