My First KSO! *pics*

Joined
Aug 13, 2002
Messages
5,703
“Knife Shaped Object” that is. Not really good but at finally something to build on. Here are some pics. What I am not satisfied with and would like to find out how to fix:

1)Grind (That’s easy I know, practice, practice, practice… I also built a scribe for the edge. As you’ll see, this one I marked with a pencil and it is badly crooked)
2)Handle to blade fit (Another easy one, build a VS, reversible disk sander)
3)Handle finish (The wood (maple) did not take the stain very well. Too much sanding before staining probably, not sure)
4)Rivets (How do you keep them round when you peen sp? them? Mine have an irregular shape)

That should keep me busy for the next 5-10 years or so. ;)

Thanks for looking

knife5.jpg

knife6.jpg

knife7.jpg

knife8.jpg

knife9.jpg


Pad
 
Holey Moley!! And you're not 100% happy with this as first attempt????? I'm not an expert, but I reckon it's awesome.

May I ask what steel the blade is, and how you finished it? Did you do this by forging or stock removal?

Very very well done!

Cheers
 
Man that really has a nice shape, very "handy"-looking. The scribe will make a huge difference, be sure to darken the steel before you scribe, either with a Sharpie or Dykem-equivalent. There's nothing to say you can't work everything flat by hand, either... :D Hard work but it does get the job done. That's a fine knife, keep up the good work and thanks for sharing.
 
Good Stuff
for a first that is fantastic... and its addicting, too !!

do you have any water stones ? you could sharpen that baby up so you can shave with it..

Greg
 
Good design. Looks like you have an eye for pleasing aesthetics. Now make about 20 of those, and try to improve the fit/finish on each successive one.

Good work, Paddy! :thumbup:
 
Looks a lot better than my first KSO.
To get a better fit on the front of the handle - before assembling them to the tang permanently,finish the front end where the ricasso is.Shape,sand ,and polish that area before the handles are fitted and you won't have to mess up the blade doing it after assembly.Temporarily pin and tape them together through the rivet holes and the two sides will be exact matches. If you finish the blade completely,except for the tang area, before assembly you will be miles ahead in work saving.Do everything to the blade area except the final sharpening on a stone.Tape up (3M blue painters tape-several layers) the entire blade when doing the handle to avoid scratching the finish (and cutting yourself) when shaping and finishing the handle.
As for the rivets - use Corby rivets and you will escape many problems. They can be put together and removed repeatedly (eg:while shaping and polishing the front of the handle scales) prior to final assembly. When permanently installed with the glue up and ground off,they are perfect circles.
They come in a couple of diameters and in brass,stainless,and nickel.Make sure to purchase the step drill for the sizes you get.Email me for sources.
One note on fitting with rivets (especially Corby rivets) - don't try to squeeze the scales real tight to the tang.A gentle snug fit is better.If you clamp the He!! out of it you will squeeze out all the epoxy,which will result in the scales popping loose.The other thing that happens is the scales can warp under the pressure of the rivets (now or later) if they are too tight,making the ends lift up off the tang.Just snug enough to make a paper thin epoxy joint is what you want.Dying the epoxy to match the wood is a good way to make this invisible. If you peen the rivets,file them till there is about 1-2mm (1/16") sticking out and peen GENTLY with the peen of a small ball peen hammer.Just enough to give them a little flare is all you need.A slight chamfer to the holes will make this tighter and avoid splitting.
Stacy
 
Thanks all for the good words. :)

The steel is something high carbon I had around the shop. It holds an edge very well so I will use it for the next 3-4 KSO before purchasing O1 or 1095. Play money is kind of low right now. :( It was done by stock removal on a home made belt sander. Handle roughed up on the sander and finished by files and hand. Now if I could have just done a better job on the handle finish, especially the dye. Guess you are right Jeff?, getting at least one thing improved with each knife will get me there....eventually. ;)

Greg, Dave and Stacy, thanks for the tips. I'll try them all out on the next knife.

Pad
 
I was asked to give more detailed instrctions for putting on the scales :

Pop's Knife supplies is a good source. www.popsknifesupplies.com .He make the best step drill on the market,. He calls his step-drills "Counterbore Tools".He calls his Corby style rivets "Handle Screws".I am sure he ships to Canada.

To use Corby rivets - Tape or clamp the scales together ( they only need to be flat on the inside surfaces and rough shaped on the outside). Drill one pilot hole through the scales in one of the hole positions.. Use the step drill to make the seated hole in one side.To figure how much of the pilot hole should be left undrilled past the seat, start at about 3mm (undrilled). Slide the female bolt in the scale and put the tang on it.If there is about 3mm sticking out,that is right.If it is less,drill the hole a bit deeper until 3mm sticks out.Drill the other scale the same depth.Put the scales on with a rivet screwed finger tight and drill the other rivet hole.It will be lined up perfectly. Drill the step seats and put in the other rivet.
A tip that also comes to mind is to make the holes in the tang a good bit oversized. I drill the tang with a 3/8 (9-10mm) bit to make sure that there is plenty of clearance and adjustment room when fitting up the handle scales.Regardless of the rivet type the tang hole should never be the same size as the rivet size,or the rivet may bind (this rule applies to putting on bolsters ,too).
Now, to finish the front end of the scales before assembly on the finished blade - take them off the tang and put the scales together with the rivets in the holes and tape them together flush.Shape, sand,and polish the end. Untape and disassemble the scales and reassemble them on the completely finished blade.If all is well, tape the blade up to within 3mm of the handle with 3-M blue painters tape.Use several layers to prevent the polished blade being scratched or damaged while finishing the handle (and to prevent you from getting cut).Take the scales off again and apply a thin layer of slow cure (24 hour) epoxy to the tang (not to the scale).Apply a bit of epoxy to the shaft of the female rivets and slide them in the holes on one scale, making sure that you don't get epoxy in the threaded hole of the rivet (put the epoxy on the rivet not in the hole in the scale!). Place the scale on the tang and put the other scale on the rivets where they extend through the tang holes. Put a bit of epoxy on the shaft of male rivets and slip them in the holes,connecting with the female rivets loosely. Tighten them by hand if possible to make sure that you haven't cross threaded them. If one does not want to go in turn it backward to feel it "pop" into the mating threaded hole,then screw it in.Once all is right ,snug the rivets down with a screwdriver until just snug. Check the seam at the tang to make sure it is even and there are no gaps( Light clamping can be used ,if needed,but usually is not necessary). Wipe off the excess squeezed out epoxy at the ricasso and then wipe the end of the handle off with a paper towel dampened in acetone - to remove any excess epoxy from the polished ends (check it in an hour or two to remove any additional squeeze out).Let the assembly cure for a day or two and then shape the handle to your final shape, grinding off the excess rivet material in the process (you can saw them off flush before grinding if you want).Don't let the rivets get too hot when grinding and sanding or they may scorch the handle material around them.Polish and finish as you wish. When the handle is done,un-tape the blade,clean everything up,and give the edge its final sharpening.

Two other sources for any knife supplies are:
Texas Knife Supply - www.texasknife.com
K&G Knife Supply - www.knifeandgun.com

IMHO there is no fastener better for scales than a Corby style rivet.

Stacy
 
Very nice, especialy for a first attempt. Only thing that could be just a bit better is to me the handle looks a little short, and a bit better on blade finish. But then you should see my first!

Don't worry too much about the piened pins being just a bit out of round, mine still are:mad:

Like Bladsmith said, finish the handle haves pinned together and finish the blade seperate and it'll save a bunch of work. Also use a little WD40 on a paper towl to clean excess epoxy off the riccasso area after piening and clamping and before it cures, just wipe the excess off, don't spray oil onto the blade, it'll creep under the scales and make a weak bond in that area.

All in all very nicely done!:thumbup:

Also, please consider putting some sort of gaurd or finger notch on the next one, one of my worst fears is slidding up onto the blade and opening myself up.
 
Will, good thinking, there will be a guard on the next one.:thumbup:

Stacy, wow. Very good info. That's very nice of you. Much appreciated.:)
Now I feel pressured to do better. ;)

Pad
 
Padrig said:
Now I feel pressured to do better. ;)

Pad

No pressure! Knifemaking is a craft and an art. Some of us making a living at it, and thats the only difference! The only thing you HAVE to do is enjoy what you are doing, because when the joy leaves, its time to move on, bro!

:D :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
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