My foray into full tangs begins here

tryppyr

tryppyr

Joined
Feb 5, 2010
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Okay, so this is not the first full tang knife I have attempted or completed. Frankly, I know I suck at them, so I have tended to avoid them. Lately, however, I find myself with a lot of scales and synthetic handle materials, so I figured now is as good a time as any to work on those skills.

So this morning I took a small piece of CPM S90V I have and pulled out a standard full tang EDC shape.

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I'm also building up what I think will be an interesting handle material composed of three layers... top layer is Lava Kirinite (charcoal mica with red swirls, about 1/16th of an inch thick), center layer is a brass sheet (0.032" thick), and the bottom layer is black G10 (about 1/16th thick as well).

I haven't decided what sort of mechanical fastener to use, but it won't be Corby or Loveless bolts. Most likely peened pins.
 
This morning I spent time working on the primary bevels and making the handle material.

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Nice profile and bevels. Can't wait to see how the scales look once they start taking shape!
 
The blade is now sanded to 120 grit and the scales have been "generously" cut, leaving a lot of extra material to remove as I shape them. I also drilled two holes in this handle thinking I might change course and use Corby bolts. Since then I'm thinking I made the better choice when I decided to peen some pins. Bottom line, I can't make up my mind yet.

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The blade profile really looks like a small gyuto which IMO is one of the best looking profiles.
 
Today I got the blade up to 400 grit, so it's ready to head out for HT. The scales now have two pinholes, mainly so I can pair them up and begin shaping them while the blade is traveling across the country. I haven't decided whether I'll use steel or brass pins, though I'm leaning to brass.

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Looking good so far. I like the shape of that blade and the red and black kirinite is going to look awsome on that blade! Where do you get your knives heat treated?
 
Getting closer to the final shape of the scales now, so I decided to bevel the perimeter down to the brass (but not the G10 layer beneath it... not yet, anyway). I like where this is going.

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I'm a sucker for nice brass fixtures on a knife, but I think steel pins would look a little nicer with the black handle material. Just my opinion.
 
1 for·ay
verb \ˈfȯr-ˌā, ˈfär- also fȯ-ˈrā or fə-ˈ\

Definition of FORAY

transitive verb
archaic

: to ravage in search of spoils : pillage

intransitive verb


: to make a raid or brief invasion <forayed into enemy territory>


So are we to assume that you're making a pirates knife for some future endeavor ??? ;0)

sorry I wasn't able to resist ;0)
 
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I have only just seen this thread but will be following from here. The kirinite is a great point of interest. You say you suck at fixed blades but you know as well as I that the rule here is "pictures or it isn't true". From the pictures I'm seeing I will be calling you a liar ;) It looks like a great knife so far !!
 
Well alrighty then...

When you get ready to put a crew of swashbucklers together send me a PM so I can join, I've always felt like I have a little Pirate in me...especially after I start chumming around with Captain Morgan ;0)
 
I have a confession. I'm really starting to fall in love with these scales. I have been staring at them for a while and decided I needed to do some hand sanding to see what the finished product will eventually look like. I was having trouble seeing past the scratches and scuffs, so I wanted to get down to the shine. Besides, the part closest to the ricasso needs to be finished before I attach them anyway. Yes, I know I'll have to do some of the work all over again after I peen the pins. So be it.

Anyway, I worked through the grits to 2000 and then wiped the faces vigorously on my jeans.

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Also, I noticed that you can't use a flash when photographing kirinte. The mica particles in the matrix reflect too much light making it look like there are chips/pits.
 

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Thanks!

Well, I got bored today. All my blades are somewhere between here and Meadville, PA. My wife is off doing one of her events. So I decided to start another project, this one using 0.093 thick 52100.

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I'm excited to say that the blade is back from HT, and was declared with an RC of 61-62. Since I shaped the scales after sending off the blade I was interested to see how well I did in terms of fit. Better than I expected. I'm pleased with the results, so far. Soon I'll start the hand sanding.

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Greg,
This may be the fastest you have ever progressed on a knife. Start to ready for final sanding in three weeks....way to go!
BTW, it looks really nice.
 
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