- Joined
- Dec 5, 2009
- Messages
- 1,528
Just finished this up last night. The blade is the 440C Dolphin Blade from Jantz. The handle is exhibition curly maple, also from Jantz. I took a gamble buying wood that I have not seen specifically, but they did not disappoint! The pins and tube are stainless. I finished the blade with a vertical brushed look using a grey scotch brite pad (I really need to get a SB belt for my grinder!).
The curly maple scales were sanded to 1000 grit then dyed using a thinned mixture of light brown and mahogany Fiebing's Pro Oil leather dyes. Afterwards, I put on a few light coats of spar urethane, but couldn't get it to lay down without marks. So I wetsanded it flat from 600-1000 and applied a final finish of Tru Oil buffing with extra fine steel wool between coats. It's still a learning process for me, but I think the final finish turned out great!
The lanyard is latigo lace with a wooden bead that I dyed the same color, then worked the finish back with sand paper to give it a complimenting look to the scales.
Sheath is made from 8/9oz veg tanned leather, dyed using the same lt. brown/mahogany mixture as the knife. I finished the sheath using a mixture of beeswax, paraffin and neatsfoot oil, melted in a double boiler and applied using a soft brush, then worked into the leather using a blow dryer. I really really like the hardness of this finish and will use it in the future. Final luster was done with neutral shoe polish and buffed with a microfiber towel.
The display/gift box was a request from the buyer as it is a gift for her dad. I wood-burned my logo into the lid, then sealed over it with urethane to prevent bleed through from the stain. Then stained and urethaned the whole box. Inside is lined with decorative beige felt.
I apologize for the pics, I really need to get a light box and a better camera
.
Any critiques and comments are welcome!
Thanks for looking!!
The curly maple scales were sanded to 1000 grit then dyed using a thinned mixture of light brown and mahogany Fiebing's Pro Oil leather dyes. Afterwards, I put on a few light coats of spar urethane, but couldn't get it to lay down without marks. So I wetsanded it flat from 600-1000 and applied a final finish of Tru Oil buffing with extra fine steel wool between coats. It's still a learning process for me, but I think the final finish turned out great!
The lanyard is latigo lace with a wooden bead that I dyed the same color, then worked the finish back with sand paper to give it a complimenting look to the scales.
Sheath is made from 8/9oz veg tanned leather, dyed using the same lt. brown/mahogany mixture as the knife. I finished the sheath using a mixture of beeswax, paraffin and neatsfoot oil, melted in a double boiler and applied using a soft brush, then worked into the leather using a blow dryer. I really really like the hardness of this finish and will use it in the future. Final luster was done with neutral shoe polish and buffed with a microfiber towel.
The display/gift box was a request from the buyer as it is a gift for her dad. I wood-burned my logo into the lid, then sealed over it with urethane to prevent bleed through from the stain. Then stained and urethaned the whole box. Inside is lined with decorative beige felt.
I apologize for the pics, I really need to get a light box and a better camera
.Any critiques and comments are welcome!
Thanks for looking!!
