My second knife, Damascus tanto.

[tinman207]

Here is my second build, a Damascus tanto in 1095/15N20 and green/black micarta. I'm not a big fan of tantos, but my brother loves them and this was for him. I do like the tip geometry and the grinds I got, and I was freehand grinding this time. I am considering giving a bubble jig a shot, as I had to grind really really slowly to get good lines on this. It is pretty slicey actually, so I dig it. Thanks for lookin...

 

[S.Alexander]

You're a braver man than I. Your grinds look clean. Good work :thumbup:

 

[Lo/Rez]

That's pretty awesome. Congratulations.

 

[tinman207]

Thanks guys. I am curious what other people do when shaping a handle around the pin stock. This one has a lot of the contour changes going right through the pins, so it took some tricky shaping. I had a heck of a time blending the pins seamlessly into the contours, as they kept getting a tiny bit proud of the micarta since they are a harder material. How do guys approach that?

 

[S.Alexander]

I use a variety of blocks for the sand paper. I have flat pieces of hardwood, slightly curved pieces, dowels, and pieces of steel.

 

[grizzled gizzard]

You simply need something rigid behind your sandpaper.

I use a piece of wood, then thick leather as I get to 400 grit.