Need help with pommel material

J.McDonald Knives

J.McDonald Knives

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Jan 28, 2007
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I'm wanting to make a pommel that is about 1.25" diameter and 1/2" thick but need to make it a bright or florescent orange and it needs to be able to float. Handle will be from 1.25"x1/2" Grade A (CG1) cork and this knife needs to float and pommel is to be able to find it at night while out bowfishing on the water. Any ideas would be helpful. I've been racking my brain with this knife idea for years. Also took forever to find the cork disks without holes in them.
 
Polyester casting resin and Testor's day Glow orange paint. You can mix it and just cast up a block or cylinder, and work it as usual.
 
Would that stuff float? I forgot to mention that its just going to cover the nut on the tang and be epoxied over it.
 
No, the cast pommel won't float. That job is left to the cork.
You could just paint the end of the cork.
 
Is that size pommel going to be enough mass to make a knife float? If the handle was hollow that might help with the cast pommel. I think the tritium would be ideal.
 
What is tritium and how expensive is it? This knife probably wont be more than $150 since bowfisherman are usually on a tight budget. Have you ever seen the wear and tear on their boats and equipment?
 
Jason,
I'm not trying to fuss at you, but have you really tried to find cork balls?
Any google search on "CORK BALLS" will give you hundreds of sources.
A trip to the tackle shop will get you hundreds of red or orange bobbers ( which is what I would use)
And orange spray paint is available at Home Depot or any hardware store. You could also dye the handle and pommel or orange with wood dye.

You have been talking about these floating knives for years now, time to actually build one.......get busy.
Stacy
 
I have been waiting on my skills to improve a bit better and also I kept having problems finding the cork disks without holes in them and still be good quality. Found Grand A (CG1) cork disks without holes for just over $3 each and Grade B (CG2) cork disks without holes for about $1.75 each. The disks are 1.25"x1/2". I was also looking at maybe using a blaze orange florescent lacquer paint for the pommel, same paint they use to paint wooden arrows. You think that would work? Heres the link to the cork and also the paint.

http://www.pickybastardcork.com/home.html
http://www.bohning.com/archery/1335.xml#
 
Why not get a roll of cork or an old cork board and make the spacers yourself?
Stacy is right! you have been talking about making a knife for quite some time now. Time to make a couple! Try out some of your OWN ideas and see if they work.
A floating knife is not the easiest thing to make(and make good)....
Does it really need to float?

Your "skills" will not improve unless you USE them.
Mace
 
Cork is wood, anything that dyes wood will dye cork.

There are also a lot of water proof foams out there that are colored.
 
Mace said:
Why not get a roll of cork or an old cork board and make the spacers yourself?
Stacy is right! you have been talking about making a knife for quite some time now. Time to make a couple! Try out some of your OWN ideas and see if they work.
A floating knife is not the easiest thing to make(and make good)....
Does it really need to float?

Your "skills" will not improve unless you USE them.
Mace
Click to expand...

I have made a couple recently. Latest was my pig sticker. Cork board is too low of a grade and is very brittle. I'm working on blade design right now and this knife pretty much is a collaboration with a lot of bowfishermen. I plan to use Grade B cork from www.pickybastardcork.com and his prices are fairly decent. I have a poll going between 4 handle designs thats going to last a week. So far it looks like they want 4 finger grooves.
 
Good to see you have been making a couple. That cork guy was interesting. I wonder if he can get it in blocks?
Mace
 
Mace said:
Good to see you have been making a couple. That cork guy was interesting. I wonder if he can get it in blocks?
Mace
Click to expand...

Seems that the cork quality will be better if in disks since its easier to pick out the pieces with too many imperfections. I'd rather have it in disks for that reason.:D
 
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