New Knife Update

U

unky_gumbi

Joined
Aug 28, 2009
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So a little while back I was looking for some rich dark well figured wood for a knife I was working on. Well I got lots of suggestions and ended up taking someone up on an offer to sell me what I needed, Thank you Robert:thumbup:

I was asked to post some updates as I proceeded with this project so that's what I am doing here.

The knife started out as a basic bowie styled camp knife made with 13/64" 5160 steel. I had it cut out and roughly profiled when I had my wood problem. It looked sort of like this at that time.

rough_dims.jpg


I rough ground out the bevels, and after looking at it over the next couple of days I decided that I just wasn't happy with the over all profile. So I painted it up with some layout dye and started tweaking the shape a bit. In the end I had something like this.

fighter_line.jpg


The shape from the guard back stayed the same, but I moved the start of the clip back about 1/2" and the tip down 1/8" and instead of a curve I drew a near straight line. I also rounded the transition into the clip just because I think it gives better flow to the knife. I jumped back on the grinder and made the changes and added a bit of a swedge, as drawn. All in all I think that it gives a lighter, more agile appearance to the knife. When I laid the blade on to my modified drawing I had hit every line almost dead on:eek:

I don't have any pictures right now of the actual knife, I left my camera at work today, but I will take some tomorrow evening.

PS the figure in the block I got from Robert Mayo almost perfectly matches the flow of the handle. I think that I am going to be sad when this one goes to its new owner. The overall shape of it is really stimulating to me, I think I will have to make another one for me to keep:D
 
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I agree that clip in # 2 flows better

but

I like the shaped guard you have in the version 1 better than the flat guard in version 2
 
I like it unky:thumbup: I like the false edge in the second one.....a LOT!!:D That should turn out really nice. Can't wait to see some pics as it progresses.

Also, I know what you mean......the last few I've finished I thought would look really good on my own belt, but if I don't sell them how am I going to buy more steel and belts?!!?;)
 
I am still sanding out the file marks, but I will try get some pictures of it tomorrow. I have to rip out my little temp shop this week before the insurance man comes by to inspect the house, but thankfully all the grinding is done for now and by the time I get the blades back from HT I will be able to get everything set up again.

I went with the flat, unshaped guard because the customer wanted it that way, and I didn't mind because it made it easier on me. I only have 2 knives that I made left in my possession and that is because I wont sell my first one and I don't show the other one. Everything else is sold before I start for some reason. I really need to make a few just as sample pieces so I can show them to potential customers instead of pictures.

Any how gotta work in a few hours so I ma off to bed
 
LOL, sounds like me....I have my first one ever, and the second which was a kitchen knirfe for the wife. I need to keep a few around as well. People come by the shop and I've got all these blades in states of semi-completion but when they ask to see something all done, I don't have anything. Many of my sales have been made to order as well so I don't have a lot of finished knives laying around.

I'll check out those pics tomorrow......;)
 
I like the new improved design better than the first one. I'm glad the wood will fit nicely into your master plan.

Bob
 
Well I don't know if it qualifies as well executed, but I like it and I am trying:D

So here are the pictures of the state it is in right now. I still have some minor shaping to do and a lot of sanding:( The false edge barely show up in the pictures but the line is crisp and not washed out. It is just my poor photography skills and bad lighting.

DSC02262.jpg


DSC02263.jpg


The blade looks fatter than it really is for some reason, I blame that on my picture taking skills too. I still need to round out the corners of the guard cut out and the keyhole fr the threaded rod that will hold the pommel on. balanced is front heavy with the guard and pommel in blade, but once the scales are in place the balance point will be just behind the guard
 
I think it's coming along nicely, Unky:thumbup: I especially think you did a very good job getting the odd shaped cuts done in the tang to accept the handle/guard/pommel hardware. Very good work!
 
It probably a few of weeks away from being finished, I have a lot of stuff to get done at the house so I am only getting an hour or 2 on it over the next few days. Then I don't do my own HT so I am looking at about a 2 week period from the time I ship it out till I get it back. I have two others I am working on as well, so I would like to send them all out at the same time to save on shipping.
 
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