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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
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Nick Wheeler Prototype Fighter. "Oh YEA "......
- Thread starter JParanee
- Start date
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- Dec 26, 2005
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- 519
This project was a great idea. Nick the knives look really awesome. I recognize a lot of names in the group of 10, savvy collectors for sure. No doubt we are all going to be more than pleased with these knives. Thanks for taking this on, we knew you would manage the time constraints...didn't we?
Jon
Jon
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- Feb 28, 2002
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- 13,348
Lookin' real good and coming along nicely. :thumbup: Jon's Koa handle is gorgeous. And I am digging the look of the green micarta as well.
More details on the new techniques on the walnut finish when you can, please. I am always keen to hear of different approaches to finishing wood handles.
Roger
More details on the new techniques on the walnut finish when you can, please. I am always keen to hear of different approaches to finishing wood handles.
Roger
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2000
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- 8,888
Coming right along--can't wait to see the "A-list" finished photos. :thumbup:
Especially would like to see a bright-lit closeup of that flame walnut on Roger's knife and of the green G10--the green is much more understated and attractive than I anticipated. Killer koa, btw. All the woods are looking delicious.
What an array, Nick--great work!
Edited to ask: Looks like this lineup on handle material has changed? --
#1- Black G10
#2- Maroon Micarta
#3- Black G10
#4- Stabilized Koa
#5- Green G10
#6- African Blackwood
#7- Black G10
#8- Stabilized flame walnut
#9- Stabilized curly Mahogany
#10- Maroon Micarta
Especially would like to see a bright-lit closeup of that flame walnut on Roger's knife and of the green G10--the green is much more understated and attractive than I anticipated. Killer koa, btw. All the woods are looking delicious.
What an array, Nick--great work!
Edited to ask: Looks like this lineup on handle material has changed? --
#1- Black G10
#2- Maroon Micarta
#3- Black G10
#4- Stabilized Koa
#5- Green G10
#6- African Blackwood
#7- Black G10
#8- Stabilized flame walnut
#9- Stabilized curly Mahogany
#10- Maroon Micarta
Last edited:
- Joined
- Dec 3, 1999
- Messages
- 9,437
Thank you guys 
I have definitely opened my eyes up to synthetics on forged blades after all of this. I LOVE the G10. David got the Olive Drab Green (such an ugly name for a color! LOL) and I really like it. It makes me VERY curious as to what the Forest Green will look like.
Will, they're all the same, I just shot them out of order in the first photos. They're almost in order in the 4th photo of my last post... starting at the bottom going up. Peter's #9 is missing from these pics as I was polishing his blade out in between filing handles to shape, so his is a couple days behind the rest.
Roger- I thought I might be able to finish your Walnut handle just like I did Lorien's Koa in the marathon thread. But the Walnut was more open grained, so I did all the filing and some rough sanding with 120X paper, then started sanding the handle with 220X and Tru-Oil. Then 320X and T-O. Then I used a worn out 400X J-flex belt on the grinder turning slow, and loaded with belt grease, then 500X and T-O..... etc up to 1200X. Then I buffed VERY quickly with pink compound on a loose wheel.
I put one more coat of Tru Oil on it and need to buff that out by hand. So now I know that flame walnut officially takes me 4 more hours to finish than Koa does
Not looking for a shoulder to cry on, that is just a good example of one of those things that I really didn't know what kind of time investment would be required... but now I do and that is an extremely valuable learning experience. :thumbup:
I'll try to get some better pics up today. Thank you guys!
Edited to say- In all fairness I want to point out that our friend Bill F did indeed go out of his way to get me to put Koa on his.... but the blocks he sent me were not quite big enough for this design, so he went with G10. Fortunately for the sake of Koa lovers and my crazy desire to use a piece of Bill's "private stash" Koa... I get to build him a ladder pattern fighter with one of the blocks instead.
I have definitely opened my eyes up to synthetics on forged blades after all of this. I LOVE the G10. David got the Olive Drab Green (such an ugly name for a color! LOL) and I really like it. It makes me VERY curious as to what the Forest Green will look like.
Will, they're all the same, I just shot them out of order in the first photos. They're almost in order in the 4th photo of my last post... starting at the bottom going up. Peter's #9 is missing from these pics as I was polishing his blade out in between filing handles to shape, so his is a couple days behind the rest.
Roger- I thought I might be able to finish your Walnut handle just like I did Lorien's Koa in the marathon thread. But the Walnut was more open grained, so I did all the filing and some rough sanding with 120X paper, then started sanding the handle with 220X and Tru-Oil. Then 320X and T-O. Then I used a worn out 400X J-flex belt on the grinder turning slow, and loaded with belt grease, then 500X and T-O..... etc up to 1200X. Then I buffed VERY quickly with pink compound on a loose wheel.
I put one more coat of Tru Oil on it and need to buff that out by hand. So now I know that flame walnut officially takes me 4 more hours to finish than Koa does
Not looking for a shoulder to cry on, that is just a good example of one of those things that I really didn't know what kind of time investment would be required... but now I do and that is an extremely valuable learning experience. :thumbup: I'll try to get some better pics up today. Thank you guys!
Edited to say- In all fairness I want to point out that our friend Bill F did indeed go out of his way to get me to put Koa on his.... but the blocks he sent me were not quite big enough for this design, so he went with G10. Fortunately for the sake of Koa lovers and my crazy desire to use a piece of Bill's "private stash" Koa... I get to build him a ladder pattern fighter with one of the blocks instead.
Last edited:
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- Jan 21, 2000
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- 8,888
Oh, okay--in the second photo down in that series of pics, the end knives both look like black G10, but maybe one of those isn't a numbered knife of the 10.
So I'm assuming the black-handled knife above the green G10 in that 4th photo down you mention is the blackwood.
- Joined
- Dec 3, 1999
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- 9,437
Will--- Good eye... no wonder you can spot an elk from 5 miles out!
Actually there is an extra black G10 model, that the instigator of this whole thing talked me into making
In that other photo, Cal's Blackwood version is second from the top. In a "laying on the bench" snapshot, it looks an awful lot like the Bill's black G10 version right next to it, but in hand they are quite different. The Blackwood is actually a very nice piece with a rich brown color and quite a bit of figure showing, rather than the "jet black" Blackwood I usually end up with after final finish.
All but #9 and the second one, for the guy whose initials rhyme with Joe Paranee, are done now.
Actually there is an extra black G10 model, that the instigator of this whole thing talked me into making
In that other photo, Cal's Blackwood version is second from the top. In a "laying on the bench" snapshot, it looks an awful lot like the Bill's black G10 version right next to it, but in hand they are quite different. The Blackwood is actually a very nice piece with a rich brown color and quite a bit of figure showing, rather than the "jet black" Blackwood I usually end up with after final finish.
All but #9 and the second one, for the guy whose initials rhyme with Joe Paranee, are done now.
Thanks for setting the record straight, Nick - I know Jon and Roger were stunned that I was not requesting Koa....
As you said, though, I will get my "fix" another way - hehe
For now, I am very content with the "007" Black G10 (well, # 7, but what the heck, I can still pretend...)
Bill
As you said, though, I will get my "fix" another way - hehe
For now, I am very content with the "007" Black G10 (well, # 7, but what the heck, I can still pretend...)
Bill
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- Feb 28, 2002
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- 13,348
Thanks for setting the record straight, Nick - I know Jon and Roger were stunned that I was not requesting Koa....
Guilty. But you're clearly going to get the best of both worlds.
Roger
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2006
- Messages
- 15,019
I really liked this knife so much how could I not have 2
The proto will go in the collection box and the un numbered piece will be my carry blade
With the weather cooling down I can where cover garments suit jackets etc. This knife will be worn out on the town
And with hunting season and the fishing heating up this knife is gonna see some action and we are gonna see how a pure breed fighter is gonna perform in the field
The proto will go in the collection box and the un numbered piece will be my carry blade
With the weather cooling down I can where cover garments suit jackets etc. This knife will be worn out on the town
And with hunting season and the fishing heating up this knife is gonna see some action and we are gonna see how a pure breed fighter is gonna perform in the field
- Joined
- Dec 3, 1999
- Messages
- 9,437
They're not anywhere near as good of shots as I'd like, but they're better than nothing.
Just couldn't get the colors to show up very well on the Blackwood
Just couldn't get the colors to show up very well on the Blackwood
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- Dec 3, 1999
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- 9,437
David's Green G10
Roger's Walnut
Roger's Walnut
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- Dec 3, 1999
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- 9,437
One of the fellas was a bit concerned about some of the handles being dropped/canted differently than some of the others. After looking at some of my photos, I can see what he was seeing, but it's just odd angles and poor photography combined.... As these are all as close to identical as I know how to make. Since I can't hold two contoured knives on top of each other, I figured the next best thing was to show a couple of them laying on the original drawing for reference.
I think initial cause of the concern was Jon's Koa handled knife... but it's as close to the original drawing as I know how to get
On top of the drawing... looks like my dropped edges were a bit off (but I made them all right about this size), but the handle lines just disappear together
One of the G10 models in the same spot
Last but not least
Still tweaking Peter's but it will be done soon
I think initial cause of the concern was Jon's Koa handled knife... but it's as close to the original drawing as I know how to get
On top of the drawing... looks like my dropped edges were a bit off (but I made them all right about this size), but the handle lines just disappear together
One of the G10 models in the same spot
Last but not least
Still tweaking Peter's but it will be done soon
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2008
- Messages
- 7,187
They all look great.
From what I can see, I like Roger's walnut handled knife the best.
Your extra work getting the finish just right really shows.
Now what happened to the mahogany one?
From what I can see, I like Roger's walnut handled knife the best.
Your extra work getting the finish just right really shows.
Now what happened to the mahogany one?
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2000
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- 8,888
Wow Wow Wow -- better than fireworks! :thumbup:
Love the depth and complexity of that flame walnut, and the richness of the blackwood is like black forest chocolate cake! The green is surprisingly elegant, and I can see a big difference in the depth of color already in that natural micarta. All winners--you and Joe make one helluva team, Maestro Nick.
Thanks a million for the detailed pics!
Love the depth and complexity of that flame walnut, and the richness of the blackwood is like black forest chocolate cake! The green is surprisingly elegant, and I can see a big difference in the depth of color already in that natural micarta. All winners--you and Joe make one helluva team, Maestro Nick.
Thanks a million for the detailed pics!