OK. Done with orders. Lets hash out some new policy.

[swonut]

Andy- I'm guilty of a few emails and probably pushing the limits a bit also. I don't blame you at all. Just some feedback from one person. The thing I like about this run is the watching of the making of the knives (specifically the one I know will be mine one day.) For me, if you locked in the handle materials and took away the option of different woods and materials, I'd not have an issue. When you gave us multiple choices, of course we all chose something different. I even think this would work if you gave us the model and handle and then maybe just gave us only the choice of grind. At least for me, watching and following the production is a major draw. If you threw up an availability for a Bushfinger in Osage over red liner and let me choose the grind, I'd bite -- God knows I like shiny, flashy objects.... It's been fun watching Daniel Fairly's run of 22 Kiridashi's over the last few days on his page.

Just limit our choices to what works for you to keep things manageable. And most of all thanks for letting us watch.

-Blaine

 

[Fiddleback]

Hey guys, certainly no hard feelings against anyone here. Hashing out new policy is just that, and not every idea is going to work. I'll come up with something different.

Onto the knives! Here they are from barstock to blanks. The steel here, of course, is 01.

This is Dan, unwraping the barstock. He'll blue it with Dykem, and then scribe those patterns in the first pic onto the steel.

This pic is of Dylan and Dan.

Myself.

Dan cutting the blanks apart.

This is the profiling position. It is hell work, this position is agony on the spine. The steel dust and belt grit get everywhere. Dan handles the cutting and profiling. Actually it was Dylan that did these portions until very recently. It gives a person a LOT of experience at the KMG, and so it is now Dan's. It seems almost like a punnishment, but it is helping his work a lot.

The next pic is a days work for Dan. Dylan could have done 3x that many in the same time, I'm sure he would want me to tell y'all that. But it is really important stuff for the newb grinder. A grinder is a tool a person gets intimate with. You're right up on the thing. Dan is used to tablesaws and routers. You don't get up on those.

 

[schmittie]

Wow, thanks for posting up pics and descriptions of the process. This is exciting!

 

[awestib]

Yes, thanks for those pics and info! That's what a knife maker-customer relationship is all about!
Andy

 

[Fiddleback]

Alrighty guys. I've finished up this process. The knives from this run are complete, and available for payment. Pics of the rest of the process first though.

This pic is of me, flattening the pins to the level of the scales after glueup.

Here I'm grinding off the excess handle material down to the profile of the knife. When you feel steel, or see a spark, you're there. When the knife is done, it looks like the 2nd pic below.

Now I'm starting to put the curves into the handle profile.

After getting the general shape in there the handle gets filed to the final shape. I do a considerable amount of time filing. The organic nature of the handle needs this step.

The filed handle ready for sanding.

Sanding day. This is Karl. He is new in the shop, and is coming in to help me get the tough stuff done. Karl is the first Fiddleback Forge employee.

Karl and I, sanding away. Dan is working on his own knives.

 

[Fiddleback]

Here are the completed knife. I also put this first pic in the first post. The knives are all completed, except for your raw blade Schmittie.

 

[schmittie]

Wow, they all look pretty sweet!

 

[Fiddleback]

Did you get your knife yet Schmittie?

 

[J. Oeser]

Great batch Andy! I don't think people can truly appreciate how much time goes into hand filing and shaping the handles. It definitely makes all the difference.

I really like those table clamps. Can I ask where you got them?

 

[ChrisJW]

Those look great Andy. Thanks for the pics of both the process and the finished product.

 

[schmittie]

Did you get your knife yet Schmittie?

Not as of yet, but the mail hasn't come yet today....

 

[ErichM]

Andy and Co. Thanks for the great work and pictorial!

 

[Fiddleback]

Guys, I cannot tell you how happy I am with how this little run turned out. Thank you for participating.

 

[Stratmeister]

Great batch Andy! I don't think people can truly appreciate how much time goes into hand filing and shaping the handles. It definitely makes all the difference.

I really like those table clamps. Can I ask where you got them?

That is a regular wood working bench vise and is widely available. The last one I got was from Sears. If you have a tool company around, or someplace selling woodworking supplies check there. The vise comes with bare metal inside jaw surfaces and you cut your own wood blocks to attach to the inside of the jaws. You select the wood, hard or soft, depending on what you're working on.

 

[Stratmeister]

The more I look the more those Runts are starting to get to me...

 

[Fiddleback]

The runt is like a little gem in the hand. Neat knife.

Those vises came from some eBay lot. Do a search for woodworking vise. Be sure it's quick release. That's important!

 

[J. Oeser]

The runt is like a little gem in the hand. Neat knife.

Those vises came from some eBay lot. Do a search for woodworking vise. Be sure it's quick release. That's important!

That's what I was noticing. I was going to ask if it had some type of release.

 

[jnphares]

Might raising the profiling position (so that you can stand straight instead of leaning over) improve the ergonomics of that task? Optimally, it would be best to be able to raise or lower the machine to a comfortable height for whoever's working on it, but a hydraulic base might cost a bit. My boss has back problems and has been talking about getting a standing desk because sitting all day is painful for him, but he told me that standing desks are usually pretty expensive because they need to be adjustable for different heights. That conversation brought my question to mind.

 

[Fiddleback]

The leaning in is critical. The body weight is involved in the operation.

 

[KFU]

Cool pics! So do you grind before or after H/T? I do mine before but was thinking that it might actually save some time doing it after. Clean off scale and go. I don't use anything thicker than 5/32" and I think it will actually improve my grinds because its slower and my grinder runs balls to the wall without being able to slow it down.

I also like your respirator. Ive been thinking about forking out the cash for a full face for awhile. I wear glasses sometimes and its a pain with a half face.