- Joined
- Mar 19, 2007
- Messages
- 7,440
History:
A while back I showed the final product of an Old Hickory Modification I did. I offered to do a tutorial if anyone wanted it - and a few people took me up on the offer. This is the fruition of that process.
Tools needed:
Center Punch
Sharpie
Dremel with Cut off Wheel
1/8th drill bit.
Metal Files (12" Double Cut Bastard File - Medium)
1/8th Brass or Stainless Rod
Scales of your choosing (I used Curly Maple)
Epoxy
Nail Polish Remover (Acetone)
Various Grits of Sand Paper
Sharpening System of your choice
Ferric Acetone
Buying the blade:
This blade was purchased down by the bay. I wanted a 14 inch blade as it is a little thicker - but I could not find any of those - so I took what I could get. The only difference being the thickness of the blade. The 7 inch blades are a little under 1/8th and the 14 inch blades are a little over.
I make sure to find a blade that is in good shape for the first 4 inches or so. Broken tips and the like don't matter - as I am going to cut them off - and I can usually save some money buying them in this condition.
Removing the existing scales.
The existing scales are oak slabs, full tang, and held in with two brass speedy rivets. I have bout these in such good shape that I simply left the scales for a while and modified the blade. This is usually not the case and you must drill these rivets out in order to remove the scales to prepare it for rehandling. I use a center punch and punch the center of each rivet. Using a drill press (a drill could be used) I carefully drill into the head of the rivet. This is usually enough to loosen up the hold it has on the scales and it is merely a matter or prying off the old scale.
Be patient here - the heads sometimes come loose and spin on the drill bit - or the bit wanders and you have to flip it over and try again. With a little time you can get these off.
Preparing the blade:
Once you have removed the scales - there is nearly always a generous amount of rust on the tang. Ignore this for now - and modify the blade in the fashion that you wish to have it. In this case - I am doing a Kephart design. This design is a 4.5 inch spear point blade with the tip resting in the middle of the blade (from top to bottom). I used an existing Kephart design (an ML Kephart and traced it on the blade with a sharpie. No need to be super careful as you will modify this later - but make sure you keep the tip in the center of the blade (aligned with the holes in the tang for the pins).
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r141/talfuchre/Knife%20Making/image14_zpse8a01fc9.jpeg
At this point - you are going to have to get a little nasty - so gird your loins and suck it up.
Modifying the Blade:
What we need to do is cut the blade at the place that we marked it - without jacking up the temper. This means removing material while keeping it cool. Not an easy task. Here is what I have come up with.
Use a thin pan, plate or other such vessel and put cold water in it. I simply poured the rest of the water I was drinking into the top of an Ikea bin lid that was sitting out in the garage. I taped down the blade before I put the water in just to keep it stable - and fired up my Dremel tool with cut off disk.
I set the Dremel to "High Speed - Low Drag" and carefully made my cut - making sure there was always water touching the blade. I took my time - paused often to splash water on my cut and used safety equipment. Water tends to get slung all over hell during this process - so plan on getting wet.
After a time I had the tip cut off and was ready to move on. (I changed my shirt - because unlike Rick Marchand - I don't like the feeling of urine warm liquid on my torso).
I then chucked up the blade in the vise (soft jaws - or in my case - a scrap of leather) and began to file the spine. I wanted to get the spine parallel with the blade (the Butcher knife patter sweeps up at the tip). I marked a line with my sharpie and had at it.
This process is also slow. Take your time and keep the file flat on the spine - don't let the file heat up the blade too much - and use proper filing technique (it cuts in only one direction). When you have the spine where you want it - draw file the spine to take out the majority of the marks the file has left. Switch to a single cut mill file to make the spine very smooth. Do this with the point making sure you have both the cut on the top and the bottom exactly how you want it.
I used my single cut mill file to flatten the blade edge some. I wanted everything parallel. A set of calipers will ensure this - but is certainly not necessary.
At this point I sanded the tang and cleaned up the blade some.
I then used a home made jig that I made and began to reprofile the blade into a mid height convex grind. This was not a hard process and did not take long. Please look at the link in the previous sentence to see how this jig was made and how to use it.
The first thing I did was to put Sharpie marker on the first 1/8th inch of the edge of the blade and set my jig for the file to hit the very edge of the blade.
I then carefully filed off about 1/8th of an inch of material all the way up to the tip. This took no time on the edge - as it was already set - but took a few minutes at the tip.
I then put more sharpie on the blade - lowered my jig (about 6 full revolutions of the eye bolt at the back of the jig) and did another 1/8th or a little under.
What you are doing here are setting facets on the blade that will be connected when the blade is sanded for before final sharpening. You do not want a flat grind on this blade. It is not thick enough to handle a high flat grind - and it already has a nice convex on it in most cases.
Keep adding sharpie, lowering your jig and taking off material (more at the tip of course) until your tip grind matches the grind that already exists on the knife. Flip the knife and do the same on the other side - being sure to keep the grind heights even, and the same, and being sure your grinds meet eachother at the edge and at the midpoint of the knife.
Once this is done - use some 220 grit sand paper and carefully connect the facets to make a basic convex grind. This can easily be done by stropping your knife on a rigid surface such as a board. What you want to do is; as you pull the blade back, starting flat on your sand paper, you want to rock the spine of the blade upward slowly until you feel the edge of the knife bite on the sandpaper.
If you have a steady hand - you can simply sand the knife from spine to edge making the grinds smooth, even, and convex. The edge should essentially be ignored for now - and you will likely have a properly ground blade - but dull.
At this point your blade will look something like this:
I had about 1.5 hours into the project at this point - and already had a blade I could really use.
Putting on Scales:
At this point it was time to put some scales on the knife. Well - I actually can't really call it a knife at this point - more like a shank or a shiv. I suppose you could duct tape the handle and use it to break your way out of a prison fight (for more information on this process - please see TonyM), however, I chose to put some wooden scales on my knife.
You can choose whatever material you are comfortable with - but I happened to have some Curly Maple (Flame or Tiger Maple it is also called) that had been cut, planed and sanded - I went with that.
You need to set the front of the scales (the portion closest to the ricasso) the way you will want them when you are finished now. This is the only time (before you epoxy them) that you will have this kind of access to them. I used my sander and sanded them with a slight round and finished them to 320 grit.
Then you need to rough up and then clean the tang of the knife completely. A file end will work - but if you want something deeper - try the stone on a dremel tool. I use Acetoneto clean up my handles (purchased from the local hardware store) but you can use nail polish remover as well (see syguy for any advice needed on nail polish or nail polish remover). I used a clean cloth - wiped down the scales and the handle and let all dry completely. Do not skip this process as it allows for proper adhesion of the scales.
I then used some two part 3500 pound epoxy. It has a five minute working time - so getting a slower cure time may be in your best interests. I epoxied the hell out of one scale on the side of the blade - clamped up (the more clamps the better - you want it to be gapless to the blade blank) and waited for it to dry.
After you have one side epoxied and cleaned up - go to your drill press (or hand drill) and use a 1/8th drill bit to drill out where the pins will be. Be careful during this step. You want these holes to be clean, round, and not hogged out. Clean up your handle and other scale with a razor blade and acetone - being sure to rough up the scale and the tang and epoxy on the other scale - making sure your scales are even.
Once the epoxy dries - use the pilot holes drilled in the one scale to drill out the holes on the second scale. This makes perfectly aligned holes for your pins.
After the epoxy was dry - I used a hack saw to remove a bunch of wood from around the tang. I normally use a band saw - but I wanted to keep this one simple. A coping saw works very well for this. Remove wood from around the tang - being careful not to touch the tang and gouge it - or cut into it - and then take it over to the Vice.
You have a few options at this point - you can epoxy in the brass pins at this point and file / sand them down with the rest of the handle - or you can wait until the handle shape is roughed in. I chose to epoxy them in later as I struggle with the pins being "proud" of the wood (bass is harder than wood and the pins tend to stand out when not removed carefully.
I took the knife over to the padded vice and drew a line on the handle using a pencil on the spine side of the knife showing the thickness I wanted from the scales when I was done. I then used my Rasp to remove a bunch of the material until I approached the line I marked on both sides.
Once the shape was roughed in - I turned to a 1/2 round Double Cut Mill Bastard to make the rough in smoother - then turned to a 1/2 round single cut fine mill file to smooth it further - then draw filed the handle.
Then use sand paper to smooth out the handle until you have reached 220 grit and then epoxy in the pins.
You have an option here as well. You can buy a #29 drill bit when you drill out the scales for the pins - which will leave JUST enough clearance for the pins and some epoxy - without leaving a gap around the pin that looks terrible. However, as I know most people have a 1/8th drill bit - I simply used that - then chucked up a length of brass rod (or stainless in the other knife I was working on at the time) and used 100 grit sand paper to rough up the rod - and turn it down just a hair so that it would fit perfectly inside the handle and allow for some epoxy.
I then epoxied the holes and the pin - slid the pins in - and then waited for it to dry. Once hardened - put it back in the vice and use a fine toothed file to carefully remove the pin until it is flush with the wood.
cont...
A while back I showed the final product of an Old Hickory Modification I did. I offered to do a tutorial if anyone wanted it - and a few people took me up on the offer. This is the fruition of that process.
Tools needed:
Center Punch
Sharpie
Dremel with Cut off Wheel
1/8th drill bit.
Metal Files (12" Double Cut Bastard File - Medium)
1/8th Brass or Stainless Rod
Scales of your choosing (I used Curly Maple)
Epoxy
Nail Polish Remover (Acetone)
Various Grits of Sand Paper
Sharpening System of your choice
Ferric Acetone
Buying the blade:
This blade was purchased down by the bay. I wanted a 14 inch blade as it is a little thicker - but I could not find any of those - so I took what I could get. The only difference being the thickness of the blade. The 7 inch blades are a little under 1/8th and the 14 inch blades are a little over.
I make sure to find a blade that is in good shape for the first 4 inches or so. Broken tips and the like don't matter - as I am going to cut them off - and I can usually save some money buying them in this condition.
Removing the existing scales.
The existing scales are oak slabs, full tang, and held in with two brass speedy rivets. I have bout these in such good shape that I simply left the scales for a while and modified the blade. This is usually not the case and you must drill these rivets out in order to remove the scales to prepare it for rehandling. I use a center punch and punch the center of each rivet. Using a drill press (a drill could be used) I carefully drill into the head of the rivet. This is usually enough to loosen up the hold it has on the scales and it is merely a matter or prying off the old scale.
Be patient here - the heads sometimes come loose and spin on the drill bit - or the bit wanders and you have to flip it over and try again. With a little time you can get these off.
Preparing the blade:
Once you have removed the scales - there is nearly always a generous amount of rust on the tang. Ignore this for now - and modify the blade in the fashion that you wish to have it. In this case - I am doing a Kephart design. This design is a 4.5 inch spear point blade with the tip resting in the middle of the blade (from top to bottom). I used an existing Kephart design (an ML Kephart and traced it on the blade with a sharpie. No need to be super careful as you will modify this later - but make sure you keep the tip in the center of the blade (aligned with the holes in the tang for the pins).
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r141/talfuchre/Knife%20Making/image14_zpse8a01fc9.jpeg
At this point - you are going to have to get a little nasty - so gird your loins and suck it up.
Modifying the Blade:
What we need to do is cut the blade at the place that we marked it - without jacking up the temper. This means removing material while keeping it cool. Not an easy task. Here is what I have come up with.
Use a thin pan, plate or other such vessel and put cold water in it. I simply poured the rest of the water I was drinking into the top of an Ikea bin lid that was sitting out in the garage. I taped down the blade before I put the water in just to keep it stable - and fired up my Dremel tool with cut off disk.
I set the Dremel to "High Speed - Low Drag" and carefully made my cut - making sure there was always water touching the blade. I took my time - paused often to splash water on my cut and used safety equipment. Water tends to get slung all over hell during this process - so plan on getting wet.
After a time I had the tip cut off and was ready to move on. (I changed my shirt - because unlike Rick Marchand - I don't like the feeling of urine warm liquid on my torso).
I then chucked up the blade in the vise (soft jaws - or in my case - a scrap of leather) and began to file the spine. I wanted to get the spine parallel with the blade (the Butcher knife patter sweeps up at the tip). I marked a line with my sharpie and had at it.
This process is also slow. Take your time and keep the file flat on the spine - don't let the file heat up the blade too much - and use proper filing technique (it cuts in only one direction). When you have the spine where you want it - draw file the spine to take out the majority of the marks the file has left. Switch to a single cut mill file to make the spine very smooth. Do this with the point making sure you have both the cut on the top and the bottom exactly how you want it.
I used my single cut mill file to flatten the blade edge some. I wanted everything parallel. A set of calipers will ensure this - but is certainly not necessary.
At this point I sanded the tang and cleaned up the blade some.
I then used a home made jig that I made and began to reprofile the blade into a mid height convex grind. This was not a hard process and did not take long. Please look at the link in the previous sentence to see how this jig was made and how to use it.
The first thing I did was to put Sharpie marker on the first 1/8th inch of the edge of the blade and set my jig for the file to hit the very edge of the blade.
I then carefully filed off about 1/8th of an inch of material all the way up to the tip. This took no time on the edge - as it was already set - but took a few minutes at the tip.
I then put more sharpie on the blade - lowered my jig (about 6 full revolutions of the eye bolt at the back of the jig) and did another 1/8th or a little under.
What you are doing here are setting facets on the blade that will be connected when the blade is sanded for before final sharpening. You do not want a flat grind on this blade. It is not thick enough to handle a high flat grind - and it already has a nice convex on it in most cases.
Keep adding sharpie, lowering your jig and taking off material (more at the tip of course) until your tip grind matches the grind that already exists on the knife. Flip the knife and do the same on the other side - being sure to keep the grind heights even, and the same, and being sure your grinds meet eachother at the edge and at the midpoint of the knife.
Once this is done - use some 220 grit sand paper and carefully connect the facets to make a basic convex grind. This can easily be done by stropping your knife on a rigid surface such as a board. What you want to do is; as you pull the blade back, starting flat on your sand paper, you want to rock the spine of the blade upward slowly until you feel the edge of the knife bite on the sandpaper.
If you have a steady hand - you can simply sand the knife from spine to edge making the grinds smooth, even, and convex. The edge should essentially be ignored for now - and you will likely have a properly ground blade - but dull.
At this point your blade will look something like this:
I had about 1.5 hours into the project at this point - and already had a blade I could really use.
Putting on Scales:
At this point it was time to put some scales on the knife. Well - I actually can't really call it a knife at this point - more like a shank or a shiv. I suppose you could duct tape the handle and use it to break your way out of a prison fight (for more information on this process - please see TonyM), however, I chose to put some wooden scales on my knife.
You can choose whatever material you are comfortable with - but I happened to have some Curly Maple (Flame or Tiger Maple it is also called) that had been cut, planed and sanded - I went with that.
You need to set the front of the scales (the portion closest to the ricasso) the way you will want them when you are finished now. This is the only time (before you epoxy them) that you will have this kind of access to them. I used my sander and sanded them with a slight round and finished them to 320 grit.
Then you need to rough up and then clean the tang of the knife completely. A file end will work - but if you want something deeper - try the stone on a dremel tool. I use Acetoneto clean up my handles (purchased from the local hardware store) but you can use nail polish remover as well (see syguy for any advice needed on nail polish or nail polish remover). I used a clean cloth - wiped down the scales and the handle and let all dry completely. Do not skip this process as it allows for proper adhesion of the scales.
I then used some two part 3500 pound epoxy. It has a five minute working time - so getting a slower cure time may be in your best interests. I epoxied the hell out of one scale on the side of the blade - clamped up (the more clamps the better - you want it to be gapless to the blade blank) and waited for it to dry.
After you have one side epoxied and cleaned up - go to your drill press (or hand drill) and use a 1/8th drill bit to drill out where the pins will be. Be careful during this step. You want these holes to be clean, round, and not hogged out. Clean up your handle and other scale with a razor blade and acetone - being sure to rough up the scale and the tang and epoxy on the other scale - making sure your scales are even.
Once the epoxy dries - use the pilot holes drilled in the one scale to drill out the holes on the second scale. This makes perfectly aligned holes for your pins.
After the epoxy was dry - I used a hack saw to remove a bunch of wood from around the tang. I normally use a band saw - but I wanted to keep this one simple. A coping saw works very well for this. Remove wood from around the tang - being careful not to touch the tang and gouge it - or cut into it - and then take it over to the Vice.
You have a few options at this point - you can epoxy in the brass pins at this point and file / sand them down with the rest of the handle - or you can wait until the handle shape is roughed in. I chose to epoxy them in later as I struggle with the pins being "proud" of the wood (bass is harder than wood and the pins tend to stand out when not removed carefully.
I took the knife over to the padded vice and drew a line on the handle using a pencil on the spine side of the knife showing the thickness I wanted from the scales when I was done. I then used my Rasp to remove a bunch of the material until I approached the line I marked on both sides.
Once the shape was roughed in - I turned to a 1/2 round Double Cut Mill Bastard to make the rough in smoother - then turned to a 1/2 round single cut fine mill file to smooth it further - then draw filed the handle.
Then use sand paper to smooth out the handle until you have reached 220 grit and then epoxy in the pins.
You have an option here as well. You can buy a #29 drill bit when you drill out the scales for the pins - which will leave JUST enough clearance for the pins and some epoxy - without leaving a gap around the pin that looks terrible. However, as I know most people have a 1/8th drill bit - I simply used that - then chucked up a length of brass rod (or stainless in the other knife I was working on at the time) and used 100 grit sand paper to rough up the rod - and turn it down just a hair so that it would fit perfectly inside the handle and allow for some epoxy.
I then epoxied the holes and the pin - slid the pins in - and then waited for it to dry. Once hardened - put it back in the vice and use a fine toothed file to carefully remove the pin until it is flush with the wood.
cont...
Last edited:
(My favorite FBF and all-purpose knife; thanks for the design!)
