Opinel Mods, lets see them

hopefully the clip doesn't earn me an infraction here...
:p

4ms1Qmx.jpg
 
hey, i'm going to order a cherry carve it yourself kit as a gift for my cousin, (he's 10 for referrence)

i'd like to make it simple but carve a pattern into it. something neat but not distracting. what do you guys recommend? keep in mind i have little experience carving. more than average but not to the scale of things that have been posted here
 
hey, i'm going to order a cherry carve it yourself kit as a gift for my cousin, (he's 10 for referrence)

i'd like to make it simple but carve a pattern into it. something neat but not distracting. what do you guys recommend? keep in mind i have little experience carving. more than average but not to the scale of things that have been posted here

Carve his initials on it, It's always cool when your 10 to have your own initialed Knife :)
 
While discussing Opinel mods on another thread, I remembered the pristine No. 6 Carbone sitting on my shelf, waiting for modifications. I was mowing the lawn in stages this morning, coming in every so often to cool off in front of the fan on my desk. While I cooled down, I worked on the knife.

The Mora and the Seahorse Whittler were used to trim down the handle. Next, I did the mustard patina, only to find that the tip of the blade was now proud of the handle. A few minutes with a file dropped the point enough to get it inside the handle.

I am reasonably pleased with the result. If I had it to do again, I would go a little easier with the torch to bring out more contrast between the low spots and high spots on the handle.
BCDB8243-788D-4BDB-9D87-4F49E81ACCCD.jpeg 3E5FCE43-60D3-4CFB-A9A7-4ABE1DF7B34D.jpeg D87B1872-E899-4670-8431-5AFD6AF2574F.jpeg 43EFBE4C-BE63-4B60-9973-DD52596B7B67.jpeg EF038CAA-0E63-40EB-BA8F-2EEC914279FF.jpeg 800EDD77-C9D8-48EF-A9A4-78B5C6F7949D.jpeg
 
The Sanvik chart referenced in post #58 is in degrees "C" not "F". Unless you plan on using your Opinel at 350f, exposure to that temperature will not affect it's properties when returned to ambient (Earth) temperatures. 350 degrees "C" is equivalent to 660 degrees "F". The Sanvik chart lists 380 C (~700 F) as a tempering enviornment for their steels.
 
The Sanvik chart referenced in post #58 is in degrees "C" not "F". Unless you plan on using your Opinel at 350f, exposure to that temperature will not affect it's properties when returned to ambient (Earth) temperatures. 350 degrees "C" is equivalent to 660 degrees "F". The Sanvik chart lists 380 C (~700 F) as a tempering enviornment for their steels.
Doesn't time at temp matter as well? When annealing carbon steel (I know not 12c27, but still) an hour at 450f will turn it blue. An hour at 220f will make it straw and noticeably softer (and less brittle).
 
A while back I took an Opinel Slim and converted it into a short bladed wharncliff and also carved a face onto the spine of the handle, still a pretty handy, unusual knife ;)

Opinel_Slim10_wharncliff_mod by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

Opi_wharncliff by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

Opi_Slims by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

he's a rough looking dude, it's not easy and a little scary carving on a small round piece of hard wood! The blade wants to wander off and find a soft digit to land into...

IMG_5956 by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

IMG_5955 by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

The other Opinel #10 slim is one with olivewood handle, I use that to cut up my subway subs into sushi size bites :)
G2
 
Back when files were usually quality steels I often would sharpen dull, discarded knife files from my place of employment and "make a knife". I broke one by accident and turned it into a little stubby wharncliff like that. Stuck it in scrap a piece of antler, and this ugly little stubby knife sits on my desk at home. It has seen quite a bit of use over the years. It's a handy little shape.
 
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