I have a bunch of questions for the knife makers out there, especially those who have done the Jantz kits. One is for the knives with guards that need to be soldered, can I drill and pin and epoxy them instead and what type of bits do I need to go through the steel in both the guard and blade material. Another question is about dremels. Corded or Cordless? What bits do I need to shape Micarta, Dymonwood, etc? Can i use a Dremel to polish/sharpen knife edges and can i get a razor edge with it? next question..sheaths and material. leather or Kydex? where to find each and what do I need to make the Kydex stuff. Also, can hairdryer be used to heat kydex and are there any fumes? Please inlcude anything about Dremels or other brands of them, sheaths, dremel bits and suggestions for the guards. thanks for the help!
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Questions about Dremels, guards and other stuff about knife making kits....
- Thread starter Taz
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 25, 1999
- Messages
- 184
Hey Taz,
i have helped out someone with a carving knife kit that came from the jantz range.
we pinned and epoxied the guard on .. as i am horrid at soldering at this time.
it worked well and came out very sturdy.
to drill the metal we used a cobolt drill .. tho make sure that you dont go too fast.. as you will only cause more troubles for yourself.
umm.. my friend has a dremel and swears that they are a grand thing to have... but traded his cordless one in for a powered one... something about the power .. and the range of suggested uses for the cordless one being low.
i dont know .. i dont use things like that .. so its all heresay about dremels and stuff.
as for razor sharpening.. it is completely possible... my friend is able to get a razor edge on his knives with his dremel each time...
the piece that he uses most often is a tungsten carbide bit thats shaped kind of like a teardrop .. he's had it for ages and can do almost everything he wants with that.
anything else he uses are just cheap generic grind stones that i buy for him, from the local hardware store near me..
sheaths .. presonally i prefer leather... but each to their own.
i have recently started making kydex sheaths.. and i use only my kitchen oven.. as the hairdrier that i have access to isnt powerful enough, i find.
i have been advised that a heat gun is the better thing to use.. so that you can work on a small area at a time.
i have not noticed any fumes for all my working with kydex.
doubt i can help you with locations to buy things .. doubtless someone else would be able to tho.
umm ... i dont believe that there was anything else you asked about.
hope this has been a bit of help.
D.
i have helped out someone with a carving knife kit that came from the jantz range.
we pinned and epoxied the guard on .. as i am horrid at soldering at this time.
it worked well and came out very sturdy.
to drill the metal we used a cobolt drill .. tho make sure that you dont go too fast.. as you will only cause more troubles for yourself.
umm.. my friend has a dremel and swears that they are a grand thing to have... but traded his cordless one in for a powered one... something about the power .. and the range of suggested uses for the cordless one being low.
i dont know .. i dont use things like that .. so its all heresay about dremels and stuff.
as for razor sharpening.. it is completely possible... my friend is able to get a razor edge on his knives with his dremel each time...
the piece that he uses most often is a tungsten carbide bit thats shaped kind of like a teardrop .. he's had it for ages and can do almost everything he wants with that.
anything else he uses are just cheap generic grind stones that i buy for him, from the local hardware store near me..
sheaths .. presonally i prefer leather... but each to their own.
i have recently started making kydex sheaths.. and i use only my kitchen oven.. as the hairdrier that i have access to isnt powerful enough, i find.
i have been advised that a heat gun is the better thing to use.. so that you can work on a small area at a time.
i have not noticed any fumes for all my working with kydex.
doubt i can help you with locations to buy things .. doubtless someone else would be able to tho.
umm ... i dont believe that there was anything else you asked about.
hope this has been a bit of help.
D.
- Joined
- Nov 24, 1999
- Messages
- 4,981
First of all do NOT get a cordless dremel.They are cheaper and cordless sounds more convenient, but it isn't. They don't have near the same power as a normal model. The top speed on some cordless dremels is only a 1 or 2 thousand RPM's faster than the lowest speed on my ryobi(with cord)
If you get the dremel in a kit, it will probably include some aluminum oxide grinding burrs, cuttoff discs, sanding discs, and sanding drums. These are a good start. Another thing to look at is Dremel sells an accessory kit that includes a wire brush, buffing wheels, fiberglass reinforced cuttoff wheels ( I think they may be for ceramic tiles, but they work on metal).I got that for $14 at Lowes. Diamond engraving bits are great for marking stuff out.
You can put an initial edge on the knife with a dremel but I doubt you'll get it very sharp. You need some sharpening stones for that. The sanding drums are good for shaping handles, get fine and coarse sanding sleeves for them. The discs are ok for that too, you can put some interesting finishes on metal with them after messing with it some. If you need to take alot off of the scales I would reccomend getting a set of small rasps(riffler rasps). They cut faster and give you more control. Then finish it by hand sanding.
I don't know anything really about soldering gaurds. For drilling holes in the blade blank you will probably need carbide bits. And you will have to slow your drill down a ton from normal drilling speed to keep from overheating.
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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
If you get the dremel in a kit, it will probably include some aluminum oxide grinding burrs, cuttoff discs, sanding discs, and sanding drums. These are a good start. Another thing to look at is Dremel sells an accessory kit that includes a wire brush, buffing wheels, fiberglass reinforced cuttoff wheels ( I think they may be for ceramic tiles, but they work on metal).I got that for $14 at Lowes. Diamond engraving bits are great for marking stuff out.
You can put an initial edge on the knife with a dremel but I doubt you'll get it very sharp. You need some sharpening stones for that. The sanding drums are good for shaping handles, get fine and coarse sanding sleeves for them. The discs are ok for that too, you can put some interesting finishes on metal with them after messing with it some. If you need to take alot off of the scales I would reccomend getting a set of small rasps(riffler rasps). They cut faster and give you more control. Then finish it by hand sanding.
I don't know anything really about soldering gaurds. For drilling holes in the blade blank you will probably need carbide bits. And you will have to slow your drill down a ton from normal drilling speed to keep from overheating.
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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
Taz,
A bunch of questions there. Hopefully the more knowledgeable folks can help with most of them. The one thing I know is that you want to stick with the corded Dremel tools. I had a Mini-Might that was only good for 20 minutes of heavy duty work - if that. Then you have to wait hours for the battery to recharge.
Then came the Black-n-Decker Wizard with the Versa-Pak batteries. Big improvement, especially with 5 or six extra batteries. Problem is you have to take really good care of the batteries and be sure to charge/drain them properly. Out of the six that I have only two take a really good charge, the rest seem to only work at about half speed and drain pretty quick.
Eliminate the variables... Go for a good quality Dremel corded model. Trust me.
I've used the 1/2" drum sander attachment almost exclusively on Micarta. Works really well for everything but very fine work. I suppose the aluminum-oxide and silicon-carbide grinding bits would work as well, don't know. I would also suggest using a respirator or dust mask at the *very* least - you'll be generating tons of very fine dust.
As for some of the sheath questions, either do a search for "kydex" and "sheath" on this forum or just scan back through the topics of last few months. There is a ton of good information on this forum if you're willing to do a little homework. And no matter what they tell you, your first few Kydex sheaths won't come out perfectly - these guys make it sound way too easy!
Jon
A bunch of questions there. Hopefully the more knowledgeable folks can help with most of them. The one thing I know is that you want to stick with the corded Dremel tools. I had a Mini-Might that was only good for 20 minutes of heavy duty work - if that. Then you have to wait hours for the battery to recharge.
Then came the Black-n-Decker Wizard with the Versa-Pak batteries. Big improvement, especially with 5 or six extra batteries. Problem is you have to take really good care of the batteries and be sure to charge/drain them properly. Out of the six that I have only two take a really good charge, the rest seem to only work at about half speed and drain pretty quick.
Eliminate the variables... Go for a good quality Dremel corded model. Trust me.
I've used the 1/2" drum sander attachment almost exclusively on Micarta. Works really well for everything but very fine work. I suppose the aluminum-oxide and silicon-carbide grinding bits would work as well, don't know. I would also suggest using a respirator or dust mask at the *very* least - you'll be generating tons of very fine dust.
As for some of the sheath questions, either do a search for "kydex" and "sheath" on this forum or just scan back through the topics of last few months. There is a ton of good information on this forum if you're willing to do a little homework. And no matter what they tell you, your first few Kydex sheaths won't come out perfectly - these guys make it sound way too easy!
Jon
- Joined
- Oct 23, 1998
- Messages
- 43
Epoxy the guard.
Buy the corded Dremel with the kit - that will give you everything you need to shape the Micarta (and just about everything else).
Go with the leather, I think that it would be easier to start with. Easy to learn and just about as much fun to work with as the knife.
Buy the corded Dremel with the kit - that will give you everything you need to shape the Micarta (and just about everything else).
Go with the leather, I think that it would be easier to start with. Easy to learn and just about as much fun to work with as the knife.
1) Yes, you can pin and epoxy a guard instead of soldering. You will have to have a solid carbide bit (probably a spade type) to drill through the hardened blade. Try a machine supply place locally or order from msc or such. You can drill through the brass with a standard high speed steel bit. I would recommend you use JB weld (auto section at Wally-World) instead of regular epoxy though for the metal to metal part. Use 24 hr devcon for the handle.
2) Get a corded dremel. I wouldn't try to sharpen with it though, it's very easy to overheat the edge of your knife with one, and very hard to get a nice smooth edge. They work good for grinding out tight curves and such on your handle, not so good for wide flat parts, get a wood rasp or a combination rasp/file for that.
3)I dont think a hairdryer will get kydex hot enough to mold. you can do it in the oven though (if your mom dont find out) Be careful not to burn it, it reeks.
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I love my country! I just don't trust my government!
2) Get a corded dremel. I wouldn't try to sharpen with it though, it's very easy to overheat the edge of your knife with one, and very hard to get a nice smooth edge. They work good for grinding out tight curves and such on your handle, not so good for wide flat parts, get a wood rasp or a combination rasp/file for that.
3)I dont think a hairdryer will get kydex hot enough to mold. you can do it in the oven though (if your mom dont find out) Be careful not to burn it, it reeks.
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I love my country! I just don't trust my government!
The guard soldering is not a big deal. I just did my first one. I used an inexpensive butane torch and a low temperature silver solder product called Solder-It. Both are available at Lowes or Home Depot. The solder joint is very strong and takes less time than drilling and epoxy.
I echo the others go for a corded Dremel or similar product with as many accessories as you can get. You will find hundreds of uses for it.
If you decide on a leather sheath, you can get everything you need to make one from Tandy Leather. Unfortunately they closed their stores this past year, but you can find them on the web. I have also bought from The Leather Factory and Hidecrafter Leathercraft.
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Travis Autry
My knives are just like rabbits---they keep multiplying!!
I echo the others go for a corded Dremel or similar product with as many accessories as you can get. You will find hundreds of uses for it.
If you decide on a leather sheath, you can get everything you need to make one from Tandy Leather. Unfortunately they closed their stores this past year, but you can find them on the web. I have also bought from The Leather Factory and Hidecrafter Leathercraft.
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Travis Autry
My knives are just like rabbits---they keep multiplying!!
Thanks for all of the replies! I never expected to get so many so quickly! I will stick to the corded Dremel or other brand variant. Should I go with a Flex shaft? As for the sheaths, I think I will try Kydex on one of my college breaks...if I could bring the blades to college, I could do them ovr break and no one would smell anything if I burned it, but it could be embarrasing if i set off the smoke detector! "Really, Mr. Fireman and Security Guy, I was making a sheath for my...ummmm...kitchen knife in the oven and it got too hot and started a fire! My Bad! Won't do it again!" As for the sanding bit, I did the roughing out work with a file/rasp my Dad had, but I am looking for something to round out the handle so hopefully it will be more uniform. What makes that Micarta smell when I filed it, anyway?? It was pretty bad and there was dust everywhere. Luckily, it was the same color as the dust on the floor, so I didn't get into too much trouble. As for the sharpening, I was wondering if it was possible to polish the edge with one of the muslim wheels and some rouge. If not, I'll stick to my stones and get a buffer/grinder some day. well, off to college to learn more and dream about all the knives I can't have when I am there!
- Joined
- Nov 24, 1999
- Messages
- 4,981
I have herd pro's and cons on the flex shafts. First I will say that I don't have one, it took a lot of practice but I can use my dremel without a flex shaft pretty comfortably now. It is inportant that you have what your working on in a vise or clamped to something something solid. Its safer and, makes things a hell of a lot easier when nothing is vibrating around.
The good things I have heard are the flex shaft makes detail work easier and allows you to work in even tighter places.
The bad things are that it seems to take some of the power away, and they don't have a lot of reach from the dremel. Another thing to think about is what to do with the dremel while your holding the flex shaft. Leaving it loose on the table will lead to it vibrating off on the floor. Some are made to be hung on a hook above your bench,if you don't do that you'll have to figure something out.
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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
The good things I have heard are the flex shaft makes detail work easier and allows you to work in even tighter places.
The bad things are that it seems to take some of the power away, and they don't have a lot of reach from the dremel. Another thing to think about is what to do with the dremel while your holding the flex shaft. Leaving it loose on the table will lead to it vibrating off on the floor. Some are made to be hung on a hook above your bench,if you don't do that you'll have to figure something out.
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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
- Joined
- May 4, 1999
- Messages
- 534
I just got a flex shaft for my Dremel, and am really glad I got it. I used the Dremel to profile a couple of blades and the flex shaft allows much more precise cutting. There's no way I could have done the curves on the handle without the flex shaft.
I bought the stand to hang the Dremel on when using the flex shaft, and would recommend against it. It's useful, but it costs as much as the flex shaft attachment and its construction is fairly cheap. You'd probably do better constructing your own method of hanging the Dremel while using the flex shaft.
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For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23
I bought the stand to hang the Dremel on when using the flex shaft, and would recommend against it. It's useful, but it costs as much as the flex shaft attachment and its construction is fairly cheap. You'd probably do better constructing your own method of hanging the Dremel while using the flex shaft.
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For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23
- Joined
- Dec 13, 1999
- Messages
- 1,729
A good thing to use to hang a Dremel tool with a flex shaft is one of those steel hangers used for potted plants. I attached one to the wall behind my bench and hang the Dremel on it. It works good, is fairly cheap and swivels out of the way when I'm not using it. Just make sure yo get one that swivels side to side.
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Jake Evans,War Chief of the Terrible Ironic HORDE, Wielder of the Mighty Blade SOUL STEALER
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Jake Evans,War Chief of the Terrible Ironic HORDE, Wielder of the Mighty Blade SOUL STEALER