Hello all...
First time on the forum - any help would be appreciated.
My buddy bought me a knife kit for Christmas. Knowing I had a fascination with Damascus, he decided to start there... mistake, numero uno. To be clear, in the realm of knife making, at this point - I make newbies look seasoned - so I'm trying to get myself sorted out. I've watched a few videos to get myself up to speed (primarily Walter Sorrells), filled in the gaps on the tools I need, and I'm ready to go... but I have some trepidation about moving forward and need some advice, please.
The knife is a full tang, pre-drilled, Demascus kitchen knife (link to blade). From watching various videos regarding how to mount and mold the scales, I'm wondering what will happen when I begin filing and sanding the scales and invariably hit the tang. I'm sure I'm going to remove the etch... won't I? I'd rather not jack-up a pretty knife if I don't have to... so, what's the best way to approach this? If I attempt to somehow "re-etch" the tang afterwards I know I'm going to mess up the scales, at least to a degree, no matter how careful I am. I made a blank the same shape as the tang, thinking I could shape the scales on that and then move them over... I now see that's not going to work as hoped as the real tang is going to protrude above the sculpted scales. Do I somehow temporarily mount the scales and work them off of the handle (remove, sand, compare, remove, sand, compare...)? If I take that approach, just as with the blank, I'm sure the tang isn't going to be flush with the scales. I'm flummoxed.
So... how do I mount the scales and bring them and the handle down to a smooth consistent edge, without destroying the finish of the Damascus?
Thanks for the help.
First time on the forum - any help would be appreciated.
My buddy bought me a knife kit for Christmas. Knowing I had a fascination with Damascus, he decided to start there... mistake, numero uno. To be clear, in the realm of knife making, at this point - I make newbies look seasoned - so I'm trying to get myself sorted out. I've watched a few videos to get myself up to speed (primarily Walter Sorrells), filled in the gaps on the tools I need, and I'm ready to go... but I have some trepidation about moving forward and need some advice, please.
The knife is a full tang, pre-drilled, Demascus kitchen knife (link to blade). From watching various videos regarding how to mount and mold the scales, I'm wondering what will happen when I begin filing and sanding the scales and invariably hit the tang. I'm sure I'm going to remove the etch... won't I? I'd rather not jack-up a pretty knife if I don't have to... so, what's the best way to approach this? If I attempt to somehow "re-etch" the tang afterwards I know I'm going to mess up the scales, at least to a degree, no matter how careful I am. I made a blank the same shape as the tang, thinking I could shape the scales on that and then move them over... I now see that's not going to work as hoped as the real tang is going to protrude above the sculpted scales. Do I somehow temporarily mount the scales and work them off of the handle (remove, sand, compare, remove, sand, compare...)? If I take that approach, just as with the blank, I'm sure the tang isn't going to be flush with the scales. I'm flummoxed.
So... how do I mount the scales and bring them and the handle down to a smooth consistent edge, without destroying the finish of the Damascus?
Thanks for the help.
