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- Jun 2, 2009
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This is a great WIP, and that ladder pattern is outstanding:thumbup::thumbup: Thanks for doing this Roger and Ron.
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Ron Newton MS - the making of a damascus / ivory spearpoint Bowie.
- Thread starter RogerP
- Start date
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2007
- Messages
- 588
Did I say that this thing would have a tight ladder pattern? i should have said that it would be a TIIIIIIIIIGGGGHHHHTTTT pattern. I too would like to know what this mystery hydrocarbon substance is because those 20 mules keep pooping on my shop floor..
kerosene unless im wrong it leaves no white line in the weld ....dont understand it but it works
Following the build with great interest.
I have one question though. Has any of the Masters done a damascus blade and NOT etched it. I would love to see what that would look like all polished out and if the grain showed.
Keep up the tutorial, great stuff.
Larry
Tinkerer
I have one question though. Has any of the Masters done a damascus blade and NOT etched it. I would love to see what that would look like all polished out and if the grain showed.
Keep up the tutorial, great stuff.
Larry
Tinkerer
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2002
- Messages
- 13,348
Comin' up soon my man, and make sure you're sitting down for that one.
Drilling the dowel pin holes through the guard spacer into the ivory.
Cutting away the excess of the guard spacer.
Hollow grinding the final guard shape.
Indexed spacer and guard with 52100 dowel pins.
Handsanding of the indexed ivory, spacer and guard.
A hardened steel toggle bolt installed on the end of the blade tang.
Ready to assemble the rear finial knob to the assembled blade,guard,spacer and ivory handle.
The assembled components (minus the damascus pommel wrap) with finial knob tightened.
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2001
- Messages
- 12,348
Engineer + Artist = OMG! 
A valuable thread for ALL!
Coop
A valuable thread for ALL!
Coop
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2002
- Messages
- 13,348
[Okay, time for the fittings to get a little bit more attention. The idea was to provide just a light touch of embellishment - which is just as well, given the cost of gold these days. 
]
Beading the inlayed 24 carat gold with a jewelers punch dot tool and pneumatic impact handpiece under a 40 power microscope.
The completed 24 carat beaded gold inlay.
[The beading makes the most, visually, of a very small amount of gold, don't you think?)
[Did you think the forging was done? It isn't]
Heating a piece of 300 layer damascus remaining from the blade billet. This will be used for the damascus pommel wrap.
Forging to size with the 100 pound Little Giant power hammer.
Corrugating the ladder pattern with the 25 ton hydraulic press.
The corrugations are ground off.
Bandsawing the rough shape of the damascus pommel wrap.
]Beading the inlayed 24 carat gold with a jewelers punch dot tool and pneumatic impact handpiece under a 40 power microscope.
The completed 24 carat beaded gold inlay.
[The beading makes the most, visually, of a very small amount of gold, don't you think?)
[Did you think the forging was done? It isn't]
Heating a piece of 300 layer damascus remaining from the blade billet. This will be used for the damascus pommel wrap.
Forging to size with the 100 pound Little Giant power hammer.
Corrugating the ladder pattern with the 25 ton hydraulic press.
The corrugations are ground off.
Bandsawing the rough shape of the damascus pommel wrap.
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2002
- Messages
- 13,348
Heating the pommel wrap numerous times for forging using an induction heating machine.
[I must admit complete prior ignorance to the existence of an induction heating machine, but I sure can see where this would work well for heating and then shaping small trim pieces like these]
Forging the pommel wrap to fit the rear of the ivory handle.
After finish grinding the pommel cap to fit the ivory, holes are drilled and tapped for the 2 screws.
Doing some engraving and 24 carat gold wire inlay on the pommel cap.
The polished guard ready for etching to reveal the twist pattern damascus.
[Let me add here that I just LOVE the curvacious shape of this guard. But I REALLY fell completely in love with the fittings when Ron sent the following pic:]
The damascus guard and pommel cap completed with 24 carat gold work and engraving.
[I must admit complete prior ignorance to the existence of an induction heating machine, but I sure can see where this would work well for heating and then shaping small trim pieces like these]
Forging the pommel wrap to fit the rear of the ivory handle.
After finish grinding the pommel cap to fit the ivory, holes are drilled and tapped for the 2 screws.
Doing some engraving and 24 carat gold wire inlay on the pommel cap.
The polished guard ready for etching to reveal the twist pattern damascus.
[Let me add here that I just LOVE the curvacious shape of this guard. But I REALLY fell completely in love with the fittings when Ron sent the following pic:]
The damascus guard and pommel cap completed with 24 carat gold work and engraving.
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2005
- Messages
- 1,857
[Let me add here that I just LOVE the curvacious shape of this guard. But I REALLY fell completely in love with the fittings when Ron sent the following pic:]
The damascus guard and pommel cap completed with 24 carat gold work and engraving.
Very beautiful with an understated elegance....I love it!!
Marcel
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2006
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- 4,098
- Joined
- Dec 3, 1999
- Messages
- 9,437
WOW!!! Awesome!
Ron sure has some neat toys too! Things like those induction forges don't come cheap... shows just one more aspect of Ron's dedication to this craft by investing in such quality tools.
And of course it shows in the end result!!! :thumbup:
:thumbup:
Ron sure has some neat toys too! Things like those induction forges don't come cheap... shows just one more aspect of Ron's dedication to this craft by investing in such quality tools.
And of course it shows in the end result!!! :thumbup:
:thumbup:
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2002
- Messages
- 13,348
Thanks gents. I figured that pic of the fittings would go over well.
Final update for now.
Hand sanding the ivory to 2,500 grit. Then polishing with 30,000 grit liquid compound.
Epoxy bedding the guard first, then the handle.
The handle is left fully assembled with the epoxy bed inside. It can be dismantled after 24 hours due to a thin layer of vaseline on the blade tang. The fit up is very rigid yet easy to take apart.
A twist pattern damascus, quick change knife disassembly tool provided with the knife.
[Looks nice enough to be a piece of jewelry, doesn't it?]
Though partially fossilized and vacuum stabilized, the ivory gets a warm soak in mineral oil for a couple days before it begins its long journey. The knife will travel to Chuck Ward knife Photography in Benton, Arkansas. Then on to Paul Long Custom Knife Sheaths in Texas (who in my opinion is the best leather sheath maker in the nation) Then on to Jim Cooper knife photography in Connecticut, and on to its final home in Canada. The mineral oil soak is an added precaution to keep dimensional changes from occuring in the ivory.
So that's where we stand for now gents. We'll likely get to see Chuck's pic first, then I'll ask Coop to shoot the knife with Paul's sheath so that we get to see the total package.
Thanks again to Ron for all the pics and captions. This isn't the first time I've worked with Ron - so I am not at all suprised that it turned out to be a real pleasure.
I look forward to seeing what the photo and leather specialists have to add.
Roger
Final update for now.
Hand sanding the ivory to 2,500 grit. Then polishing with 30,000 grit liquid compound.
Epoxy bedding the guard first, then the handle.
The handle is left fully assembled with the epoxy bed inside. It can be dismantled after 24 hours due to a thin layer of vaseline on the blade tang. The fit up is very rigid yet easy to take apart.
A twist pattern damascus, quick change knife disassembly tool provided with the knife.
[Looks nice enough to be a piece of jewelry, doesn't it?]
Though partially fossilized and vacuum stabilized, the ivory gets a warm soak in mineral oil for a couple days before it begins its long journey. The knife will travel to Chuck Ward knife Photography in Benton, Arkansas. Then on to Paul Long Custom Knife Sheaths in Texas (who in my opinion is the best leather sheath maker in the nation) Then on to Jim Cooper knife photography in Connecticut, and on to its final home in Canada. The mineral oil soak is an added precaution to keep dimensional changes from occuring in the ivory.
So that's where we stand for now gents. We'll likely get to see Chuck's pic first, then I'll ask Coop to shoot the knife with Paul's sheath so that we get to see the total package.
Thanks again to Ron for all the pics and captions. This isn't the first time I've worked with Ron - so I am not at all suprised that it turned out to be a real pleasure.
I look forward to seeing what the photo and leather specialists have to add.
Roger
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2006
- Messages
- 4,098
I like that!
Fantastic thread Roger, can't wait to see the pics of Chuck & Coop.
Thanks for taking the time to post this thread! And congratulations with your new knife!
Kind regards,
Jos
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2009
- Messages
- 1,564
Breathtaking! Love the shot of the gold accents on the fittings:thumbup:.
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2007
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- 1,924