daizee
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2009
- Messages
- 11,115
Hi All,
Awhile back I experimented with belt finishing a little neck knife on steel I almost threw away.
This (finally) is an evolution of that first experiment.
I've made several compromises in the name of quick-finishing and improved utility:
1) 3/32" O1 over 1/16" or 1/8" at this scale
2) chisel ground, belt finished (little hand-sanding!)
3) hand-sanded flats (ok, a little bit of work...)
4) 1/8" flat scales again - rounded on the belt this time - that will take practice
5) through-hole with countersink for sheath retention
6) belt-finished spine (600g? belt is unlabeled)
7) set the initial edge on the belt & platen
There's a lot going on here for me for the first time.
I didn't obsess about even finish since I was freehanding the handle chamfer - didn't put it in the vice except to get the underside of the handle. There are a couple little bits that could be cleaner, and I should have countersunk the lanyard hole before rounding the edges. It was too late, I didn't want the bit to chatter and make a mess. The next version will have a pair of holes with brass tube to function as pins as well, cutting the drilling down a bit. Also, I left the edge a bit thick for heat-treat to prevent warping - shouldn't have worried. So the edge is higher than I prefer, but the geometry is good.
You'll see some not-quite perfect finish transitions at the top of the grind - I don't know how you guys keep your flats and bevels so neat without hand-finishing 'em. (maybe that's what the etching is all about...)
The kydex is over-thick because the last order sent the wrong stuff, but it took to the retention dimples like a champ. I used the firmer foam to help that along.
Anyway, I like this little thing, made for myself. Figure these could come off the queue in about half the time of my usual knives. With a little technique refinement they'd probably be pretty clean too.
Thanks for looking.
-Daizee
Awhile back I experimented with belt finishing a little neck knife on steel I almost threw away.
This (finally) is an evolution of that first experiment.
I've made several compromises in the name of quick-finishing and improved utility:
1) 3/32" O1 over 1/16" or 1/8" at this scale
2) chisel ground, belt finished (little hand-sanding!)
3) hand-sanded flats (ok, a little bit of work...)
4) 1/8" flat scales again - rounded on the belt this time - that will take practice
5) through-hole with countersink for sheath retention
6) belt-finished spine (600g? belt is unlabeled)
7) set the initial edge on the belt & platen
There's a lot going on here for me for the first time.
I didn't obsess about even finish since I was freehanding the handle chamfer - didn't put it in the vice except to get the underside of the handle. There are a couple little bits that could be cleaner, and I should have countersunk the lanyard hole before rounding the edges. It was too late, I didn't want the bit to chatter and make a mess. The next version will have a pair of holes with brass tube to function as pins as well, cutting the drilling down a bit. Also, I left the edge a bit thick for heat-treat to prevent warping - shouldn't have worried. So the edge is higher than I prefer, but the geometry is good.
You'll see some not-quite perfect finish transitions at the top of the grind - I don't know how you guys keep your flats and bevels so neat without hand-finishing 'em. (maybe that's what the etching is all about...)
The kydex is over-thick because the last order sent the wrong stuff, but it took to the retention dimples like a champ. I used the firmer foam to help that along.
Anyway, I like this little thing, made for myself. Figure these could come off the queue in about half the time of my usual knives. With a little technique refinement they'd probably be pretty clean too.
Thanks for looking.
-Daizee
