Slipjoint: Black bone, engraved bolsters w/ gold inlay, CPM154

M

Mike Fennessy

Joined
Dec 19, 2005
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326
Here's one I've been messing around with for quite a while. I've been using it as my EDC for a while to test out the durability of the black finish. Turns out it wears off after a while and has to be reapplied so I guess I'm keeping it. Plus I think I'm going to use red brass instead of gold on the other side so I can show people the difference between the two.

Blade is just under 3", oal 6 3/4".

As always, comments and criticism welcome.

Thanks for looking :thumbup:




 
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That's a beautiful package--love the blade profile, the handle lines and the engraving--super. Your choice of such clean, flat black scales with those lines and the engraved bolsters is so dressy--fits my eye perfectly. That bone looks a lot like black jade, which would have an elegant look, also--even black paper micarta.

Dimensions?
 
Thanks everyone :)
Oh yeah, forgot dimensions. Blade is just under 3", oal 6 3/4". I'll also edit the original post.

Yes, paper micarta would have been a much better choice. For some reason I can't get the black to soak into the bone. I think would have needed to stain it before I polished it so much. I don't have any problem with browns but just like with dying leather, black can be a pain. I also dye the browns before jigging them on the knife, so they're not as polished when I apply the stain.
 
Thanks for the tip. I really like the dark handles so I'll try that out. The nice thing with slipjoints, especially with bolsters, is you don't need much material for the rest of the handle.
 
Hey Mike, I really like that knife...if you ever start taking orders for folders, I'll be in real trouble. I really love how you ground that blade, I'm a sucker for a slim clip! I actually like how that bone looks, its a different texture than wood or micarta, and it adds a little heft to the knife, some people prefer that. What type of bone is it? Maybe a different type of bone would take the dye better?
 
Thanks! Glad you like it. I like how the bone looks too, not sure if you can tell from the pic but it really absorbs the light. I'm pretty sure this is the bone I got from a butcher shop, which would make it the front shin. From what I've read that's a pretty common bone for slipjoints. I might have to order some scales and see if they act differently.
 
IMO, it is far too classy a knife for cow shin bone scales.

Black jade would be nice, ebony, or my preference African Blackwood, and of course blacklip pearl ,which would have been superlative.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Thanks for the suggestions Steven. That's the type of thing I'm always hoping to learn from these threads. I'll look into them.
 
I think black smooth bone is a good twist on the traditional pattern. Most are jigged bone and certainly not black. Wood or pearl covers would not be as stable as bone. If the knife is a user, bone is a nice different choice. Too bad the color isn't stable; does it come off on your clothes?

My only suggestion would be to modify the handle so the tang does not stick out so much when closed. Please show it when the red brass side is complete.
 
I agree with brownshoe on the tang. I love a hidden joint or semi-hidden joint. I would by no means consider it a deal breaker as the rest of the piece fits my taste so well. I would love to see it in clean white ivory also.

Chris
 
Thanks for the input guys. It takes several weeks for the color to fade noticeably, so it doesn't show up on clothes at all. So not bad but obviously I need it to be permanent, permanent.

The reason I darkened it in the first place was because when sanding at about 1000 grit the metal from the pins and bolster started staining the bone. I tried everything I could think of, even sanding underwater. And each time I had to go back to about 400 grit which is why it's so thin. Now I really like how thin it is but I was getting worried about running out of scale the last couple of times. Finally I got frustrated and just dyed it black, so it was pretty polished when I stained it. I think if I stain it after rough shaping when the pores are more open it will be okay. I'm also going to build a vacuum/pressure chamber for staining bone. We'll see how that works. All part of the fun :)

I completely agree about the tang. Wider handles will hide the tang better. I have a tendency to make my handles too thin, especially on my earlier knives. This is only about my seventh or eighth slipjoint. I've been hanging on to it till I was more comfortable with my engraving. Plus wider handles will give a bigger space for engraving.
 
You don't have to make the handle wider to make the tang can be made less prominent. I am not knowledgeable about knifemaking, but I believe some knives have a little more curve to cover the tang, others move the placement of the pivot pin toward the end and down a little. For slipjoints that are to be carried in the pocket w/o clips, thin is good.
 
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