- Joined
- Jul 27, 2003
- Messages
- 5,686
Some nice WIPs going on, so I thought I'd toss in some more "entertainment" between etching cycles.
This is the third one of these knives I've been asked to make this year so I thought I might document a few of the steps, including a new method I devised to secure my fixed blade stag handles.
Unless it's a really interesting pattern, the manufacture of Damascus is something most of us have seen many, many times, so I'll dispense with that.
This blade is a 324 layer laddered random of 1095 and 15N20.
(She will be hot-blued this afternoon, as well as the twist fittings!)
This is a rough overview of the knife:
A couple fit-up photos:
Guard is pinned to handle and then shaped toward it's final dimensions:
I am a true stickler for having ALL of my handle and hardware parts pulled FORWARD into the guard shoulders. I machine all of my surfaces, including the face of the handle material, so all surfaces mate up with zero tolerance. I take advantage of that with tension from the rear to integrate all pieces into one physical unit.
Amazingly strong that way.
I finally came up with a way to fully tighten the fixed assembly stag handle into one unit as I just described.
I took a long shank end mill and cut two "STEPS" into the top and bottom of the void in the middle of the stag taper. I did this about 1" in from the butt end.
Across these two steps, I placed a stainless "BRIDGE" with a hole in the center, through which I place my 10-32 finial.
The finial is a stainless rod with a step milled in, so as to catch the hole in the "BRIDGE".
Into the butt of the finial, I have threaded and silver brazed a stainless socket head cap screw.
Now I can pull that handle and guard smack TIGHT up to the guard shoulders.
It makes me happy when I can do that.
The butt cap is pinned and filed. (It will get its own permanent attachment.
This is sort of how she looks now. (I have actually etched the fittings and they look awesome. Will all get hot-blued this afternoon.
This is the third one of these knives I've been asked to make this year so I thought I might document a few of the steps, including a new method I devised to secure my fixed blade stag handles.
Unless it's a really interesting pattern, the manufacture of Damascus is something most of us have seen many, many times, so I'll dispense with that.
This blade is a 324 layer laddered random of 1095 and 15N20.
(She will be hot-blued this afternoon, as well as the twist fittings!)
This is a rough overview of the knife:
A couple fit-up photos:
Guard is pinned to handle and then shaped toward it's final dimensions:
I am a true stickler for having ALL of my handle and hardware parts pulled FORWARD into the guard shoulders. I machine all of my surfaces, including the face of the handle material, so all surfaces mate up with zero tolerance. I take advantage of that with tension from the rear to integrate all pieces into one physical unit.
Amazingly strong that way.
I finally came up with a way to fully tighten the fixed assembly stag handle into one unit as I just described.
I took a long shank end mill and cut two "STEPS" into the top and bottom of the void in the middle of the stag taper. I did this about 1" in from the butt end.
Across these two steps, I placed a stainless "BRIDGE" with a hole in the center, through which I place my 10-32 finial.
The finial is a stainless rod with a step milled in, so as to catch the hole in the "BRIDGE".
Into the butt of the finial, I have threaded and silver brazed a stainless socket head cap screw.
Now I can pull that handle and guard smack TIGHT up to the guard shoulders.
It makes me happy when I can do that.
The butt cap is pinned and filed. (It will get its own permanent attachment.
This is sort of how she looks now. (I have actually etched the fittings and they look awesome. Will all get hot-blued this afternoon.
Last edited:
Looks great Karl. Beautiful damascus and an awesome hunk O stag:thumbup:
