Thanks to all the guys who helped me here in the Shop Talk - Bladesmith area

Brian Avila

Brian Avila

Joined
Jan 2, 2011
Messages
1,286
I finally got a knife to turn out as planned and I really happy with the outcome. There are things that I still want to improve on but overall I am proud on how it turned out.

I need to thank Stacy for helping me out and getting me started and tutelage when I started; Nick Wheeler for his comments on hand sanding and thoughts about grinding clips, Ed Braun for his help with clay layout and getting it to actually stick, and the countless other guys who take the time to post on my stupid questions (I am really bad at remembering names).

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-Brian-
 
Eddie - I didn't name it. I tried when I first started because there are some pretty cool names out there that makers give their knives, but I never seem to be able to come up with them.

Back ground into I guess, because more info was asked for and pics.

I started out making knives because when I went out the first time and harvested my first elk, the knives we had I wont name the normal brand, didn't do very well. I ended up using my spyderco pocket knife. Came back, looked into knives, decided that I liked customs but I wanted to be able to build my own. Been making knives since.

I have some friends that own their own hunting equipment shop and I asked them since they hunt way more than I do, to help me design a knife for Colorado backcountry hunts. This is what I came up with.

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I made a couple so they could get used. The guard area is rounded because you hear about 90 degree angels being bad. I had a finger choil in there because I sort of liked the idea.

Proof that they were tested on a harvested animal:

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However after messing around with it and hearing back from my friends sometimes when you have super big hands the choil doesn't work to well the way I had it made. So I got rid of the choil and I made the guard more traditional looking, in my eyes, and used a file before I heat treated it to round all corners, so there wont be any stress points.

I made two because I wanted a fully hardened blade and then a hamon on the other. The Hamon blade was thermal cycled in my EvenHeat, 1600, 1500, 1400, 1300. And then heat treated at 1460 with Rutland furnace cement.

I used Aldo's 1095, stabilized box elder burl scales and 416 pins on one, and one with hunter orange g10.

The goal was to get movement on my hamon more so than the blobby kind above, and to get a fit and finish that I liked with my grinds to be just below .01" thick at the edge, flat, and a swedge. And then add in some convex geometry.

So they are both 1095, cutting edge is 3.5" long, 8" over all length. The hamon is hand sanded to 800 and then I used 1500 loose abrasives, the other is hand sanded to 800 as well.

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I ask a lot of questions of different makers all the time, some of them are dumb and "newb" questions, but I ask because I am curious on how they are doing their processes. Some of them work for me. Some of them don't. But I wanted to say THANK YOU for taking the time to post and answer emails and their help didn't get dropped onto deff ears.
 
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Good job, lovely looking knives, I like them. I am not saying it is bad at all, but the spike to me would seem like it could snag when processing game, but I am not a hunter so I could be just completely wrong
 
mccandmatt said:
Good job, lovely looking knives, I like them. I am not saying it is bad at all, but the spike to me would seem like it could snag when processing game, but I am not a hunter so I could be just completely wrong
Click to expand...

No problem. You are right it could snag. But I would rather have some sort of guard to protect from slippage. I liked the look of the straighter guard than the curved one I originally had. Any type of guard gets in there and has the probability of snagging.

And I want to point out that it was all done with a drill press, 2 x 42" craftsman grinder and my kiln and sand paper. (I saw someone putting down the 2 x 42" one day)
 
TheWeatherman said:
No problem. You are right it could snag. But I would rather have some sort of guard to protect from slippage. I liked the look of the straighter guard than the curved one I originally had. Any type of guard gets in there and has the probability of snagging.

And I want to point out that it was all done with a drill press, 2 x 42" craftsman grinder and my kiln and sand paper. (I saw someone putting down the 2 x 42" one day)
Click to expand...

That is true, the blood would make it slippery. I have a 2x42 as well and while it isnt ideal I just do not have the funds to buy one of the big boys, so until I do the 2x42 will just have to do
 
Congratulations on your success. Your knives look well thought out and well made.
 
Brian,
Those came out superb (which does not surprises me at all). You asked questions, posted pictures, sent emails, and most of all....listened to people who were willing to share what they have learned. Those are skills many take years to learn.

My thanks to all who gladly answer your questions and offer comments.

Thanks to you for being here, too. Your WIP threads were good for many others.
 
Stacy - thanks. I don't think any WIP or info I put up was very good. I will be trying a lot harder to be clear, concise and informative on process. I think that is missing sometimes and would be beneficial.
 
Those are great knives !!! Could it have changed? When I was making straight hunter knives the word was 1/4" below the blasde would work and a little extra wouldn't get in the way. Frank
 
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