Titanium Sword Cane - WIP (complete with final pics)

[EScott]

Scott has been begging me to help him with a WIP for some time, so here it is . . . or at least the beginning.
Anyone who knows Scott will know what this "shop squirrel" project is all about, but we hope there will be a few surprises here none the less.

Blade - 6 ounces and counting, as he still has some grinding to go.

Shaft - only 4 ounces at the moment, but the clear coat should add a little heft.

Knob - at 8 ounces this is the heaviest part by far, but it should shed some weight before completion.

Thanks for looking. More to come as we progress, and we hope to see you at Blade - Table 13P.

Lydia McGhee
(the wife)

 

[Dawkind]

Ah, you do those so well.............

I'm going to bring mine to Atlanta by request.

 

[EScott]

We really look forward to seeing you Dudley and we're glad you're still enjoying yours!

Lydia

 

[Burl Source]

The "Shop Squirrel" part has me confused.
Made me think of this.

Sorry......couldn't help myself.

 

[EScott]

Mark:

Funny, Scott resembles that squirrel at the moment The "shop squirrel" goes back to the "Super Secret Squirrel Stuff" post from two years ago.

Lydia

 

[Burl Source]

Now I remember. I was just teasing Scott with the flaming squirrel.
Great looking knives and secret stuff coming out of the shop.

 

[Reede]

Hey, is this one sole authorship? Has Scott been sitting around the shop braiding carbon fiber for the shaft?

 

[John White]

Love these Scott canes. I'm up for the WIP!

John

 

[gthouse]

Whacked a squirrel today. My dog loves to pack em around until they get cold. Can't wait to see what you got.
Gary
ABS mastersmith

 

[Burl Source]

How is the secret squirrel coming along?
I keep coming back here looking for more photos.
When you look at the count for the number of views for this thread, I think about 112 of them were me.

 

[EScott]

I'll try to post more on Friday Mark My real job is getting in the way of my photography project.

 

[Burl Source]

I will look forward to seeing what you post on Friday.
Thank You Scott and Lydia. I am enjoying this.

 

[EScott]

So, we're guessing you've figured out what the shop squirrel is up to by now . . . yep, it's another sword cane for Blade Show. Just like last year, this cane will have a carbon fiber shaft which Scott creates out of four layers of carbon fiber sock.

The socks are placed over a mandrel coated in wax, and each sock is coated in epoxy.

Heat shrink tubing is used to compress the carbon fiber around the mandrel making it tight and smooth.

Later, after four applications of automotive clear coat and several sandings, the carbon fiber shaft glows.

Moving on, Scott received this stainless steel pipe from the Amazon Fairy yesterday.

And turned it into a really nice ferrule using a metal lathe at Chris Williams' (aka Wilmont Grinders) shop.

Chris has a lots of fun toys, one of which Scott used to transform the color of the blade.
What was once silver . . .

. . . is now a wicked shade of blue.

Thanks for looking. More to come.

Lydia McGhee
(the wife)
Blade Show Table 13P

 

[BenR.T.]

So stinking cool Lydia!! Can't wait to see how this one comes out. I am sure it will be stellar!
Out of curiosity, what is the diameter of the carbon fiber when he is done with it?

 

[Burl Source]

This is looking great. I like the idea of the blued blade.
That way when you are dealing with a mugger after dark it doesn't draw a lot of attention.
I had no idea Scott was fabricating the carbon fiber tube, but in hindsight it makes sense.
Using the heat shrinking tubing has me thinking about lots of other applications.
Thank You Lydia for posting the photos. I am enjoying this immensely.
Scott, I think I should send you some "Corn Husker's Lotion".

 

[EScott]

Yep, Scott doesn't weave the carbon fiber (well, not yet anyway) but he does lay the shafts up and they have all had their own learning curves. Scott says some so steep he been afraid to look down

I'll check on dimensions tomorrow, and donations of hand lotion are always welcome, but Scott says foot cream is even better:thumbup:

 

[John White]

Fantastic!

John

 

[EScott]

Out of curiosity, what is the diameter of the carbon fiber when he is done with it?

Ben:

The exterior top diameter is 1.03 inches, while the interior top diameter is 0.921.

The bottom still need to be trimmed. Should have a few more pictures tomorrow.

Lydia

 

[EScott]

Scott's Sword Cane for Blade Show 2014 is almost complete. Here are a few more construction photos.

A Damascus throat gets epoxied into the top of the carbon fiber shaft. This throat helps the sword properly seat into the shaft and is an integral part of the cane's locking mechanism.

The raw forged Damascus throat . . .

. . . and a profile shot. It is a tiny but very important piece of the puzzle.

Scott turned this year's knob out of African Blackwood.

Here's a shot of the knob and stainless steel ferrule with the turning pedestal still attached.

Leaving the pedestal attached makes it easier to install the sword.

And this shot shows a little trick for straightening the sword in the knob.

The cane should be completed soon. Hope to see you at the show - Table 13P.

Lydia McGhee
(the wife)

 

[Dawkind]

Thanks for the update and I can hardly wait to check It out!!!

Have a great Memorial Day my friends.