Wal-Mart & the junkyard

Joined
May 7, 2001
Messages
55
I'd like to start a string just for S###s and giggles...

On another topic about Kydex sheath making, Normark and I brought up using common stuff found easily to substitute for all that expensive "just for knifemakers" specialty stuff from the suppliers.

What I'd like to see is answers to questions like: What was the strangest thing you ever made a blade/handle/sheath, etc. from?
Or: What do you get at Wal-Mart that works just as good as X-product from Joe Bob's Knife Supply?
Could be interesting as well as funny!


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A Paladin in Hell
 
A nice purple bowling ball that I bought for $2.50 at a thrift shop made good handle material.
 
Here is a picture of my first knife, no supplies were bought from any knifemaking supply houses. The steel is L6 recovered from an old circular mill saw blade and the wood is cherry from a dumpster at a cabinet shop. The brass pin stock came from Lowes and the thong hole tube came from an art supply store, the thong came from Wal-Mart!

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Guy Thomas



[This message has been edited by Silent (edited 05-09-2001).]
 
Really nice!! I haven't made a knife yet that had any material in it (except for some exotic hardwood samples) that I actually paid for!Everything was scrounged or traded. Wish I had some pictures...Oh well, I still remember what everyone looked and felt like.

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A Paladin in Hell
 
Hey TA,
I think it was Bruce Evans that made a handle out of some type of dog chew bone from Wal-Mart.He stained on some streaks and it looked neat as hell.
Mark
 
Thanks guys for redoing my picture link, I forgot what forum I was on! I buy all kinds of stuff at Wal-Mart:
T.S.P.
epoxy
drill bits
angle grinder
power tool accesories
The blue non-stick masking tape
acetone
, etc.

I buy specialty items, like second cut and smooth files, numbered drill bits, micarta, SS pin stock etc. from the knifesupply stores but you certaintly don't need them. I made the knife pictured above mostly with files.

Guy Thomas
 
The woodgrain Damascus that I used for this piece was created from everything including the kitchen sink,lets see now,I put in some car spring,cable,plow point,horse shoe,nuts,bolts,screws,nails,drill bits,wrench's,sockets,a tap,ball bearings,a ballpeen hammer head,socket extension,rail road spike,saw blade,A piece of Harley chain and Kickstand,a piece of a old kitchen sink,and a carbide cutter bit from the dremal tool,There may be some other things in the mix but I cannot remember everything.
The sheath is made out of the same billet of Damascus and then has a nickel silver throat and tip added to it.This was my first attempt at the Damascus body but not my last.This Bowie is for sale
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For lots more pictures please follow the link
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=743108&a=12525076&f=0

And yes I have used Processed Cow bone from Wal-Mart that was meant to be a Dog chew bone,here is a picture of one
Mar08_07.jpg


Hope you like these,and I hope they were done out of some weird enough stuff for you.
I still buy allot of my supplies like epoxy and drill bits and bones from Wally World..
Bruce

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Bruce Evans Handcrafted Knives
The soul of the Knife begins in the Fire!!!!!
Member of,AKTI#A000223 and The American Bladesmith Society
asmallpicofbruceforforums.jpg


[This message has been edited by beknives (edited 05-09-2001).]
 
I once made a meat cleaver with a section cut away so it appears to be sunk into my teenage Sons head for halloween . Freaked out the neighbor lady! It was made from a stolen "No Parking" sign and wood from a 2x4. Bruce B
 
Bruce-

The authorities will be there shortly, I would suggest you go without a fight
wink.gif


I haven't used anything too weird.

I grabbed some kind of brass plumbing fixture from the mill down the street and used it for handle hardware in my second knife.

I took an old pounding block that came from my great-grandfather's mill for handle material that turned out to be figured lignum vitae (sp).

I haven't ever gone to Wal-Mart too much, so I don't even know what they've got. I would like to see one of Bruce Evans' chew toy handles in person to see the color/texture up close!

Now I did have someone ask me to make something out of knifemaking material that was not a knife (this IS unusual).

She saw my Oosic handled dagger and asked if I could make a "woman's pleasure toy" out of the same stuff! Talk about a high priced d**do...
biggrin.gif
I am always amazed at what people have running through their heads!

Nick
 
Toxicavenger--I am the moderator on knifeforums.com on the sheathmaking and leathercraft forum. Ilive in Blairsville next to Blue Ridge. Contact me if you like. Would not use this topic location to correspond but your profile said you did not have an e-mail address!
Sandy Morrissey
 
Lets see...

I have a 100 lb block of honey Micarta from the dumpster at Dell's old job...How I'm gonna' cut it, that's another story...

Cherry and Walnut from the guy who is building chairs...Steel from the logging bandsaw maker...

Acually most of our supplies come from a place called Hardware Sales in Bellingham, Washington...

One of those stores who really do have everything...Letter or number drills? Three different brands...Cord to wrap handles...20 different flavors...Hard foam for sheath press? Let me cut it to size...

And don't get me started on all of the nuts, bolts and screws...Is is really possible to have a relationship with a hardware store?
smile.gif


Running Dog

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Running Dog Knife Company
www.runningdogknife.bigstep.com
runningdog@dog.com
 
Well, so far Bruce E. wins the prize! Good Lord, what a combination. By the way Bruce, is that the really chalky feeling bone they sell in a bin? I have often wondered whether it would make a handle or not.
Thanks guys! very interesting...I still wanna know how he sawed the bowling ball though....
 
How to saw a bowling ball:

Stick a 6-8" dowel in a finger hole in the ball. Stick the dowel in the ground to hold the ball in place. Cut the sucker in half with your chain saw. Slice up the halves with your band saw. Not hard at all....
biggrin.gif
 
Hey CJ, I'll find a bowling ball and send it to you. I ain't no chicken, but the idea of attacking one with a chainsaw kinda makes me feel woozy! Ya gots balls brother!
 
Bruce Evans: With that mix you sound more like an Alchemist than a knife maker???!!! Have you turned lead into gold yet?
biggrin.gif


I posted this on my mosaic pin thread, but I make mosaic pins using rods and tubes from a model store. I add some paint thinner to the epoxy to make it runny, and color the epoxy with RIT dye which costs me a whole $2 Canadian! $2 for epoxy colorant is a good deal!

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"Come What May..."
 
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