What I am up to right now

U

unky_gumbi

Joined
Aug 28, 2009
Messages
7,951
So its been awhile since I have completed a knife:o and I still haven't finished one, but I am getting closer:D

I got 3 back from Knifemaker.ca yesterday and I started sanding last night, but I let my paper supplies slip and ran out of 400 grit before I finished getting rid of the previous scratches. So with nothing else I could to do I cut out the scales for two of the knives and did some rough shaping.

My revisit of the little EDC was supposed to have natural canvas micarta scales, but me being without a working drill press I has someone else drill them out for me, well they didn't follow my instructions of how to drill them so they don't line up right on the handle. I made a quick change to some redwood burl I had won in a contest that marekz had some time ago. Well Farmer Phil actually won, but he donated it to me:p, so that is the new scales for the EDC with the file work.

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Ignore the marker by the plunge line it was just there to help line up the scales while drilling. I have a lot of shaping to do and almost all of the finish sanding, but hope to be finished this one by Monday night. I have Christmas parties to go to tomorrow:(

The other one I will be working on this weekend is the Damascus that I got from Dan Seaver, it is going to have stabilized blue dyed birch burl scales that I bought just after getting the steel from Dan. I am hoping to get this one finished sometime by the end of next week. I still need to buy my Ferric Chloride and make a tank so that is what is going to set me back a bit. I am also hoping my stencils will be in by the end of the week so I can actually put my mark on these before they are used.

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Its looking kind of reddish because of the incandescent lights where I took the picture, but I like how the pattern is already showing. Once I get my Ferric Chloride and I know what strength it is I am sure I will be asking what ratio to use to get a nice dark etch.

Well I am going to start up itunes now and get back to sanding:D
 
4:1 is what I have used and what I have read most use. Good start so far, at least you are getting some time in. I know what you mean with lack of supplies- I'm out of everything under 600 right now. Still sore from your injury?
 
I can sand for about 60-90 minutes then I have to take a break, so I go in 45 minute intervals. I figure if I stop before it hurts I am not doing any harm.

I am not sure how pure the Ferric Chloride I can get is and they don't say on the web site so I will have to wait till I go to the store to buy it. I figure I don't need to buy the 4L jug of it and can get away with only a liter.
 
Looking good Unky:thumbup: Can't wait to see what "our":D:D desgin looks like with some nice burl handles. I just posted a some pics of my version over in the knife maker's gallery.

Keep the pics comin', I'm anxious to see how that one turns out.
 
you want a real laugh, next time I take a picture I will put it up against my 556 mini grip, I think we may have to start calling it the Mel Pardue knife:eek: I had never even noticed it till tonight when I was using the mini grip to cut some leather I jut happened to lay it down beside the one I am working on
 
unky_gumbi said:
you want a real laugh, next time I take a picture I will put it up against my 556 mini grip, I think we may have to start calling it the Mel Pardue knife:eek: I had never even noticed it till tonight when I was using the mini grip to cut some leather I jut happened to lay it down beside the one I am working on
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DOH!!!:o Looks like we're both design pirates!!:D
 
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Now that its getting some shine to it it doesn't quite look as similar:o but the blade and cutting edge are exactly the same length and handle shape is close, just rounder at the end. I still have 4 small scratches to get out on this side, but its late and I have a full day for parties to go to. Time for this wannabe to hit the sack
 
Well I finished the polish on the EDC and the makers mark is on it. I decided not to blacken it, I just liked the look of the shiny mark on the polished blade. Tomorrow I will be attaching that scales and Thursday I will start shaping them.

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For now I think I should go to sleep for a bit:yawn:
 
BTW, that redwood burl is going to be STUNNING when finished if it has half the figure my pieces from Burl Source had!
 
GrizzlyBear said:
Wow, that looks fantastic! How did you do your maker's mark?
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I had some stencils made up by Ernie Grospitch, then use a basic salt water vinegar mixture, a car battery charge and a etching pad I made with some felt a piece of wood and some copper pipe I split and bent over the pipe. I actually burned up one stencil practicing so that I would get it right on the blade.

tedinatl said:
Yes, it does look fantastic! Great work!
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GrizzlyBear said:
BTW, that redwood burl is going to be STUNNING when finished if it has half the figure my pieces from Burl Source had!
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Thanks both of you, I am really liking how this one is looking right now. I epoxied the scales on this evening after bringing the fronts to finished levels and some rough shaping so I can switch over to sandpaper to finish shaping. The epoxy I used takes 24 hours to set so I may be waiting till Friday morning to get back to finishing that one. The redwood has decent figure, but when I tong oil it I will see what I really have.

In the mean time I will be starting the finish sanding on the Dan Seaver Damascus knife or the bowie styled one. My elbow has been acting up the last couple of days so I am thinking I should just sit back and ice for a day or two:(
 
Unky. That mark turned out SHARP! and I really like the file work... You guys are moving so fast through this stuff! I feel like the stupid kid in class :rolleyes:
 
I am not moving fast:o this is only my 7th knife in a year, and the other two were ready for HT before my surgery. I did have to take a few months off because of my elbow surgery.

I think my real turning point in output will be getting my 2X72 grinder finished.
 
Unky, that's looking good!!:thumbup: I like how the mark turned out. Looks great as is but I'd like to see a nice dark one too.

BTW, I see what you mean about the griptilian. The comparison pics are pretty close:eek::D
 
I just mean that your work is looking great in a relatively short time...

unky_gumbi said:
I am not moving fast:o this is only my 7th knife in a year, and the other two were ready for HT before my surgery. I did have to take a few months off because of my elbow surgery.

I think my real turning point in output will be getting my 2X72 grinder finished.
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jonnymac44 said:
Unky, that's looking good!!:thumbup: I like how the mark turned out. Looks great as is but I'd like to see a nice dark one too.

BTW, I see what you mean about the griptilian. The comparison pics are pretty close:eek::D
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Well it was a strong influence on my design, I love that little knife:D Even the Damascus knife has a little Benchmade Influence, I really like my 710 too:D. Its hard to be completely original without wondering into the fantasy knife world. As long as my knives only resemble something else and are not out and out copies of the original I feel its okay. I also don't try to hide my influences because I realized that it is my way of honoring the original piece, while still putting my flare on it.
The Damascus knife and my Bowie will have blacked marks on them, I am even toying with trying to get a copper mark on something, when going for the shiny mark I got a bit of copper anodizing going on, but I was able to polish it off. I just have to figure out how to get it stronger without going too deep in the steel
RyanW said:
I just mean that your work is looking great in a relatively short time...
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Sorry I misunderstood you:o, I should state that unlike many of the others here I am at home all day with no wife, kids or girlfriend to take up my time. I have been off work since April because of a work related elbow injury, had the surgery to fix it, I hope, and go see the doctor next week to get the OK to return to work, once again I hope.
So if you factor in the time that I have to spend making a knife, these other guys are blowing me out of the water. I get to spend 16 hours a day playing while they have to go to work, manage family time, and then put a few hours on a knife
 
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