What's going on in your shop? Show us whats going on, and talk a bit about your work!

Here's my latest going out to a customer. NitroV with blued bolsters to match his previous big blade. Elk and green fiber liners and black G10 spacers. Fun story, this summer we drove right by his house while on vacation, before he got the big blade this fall.

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I like forked butts and I cannot lie. I like saying forked butts I don't know why, it makes me giggle.

Do you like forked butts too?
 
Guys , do you protect somehow wood from moisture ? The opening is widened to better guide the blade inside, the rest of the slot is only a millimeter wider than the blade ?
wood is walnut , some oil maybe ?
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Natlek said:
Guys , do you protect somehow wood from moisture ? The opening is widened to better guide the blade inside, the rest of the slot is only a millimeter wider than the blade ?
wood is walnut , some oil maybe ?
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I've never done a wooden insert but it is the leather that holds the knife. The wood doesn't have to be real tight
 
DON'T oil or grease the inside. Putting oils or other things inside will allow dust and dirt to get trapped and absorbed into the wood or leather. This will scratch/rub on the blade as well as slowly destroy the saya/scabbard.

When making a saya/scabbard you want soft wood. Plain straight grain soft wood is always the best material. Ho wood is the standard in Japan, but poplar, linden, white pine, soft maple, tupelo, basswood, butternut, and many others work. Fancy figured wood is usually not a good choice.

When making a wooden scabbard for a big knife like a bowie knife or such, some people line the inside with thin VEGETABLE tanned leather.
That works, but the better method is to make a soft wood liner and cover it with a leather outer sheath. This is the traditional leather covered knife/sword sheath. The liner can be surprisingly thin because the leather is the strength.
 
HSC /// said:
I’ve been looking for the right milling machine (at the right price) for several months and I’m very happy and lucky to just acquire this machine. It’s a Swiss made Sixis 102. A rare machine and quite suitable for knifemaking. It’s coming to me shortly from the Netherlands.


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😍
 
When I get a little more setup and comfortable with my heat treating equipment, what do y’all think of me offering an “emergency“ heat treating service?
Say for if you need a blade heat treated ASAP because you’ve got an impatient customer or a show right around the corner. I’ll be able to do it and get it shipping back in 2-3 business days, plus I can customize the heat treat more readily.
The reason I’m thinking about doing this, is because I’ve been in that place myself, where I need a blade heat treated immediately but have to wait like 2 months to have it done.
 
Well, one of Korean friends' son just graduated basic training, and is going into the special forces.

So as a friend of mine once said "everybody going into the army needs a knife!"

I'm making a traditionally inspired tanto-esque sort of knife. It's going to be made out of W2, and I'm going to attempt a hamon. His dad (my buddy) is Japanese (gasp!!) So I thought it would be a nice nod to his heritage.

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It's a beast, at .3 inches thick at the "ricasso", but it's going to be hallow ground, so that should drop the weight some.

I know, I know, it wont be a great slicer, but I was in the army, I know what soldiers do to knives! It's better of as a sharp pry bar, than a super slicey cutter!

anyway, it's my first knife in a while, since last year actually! It's good to be back making again!!
 
Bunker Hill Blades said:
When I get a little more setup and comfortable with my heat treating equipment, what do y’all think of me offering an “emergency“ heat treating service?
Say for if you need a blade heat treated ASAP because you’ve got an impatient customer or a show right around the corner. I’ll be able to do it and get it shipping back in 2-3 business days, plus I can customize the heat treat more readily.
The reason I’m thinking about doing this, is because I’ve been in that place myself, where I need a blade heat treated immediately but have to wait like 2 months to have it done.
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Might be great to help a friend, but there could be headaches more generally. What if it doesn't harden properly? Did they misidentify the steel? Blame the supplier? It warps, how do you straighten it? It snaps, stress risers, or your fault? We've seen many threads with these issues.
 
Richard338 said:
What if it doesn't harden properly? Did they misidentify the steel? Blame the supplier? It warps, how do you straighten it? It snaps, stress risers, or your fault? We've seen many threads with these issues.
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Yes I’ve thought of that. I would have to make sure they understand the risks and except that things can go wrong. And if something does go wrong I would obviously not charge them for it, and I would probably also offer to heat treat there next blade for free.
But it was just a thought, if someone wants to get mad at me for trying to help them, then it’s not worth it.
 
Bunker Hill Blades said:
Yes I’ve thought of that. I would have to make sure they understand the risks and except that things can go wrong. And if something does go wrong I would obviously not charge them for it, and I would probably also offer to heat treat there next blade for free.
But it was just a thought, if someone wants to get mad at me for trying to help them, then it’s not worth it.
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Don't let me discourage you too much. There is no harm in mastering HT and then see what happens. I guess the more open to the public you are, the more likely for an occasional issue to come up.
For me I usually feel like the work I've put into a piece is worth a lot more than the steel bar or price of HT.
 
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