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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Wheeler's Steel * Stuck in the metal with you
- Thread starter Lorien
- Start date
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C'mon guys, we're starving here. 
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Lorien and Nick cool thread thanks for doing this.
Like D lisch said I have picked up a trick or two! :thumbup:
Eric
Like D lisch said I have picked up a trick or two! :thumbup:
Eric
- Joined
- Dec 3, 1999
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- 9,437
Thanks guys! 
I hope you'll like the next couple installments when Lorien has time to post them. They include one of the other fun parts of this whole process (right next to forging!!!)
I hope you'll like the next couple installments when Lorien has time to post them. They include one of the other fun parts of this whole process (right next to forging!!!) 
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2005
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Going with giraffe bone for handles?
Great thread!
David
I wouldn't say no to it if Nick thought it was a good idea. Seems like a pretty tough material. Shit, if a giraffe shin bone can hold up a giraffe I'm sure it would make for a decent handle.
Give me an hour and a half, I'll get all these fresh pics processed and posted for ya'll.
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Okay I just gotta post these before I hop on my bike and try to ride it home. I have a half sack of ciders in me, (yeah I know it should be beer but I got this thing with gluten and well you don't really need to know about that now do you?). Anyway, I hope that these pics are in order and I just have to say how impressed I am with my ability to type at this point. Sorry to offend anyone, just please enjoy the pictures and Google 'Take Five' by String Cheese.
I'll try and post the other pics Nick sent sometime before I pass out so please stay tuned, (that's Canadian for 'stay tuned'
)
*****
Lorien, I think you're going to really like this next couple of photo installments Lemme know what 'ya think!
Picking up where we left off. It's time to feather the edge in. It's currently flat ground, and is FLAT on the bevel. The current edge is about 0.015" thick. I go to the KMG with a slightly broke-in 220grit belt, and run it against the tiny little slack area between the top contact wheel and the flat platen. This is one of those things where I suppose it's good I can grind free-hand because I don't know how you'd do this part on the tool rest (although that doesn't mean you can't!);
Close up of what's happening with the above process. I am not worried that it's not feathered smooth yet;
Hooray for the Beaumont Metal Works (Rob Frink) rotary platen!!! Actually, I hated it at first because I wasn't really sure what to do with it. Now I LOVE it. With this attachment, it is very easy to blend that edge and feather it in nice and smooth;
Here's part of why I used to dislike it though. The "give" that it has is great for the main part of the bevels. However, I like nice and crisp plunge cuts, and I could never get the rotary platen to go down into my plunge cuts. You get a faceted look like this;
Enter the "GATOR" belt. This is a structured abrasive belt. I pretty much hate them for everything else, but LOVE them for this. Because of the backing, and structure of the actual abrasive, I can run the belt right up into the plunge and smooth out those facets in the last pic;
Making a pass against the rotary platen with the Gator belt;
With one single pass, almost all of that has been smoothed out. I used to do this part completely by hand with sand-paper;
Now many makers have seen or read about SR Johnson using cork belts with amazing results for his hollow ground knives. I tried it with hollow ground blades and it worked exactly as Steve explains it. However, with big, flat ground blades they didn't work for crap (for me anyway). Then I got the idea to try them with the rotary platen and some Brownell's Polish-O-Ray. This is a well worn (as per Steve's instructions) 220 grit cork belt loaded with the 240 grit buffing compound;
Ooooooh... SHINY! And that is why I now like cork belts again.
Back to the 9" disc with some 320 grit paper. I also took the pic at a specific angle. A fella emailed me about the tapered disc. This disc has a 1 degree taper (Beaumont Metal Works). The REASON for this, is when you're sanding/grinding long blades like this, the blade does not make contact with the "uphill" side of the disc. Many folks (myself included) envision a tapered disc as a big cone, that you couldn't possibly get something flat on. However, the taper is so slight, I have had ZERO problems with that, and I like it very much. You can clearly see I'm making contact on the left (downhill) side of the disc, but it's clearing the other side. That gap is exaggerated because of the distal taper in the blade;
I'll try and post the other pics Nick sent sometime before I pass out so please stay tuned, (that's Canadian for 'stay tuned'
)*****
Lorien, I think you're going to really like this next couple of photo installments
Lemme know what 'ya think! Picking up where we left off. It's time to feather the edge in. It's currently flat ground, and is FLAT on the bevel. The current edge is about 0.015" thick. I go to the KMG with a slightly broke-in 220grit belt, and run it against the tiny little slack area between the top contact wheel and the flat platen. This is one of those things where I suppose it's good I can grind free-hand because I don't know how you'd do this part on the tool rest (although that doesn't mean you can't!);
Close up of what's happening with the above process. I am not worried that it's not feathered smooth yet;
Hooray for the Beaumont Metal Works (Rob Frink) rotary platen!!! Actually, I hated it at first because I wasn't really sure what to do with it. Now I LOVE it. With this attachment, it is very easy to blend that edge and feather it in nice and smooth;
Here's part of why I used to dislike it though. The "give" that it has is great for the main part of the bevels. However, I like nice and crisp plunge cuts, and I could never get the rotary platen to go down into my plunge cuts. You get a faceted look like this;
Enter the "GATOR" belt. This is a structured abrasive belt. I pretty much hate them for everything else, but LOVE them for this. Because of the backing, and structure of the actual abrasive, I can run the belt right up into the plunge and smooth out those facets in the last pic;
Making a pass against the rotary platen with the Gator belt;
With one single pass, almost all of that has been smoothed out. I used to do this part completely by hand with sand-paper;
Now many makers have seen or read about SR Johnson using cork belts with amazing results for his hollow ground knives. I tried it with hollow ground blades and it worked exactly as Steve explains it. However, with big, flat ground blades they didn't work for crap (for me anyway). Then I got the idea to try them with the rotary platen and some Brownell's Polish-O-Ray. This is a well worn (as per Steve's instructions) 220 grit cork belt loaded with the 240 grit buffing compound;
Ooooooh... SHINY!
And that is why I now like cork belts again.
Back to the 9" disc with some 320 grit paper. I also took the pic at a specific angle. A fella emailed me about the tapered disc. This disc has a 1 degree taper (Beaumont Metal Works). The REASON for this, is when you're sanding/grinding long blades like this, the blade does not make contact with the "uphill" side of the disc. Many folks (myself included) envision a tapered disc as a big cone, that you couldn't possibly get something flat on. However, the taper is so slight, I have had ZERO problems with that, and I like it very much. You can clearly see I'm making contact on the left (downhill) side of the disc, but it's clearing the other side. That gap is exaggerated because of the distal taper in the blade;
Last edited:
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Good stuff Nick.
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This is really shaping up nicely. Keep em coming.
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Finally, all finish ground (except for the false edge);
Plunges match now and have a nice, tight radius. Looking at the pic it looks a little high on the left side, but it's just because I was holding the knife in one hand and the camera in the other and didn't get it looking straight onto the edge;
Now if this thing won't cut... then it's a giant piece of crap right? So I make a few passes of a Norton India stone;
A couple more passes on a DMT diamond stone;
The obligatory arm hair shaving picture- LOL;
I like this little test better than shaving. A thick edged knife that's got a polished edge will shave hair, but it won't spin these little curls cutting cardboard (IME anyway);
I'm really wondering who adopted who here!!! LOL....Shadow wanted to check and see how things are progressing;
Time to head out back and see if I can find something to cut.;
Plunges match now and have a nice, tight radius. Looking at the pic it looks a little high on the left side, but it's just because I was holding the knife in one hand and the camera in the other and didn't get it looking straight onto the edge;
Now if this thing won't cut... then it's a giant piece of crap right?
So I make a few passes of a Norton India stone;
A couple more passes on a DMT diamond stone;
The obligatory arm hair shaving picture- LOL;
I like this little test better than shaving. A thick edged knife that's got a polished edge will shave hair, but it won't spin these little curls cutting cardboard (IME anyway);
I'm really wondering who adopted who here!!! LOL....Shadow wanted to check and see how things are progressing;
Time to head out back and see if I can find something to cut.
;
Last edited:
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There's gotta be something to cut up back here!!!
There, in the middle of the pic. I KNOW that Alder that's part-way in the creek has been down long enough to be dry and hard, but not long enough to be rotten;
That handle was a joke, but I decided to try it anyway! LOL;
I started getting kind of bored with this after awhile. Plus my fancy smancy handle came off;
The edge doesn't feel to be effected at all;
Wood is pretty easy... for just about any knife, but I've found that old, hard antler is a heck of a lot more abusive test media. Shadow thought it would be better if he did his own testing with it!;
I start off with some soft, choppy strikes to see how it goes;
Once it looks like everything is holding up fine and it's still sharp, I start hitting it hard enough to cut through the small tines with a single blow. I've tried this with a bunch of factory made knives and all of them either crinkled up or (more often) it knocked big chunks of steel out of their edges;
I put a black background it to make it easier to see, then kept whacking on the antler;
Chop chop!!!;
There, in the middle of the pic. I KNOW that Alder that's part-way in the creek has been down long enough to be dry and hard, but not long enough to be rotten;
That handle was a joke, but I decided to try it anyway! LOL;
I started getting kind of bored with this after awhile. Plus my fancy smancy handle came off;
The edge doesn't feel to be effected at all;
Wood is pretty easy... for just about any knife, but I've found that old, hard antler is a heck of a lot more abusive test media. Shadow thought it would be better if he did his own testing with it!
;
I start off with some soft, choppy strikes to see how it goes;
Once it looks like everything is holding up fine and it's still sharp, I start hitting it hard enough to cut through the small tines with a single blow. I've tried this with a bunch of factory made knives and all of them either crinkled up or (more often) it knocked big chunks of steel out of their edges;
I put a black background it to make it easier to see, then kept whacking on the antler;
Chop chop!!!
;
Last edited:
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- 27,896
No edge damage at all... no crinkling, no chips, and it's still sharp. Hooray, we haven't done all this work for nothing!!! Now that I know it will perform like it should, it's time to start hand sanding.
*****
Hi, Lorien here. This is shaping up really really nicely. I am amazed by all of this, and very pleased with this whole process. It's a lot of fun!
Now that I know it will perform like it should, it's time to start hand sanding.
*****
Hi, Lorien here. This is shaping up really really nicely. I am amazed by all of this, and very pleased with this whole process. It's a lot of fun!
Last edited:
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- Nov 28, 1999
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Ya know, reading this thread is kind of bringing up mixed emotions for me. On one hand, I LOVE to see your work in progress threads. But, it also makes me a bit sad, because this blade is pretty much a damascus version of the two big knives you made me awhile back, that I no longer own(for various stupid reasons, none the fault of Nick or the knives). Keep this stuff coming, Nick.
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Uh oh.... Hand sanding. 
With Nick's obsession with perfection, don't look for any pictures for at least 4 weeks. He'll sand to 20,000,000 grit, get frustrated, and start over at 320 grit. And he'll do that at least 4 times. .
I'm loving this WIP. Most of all I love the big clear pictures. Great job! It actually kinda inspires me to get back out to the shop and figure out what I'm doing.
--nathan
With Nick's obsession with perfection, don't look for any pictures for at least 4 weeks. He'll sand to 20,000,000 grit, get frustrated, and start over at 320 grit. And he'll do that at least 4 times. .I'm loving this WIP. Most of all I love the big clear pictures. Great job! It actually kinda inspires me to get back out to the shop and figure out what I'm doing.
--nathan
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2009
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- 942
Uh oh.... Hand sanding.
I'm loving this WIP. Most of all I love the big clear pictures. Great job! It actually kinda inspires me to get back out to the shop and figure out what I'm doing.
--nathan
That's exactly what I was thinking; this WIP has just made me more motivated to get back to the grinder. Can't wait till I'm finally freaking done with school so I can get a real grinder!
Nick, this is really looking great, thanks for being so meticulous with the pictures and letting us follow along!