WIP - Loveless Style Hunter by Erik Boese

Looks good Erik! I cant wait to see the knife done. You did a great job on the wip thread too. Lots of very helpfull pics. thanks!
 
Damn Erik great job!!!! Keep it coming, I love the framed handle design, very cool. I used to puzzle over how it was done, it is good to see an in process look at just how it is done!
 
Sam Salvati said:
Damn Erik great job!!!! Keep it coming, I love the framed handle design, very cool. I used to puzzle over how it was done, it is good to see an in process look at just how it is done!
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Yea, this is my first so it's a learning process for me too. I really lucked out on the fit considering I did the filing and that was the first fitment. I actually had figured there would be a 1/64" to 1/32" gap but hey, I'll take it :D Now I just have to do the guard. I think I'm going to sandwich two stainless flats with a thin line of copper in between just for some contrast. Maybe I'll work on that after I get home today.
 
TekSec said:
Then using my high tech (read Harbor Freight) bandsaw, I start roughing out my pieces. I usually Dykem the template first because the paper cut out doesn't hold up real well to oil and grinding but I ran out.
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As you can see, the paper is almost toast but here they are roughed out.
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I use CAD to draw my Guard shapes the same way. (I can't draw a good oval for anything and never seem to have the right size template)


If you take THIN CA glue to the paper template after it's set in place on the 3M-77 it will hold up MUCH better. You can even dip it in your cooling water and not destroy your layout lines.
 
I'm a knife newb here, so Ive got a dumb question.. Why did you make a separate piece to go around the tang??
 
bodydamage said:
I'm a knife newb here, so Ive got a dumb question.. Why did you make a separate piece to go around the tang??
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Basically in a framed tang design, you get the benefit of having a slide on guard over the stick tang and the option to use thinner slabs for the tang frame, thus giving you a full tang look. I could have done a mortise tang also, where you carve out the place for the tang between two slabs and then join them together as one, but that's for another thread :D
 
stephanfowler said:
If you take THIN CA glue to the paper template after it's set in place on the 3M-77 it will hold up MUCH better. You can even dip it in your cooling water and not destroy your layout lines.
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I actually like that they are easier to remove but I may try that tip in the future!
 
Sorry about all the questions, but what are the advantages of this design over a basic full tang??
 
Honestly I wouldn't say there are any hard set advantages. Someone else might pipe up with some that I'm not aware. The guard as opposed to bolsters would be the biggest benefit, but as Bruce said, Loveless slid his guard on over the tip of the blade and down to the tang making it a full tang blade with a guard.
 
Me either! 'Course this is gonna be a few week project as it will take a week or two to get back from heat treat since I send it out. I'll probably send it out this week after I pre-fit the hardware.
 
Nice Erik, that takes time to record the steps, but it's
very good of you to take that time for all of us!
and, happy New Year to you!
G2
 
Happy New Year, G2! You actually inspired me to take the time to show what I can. My ways my not be traditional, but they're mine :D Wait until I do the WIP for the sheath on this one!
 
I'll be on the lookout for that!
Thanks Erik,
G2
 
It started out with a bang, literally. I was milling the edge on some stainless for the guard to square it up and either ran too fast or too deep and shattered my Hi-Lo gear in my mill. <sigh> Did this one when I first got it and they said this is normal as the gear is made of nylon and is meant to be sacrificial so it doesn't take the motor out if the machine binds. So, it took me two years to do it again. I called MicroMark and ordered TWO replacements so I'll have a spare on hand just in cast. Not that I'll remember where I put it by the time I snap it again, but it's a good thought even still... Needless to say, the mill is disassembled and ready for the gear when it comes (2 -3 days or so...)
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So the guard fitting will have to wait for the repairs, but at least I can do some basic layout. I decided to try something different for this. Not sure how it will go but I'll find out I suppose. I started with some very thin brass stock. Not sure what thickness, I didn't caliper them first. I flattened and cleaned them by sticking them to a piece of precision ground steel with tape and sanded them on the stainless plate.
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I had cut and flattened some stainless pieces (I'm guessing 304 since it ate my mill alive) on the belt grinder.
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I cleaned all the pieces with acetone then donned the rubber gloves. Using some eutectic paste solder / flux from Pop's (yes, I really like Pop's...along with Tracy Mickley's site), I started laying up the poor man's mokume (yes, I know, not even close to the same :D)
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Until I ended up with a nice stainless / brass sandwich
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Fired up the little torch and heated. I used a brass rod in my other hand to apply light pressure to hold everything in place and constantly moved the torch around the billet to get a nice even heat. when the flux started to bubble and the solder flowed out from the layers, I removed the heat and ended up with this.
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I cleaned it up with the grinder and one layer delaminated so I cleaned, applied some more paste, heated and applied pressure. This is how it looked...
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After it cooled completely, I cleaned it up with the grinder. Then I blackened the top with a Sharpie (I have got to order Dykem!) and marked some rough reference points using my caliper.
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I ground some flats then carefully rounded to get a teardrop with a 60 grit, then cleaned it up with an 80 grit. Notice the slight contrast layer of brass.
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Using the slack area with a 220 grit, which is the most I'll do until I get it fitted on the tang and shaped out, I ended up with this.
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Here it is in reference to the blade. Have a lot of material to shape with but hey, you can take it off but you can't put it back, right? :D
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Here is the frame tang hunter ready to go out tomorrow to Peters' for heat treating. Should be back next week or early the following. Stay tuned :D

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