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WIP: The Delta Foxtrot for my homeboy...

Fletcher Knives

Fletcher Knives

STEEL BREATHING BLADE MAESTRO
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Hi guys. I decided to post this here because I hang out in here and the RAT forum more than any of the other spots.

This is the first one of a knife design I came up with called the Delta Foxtrot. I've got it ready for heat treat. It's going to get black canvas micarta scales, red liners, SS pins, and a SS lanyard hole. I'm also going to texture the handle freehand with the dremmel before I shape it. It has a convex grind and it's made from 3/16" O1 steel.

This one is going to my bestest homeboy, Sgt. Joel Abney. He's shipping out to Iraq soon, so he'll be taking this knife, clothed in a Fletcher kydex sheath with him. Hopefully, this blade will bring him good luck and bring him home safe.

Here are a couple of photos of the blank ready for heat treat.

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Looks great - post a couple of pics when youre done please? And thanks to your buddy for his service!!
 
Dylan, thats sweet! You should bring it by before heat treat. I'd like to see it first. We can probably improve it a lot very easily right now. Plus, since you're gonna do convex grinds, I've got some new tricks to show you. If you come by during some day, we can heat treat it in the Paragon. Then you'll know what its RC is.
 
Fiddleback said:
Dylan, thats sweet! You should bring it by before heat treat. I'd like to see it first. We can probably improve it a lot very easily right now. Plus, since you're gonna do convex grinds, I've got some new tricks to show you. If you come by during some day, we can heat treat it in the Paragon. Then you'll know what its RC is.
Click to expand...

That sounds great broski! Any tips would be much appreciated.

I tell you what bro, using this new machine, you pick up a lot quick. It's a small machine, so there's a lot of little things you have to remember to do. Damn Kalamazoo. It works, but damn. I'm still using my old machine in addition to the Kalamazoo, just because it hogs the steel off so much faster. One day when I get some serious dough, I'm going to have to spring for one of the really really good 2x72 setups. Right now, the way things are, this was the best I could do with my budget. It's certainly a whole lot better than the horizontal bench sander I was using though. ;) Makes the grinds come out a lot nicer.

When you see this thing in person, you can't make fun of me too hard. It was a learning experience. lol. It's not bad, but it has some newbie flaws. There were plenty of times when I said, "oh @#$%. I shouldn't have done that." Lessons learned for next time. I wanted to do a couple of these before I gave him one, but the Army moved my timetable up and I don't have enough time to get my blanks from Great Lakes and do more before he has to leave, so he's getting this one to tide him over until I can make him a better one.
 
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Thanks for sharing that with us, Dylan. And a very cool offer from Andy. Andy, I absolutely love your bullseye signature lanyard holes!

Dylan, if that blade has mistakes, I can't see 'em. I swear, I'd be proud to carry every one of you knife maker's "mistakes" and everyday working knives!
 
rwiggins said:
Thanks for sharing that with us, Dylan. And a very cool offer from Andy. Andy, I absolutely love your bullseye signature lanyard holes!

Dylan, if that blade has mistakes, I can't see 'em. I swear, I'd be proud to carry every one of you knife maker's "mistakes" and everyday working knives!
Click to expand...

Thanks bro. Trust me, the right lighting in a photo makes all the difference in the world. :D I will say though, some of my favorite knives that I carry on the regular are some really good "mistakes".
 
Went over to Andy's house today and did some cleanup on the knife. Sorry no pics yet. Andy is always great to hang out with. He gave me a lot of pointers and put me in the right direction. He did spoil the crap out of me and make me hate the belt sander I JUST BOUGHT by letting me use his, but it definitely showed me what I need to invest in if I want to be a serious knifemaker. His belt sander made everything a million times easier and thus the grinds turned out much nicer. With his expert tutlage (I don't know if that's how you spell it) the knife turned out much nicer than I would have done myself. I left it with him for now, but later on I'll have some pictures of it after heat treat to show off. I will say that I'm extremely lucky to have Andy around, not just as a homeboy, but also to help me get better at making knives. Hopefully my designs and knives will one day do the teacher proud.
 
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