WIP (work in progress) Ken Erickson whittler

I have finished the knife up today and wanted to say thanks for everyone that has followed along with this thread! I have learned very much in the making of both the knife and the WIP.


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This shows the reamer I used before peening the pin. I ream about 1/16 deep.


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I prep the pins using my drill press and flat mill file. The pin stock comes a bit oversize. I like the pins to fit nicely in the bolsters and a bit loose in the tangs.

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I leave the pins about .030 to .050 proud. The first couple of whacks are pretty hard as I want them to swell in the bolsters and grab hold. I continue this as I check the blades for free play. When all the free play is out I then tap much softer around the edge of the pin to fill the void left from the reamer

The next post will be the finished knife along with some notes
 
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Ok, Here goes, the flaws:eek::grumpy:

The nail pull on the secondary clip is too close to the top edge of the blade.

The shape of the master for this pattern is a bit "off". The clip should be shorter or not so far from the tip to the spine. When I make the change it will allow me to run the nail pull farther from the tang giving a bit more leverage to open.

While all blades pass each other and close without guidance the secondary blades touch the sides of the frames. I know how to correct this in the next one.

Overall I am real pleased with this knife, the CPM154 blades sharpened up great, good walk and talk. This knife has a lot of blade in a thin frame, .470 at the widest point. 2 1/2 oz.

PS. this knife is not available for sale.
 
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I'm amazed at this whole process, and my respect for slipjoint makers has definitely grown, watching this knife take shape. Thanks for sharing, and I'll definitely be ordering one similar to this in the future.

thx - cpr
 
Just incredible to watch that knife come to life.

Ken,

Thank you for taking the time to do this. I learned more than I ever knew and appreciate the skill it takes to make a fine knife more than I ever did. This thread has been a great gift to many of us.
 
Ken - thanks for the time and effort that went into making the WIP. Its been great fun and a heck of a education to follow along with the progress.

Gorgeous finished product!
 
I'd take that one flaws and all! :thumbup:

Great job, and thanks for a look into the process. :D
 
That was a great tutorial Ken. I think the final finish is especially nice also.. What is your progression of sanding and blending the scales to bolsters? Thanks
 
Excellent WIP Ken, thanks a million for sharing your experience with us. My respect for slippy makers has increased tenfold!!!

Eric
 
As I watched this thread progress, I found myself continually saying, "WOW" as I viewed the pictures and the notes provided. To say I enjoyed the thread tremendously is a slight understatement.

The thing that I'm really impressed with is the self-critique. It's the sign of a true craftsman. . . . . . . .and knife knut. :D
 
Very valuable, be nice to put this one on archive for quick reference (sticky is it??)

Since it's got all those 'flaws' (only a hawk-eye would notice) how about having a passaround as Work in Action ...lol!
 
I kinda hate to see it finish. The good thing is we can watch it over again. Thanks very much.
 
GigOne said:
The thing that I'm really impressed with is the self-critique. It's the sign of a true craftsman. . . . . . . .and knife knut. :D
Click to expand...

Thouroughly enjoyed every post on this thread, Ken. Like Gig, the addition of your self-critique was impressive and helped us all learn with you.

Apprecaite it! :thumbup:

- Joe
 
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