- Joined
- May 9, 2000
- Messages
- 29,205
Great thread. Thanks, Karl.
That steel is beautiful.
That steel is beautiful.
-
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Ws Damascus Bowie WIP
- Thread starter Karl B. Andersen
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2004
- Messages
- 805
Hey Carl,
Thanks for going threw the process. A lot of the new guys appreciate the step by step(so do I
)It is going to be another beautiful "Anderson Original".
Aldo
Thanks for going threw the process. A lot of the new guys appreciate the step by step(so do I
)It is going to be another beautiful "Anderson Original".Aldo
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2003
- Messages
- 5,668
Hey Carl,
Thanks for going threw the process. A lot of the new guys appreciate the step by step(so do I
Aldo
And just to think that you touched that steel..........
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2003
- Messages
- 5,668
After progressing so far with this thread, I did some further etching, hardening and tempering on this blade.
After doing so - and I say this almost reluctantly - I acquired a personal "issue" with the blade.
I just absolutely hate to go forward with a knife that I don't feel 100% about.
I talked about this to a few others and they told me I was nuts.
So, it has now set on my kitchen table for about 6 weeks.
Just yesterday I realized the solution to my dilemma and how I could move forward with this WIP and everybody can be happy!
So, here is the direction this knife is going and if all goes well with my solution, then so be it.
I'll be back to this in a few days after I get out some customer cutlery.
Hot blued fittings, and stabilized crotch walnut round out the recipe.
After doing so - and I say this almost reluctantly - I acquired a personal "issue" with the blade.
I just absolutely hate to go forward with a knife that I don't feel 100% about.
I talked about this to a few others and they told me I was nuts.
So, it has now set on my kitchen table for about 6 weeks.
Just yesterday I realized the solution to my dilemma and how I could move forward with this WIP and everybody can be happy!
So, here is the direction this knife is going and if all goes well with my solution, then so be it.
I'll be back to this in a few days after I get out some customer cutlery.
Hot blued fittings, and stabilized crotch walnut round out the recipe.
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2003
- Messages
- 5,668
OK - I'm back in the zone here.
Ya'll ever gonna get tired of WIPs??
Are they too predictable?
I think that maker's varying methods are what give these threads their appeal, and I don't mind sharing - some things.
So here's where we are, I have re-etched my blade. Don't get too concerned with its appearance quality here as I have done some EXTREME cleaning of the etching oxides as it will get hot-blued when it's all said and done.
Then it'll just look reel purdy.
So here is a picture that I always find amazing, and that's what these Damascus blade come from:
A billet of stuff.
Then, the finished out blade BEFORE etching,
and then the finished Damascus blade.
(That un-finished blade is a random Damascus Fighter!!)
I changed my handle profile rather dramatically from the original plan. That first one was too much of a "chopper" type blade and this is NOT that kind of knife.
So I went with a more typical Bowie style profile that will be with a hot-blued, mild steel guard and butt cap.
I take my milled and flattened guard stock, scribe a center line and indicate the top and bottom of the slot:
And head to the mill.
I have already gone to sincerely careful sizing of the ricasso in ALL dimensions. It is within .001" in thickness from top to bottom and tapers slightly forward, so that the thickest part of the ricasso is just ahead of the guard shoulders. That way the plane of taper continues beyond where the guard needs to fit.
This ricasso is .243" thick at the guard shoulders.
The end mill is .123" thick.
If I take out the .123" right down the center line, then that leaves .120" MORE material to remove - right?
Right.
.060" to one side of the line, and .060" to the other side of the line.
Piece of cake.
Go to the mill, take that out, and then slide it on!
If a fella does the slow and easy, precise work UP FRONT, then fit time is minimal if not zero later on.
Ya'll ever gonna get tired of WIPs??
Are they too predictable?
I think that maker's varying methods are what give these threads their appeal, and I don't mind sharing - some things.
So here's where we are, I have re-etched my blade. Don't get too concerned with its appearance quality here as I have done some EXTREME cleaning of the etching oxides as it will get hot-blued when it's all said and done.
Then it'll just look reel purdy.
So here is a picture that I always find amazing, and that's what these Damascus blade come from:
A billet of stuff.
Then, the finished out blade BEFORE etching,
and then the finished Damascus blade.
(That un-finished blade is a random Damascus Fighter!!)
I changed my handle profile rather dramatically from the original plan. That first one was too much of a "chopper" type blade and this is NOT that kind of knife.
So I went with a more typical Bowie style profile that will be with a hot-blued, mild steel guard and butt cap.
I take my milled and flattened guard stock, scribe a center line and indicate the top and bottom of the slot:
And head to the mill.
I have already gone to sincerely careful sizing of the ricasso in ALL dimensions. It is within .001" in thickness from top to bottom and tapers slightly forward, so that the thickest part of the ricasso is just ahead of the guard shoulders. That way the plane of taper continues beyond where the guard needs to fit.
This ricasso is .243" thick at the guard shoulders.
The end mill is .123" thick.
If I take out the .123" right down the center line, then that leaves .120" MORE material to remove - right?
Right.
.060" to one side of the line, and .060" to the other side of the line.
Piece of cake.
Go to the mill, take that out, and then slide it on!
If a fella does the slow and easy, precise work UP FRONT, then fit time is minimal if not zero later on.
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2003
- Messages
- 5,668
So, here we have the finished slot and the material that was removed:
I walked back over to the blade and slid it on the tang:
It stopped right where the radius was made on the tang, so I stick the guard in the vise and relieve the contact points to match the shoulder radius:
Check the fit, and I have no complaints:
I walked back over to the blade and slid it on the tang:
It stopped right where the radius was made on the tang, so I stick the guard in the vise and relieve the contact points to match the shoulder radius:
Check the fit, and I have no complaints:
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2003
- Messages
- 5,668
Do a simple profile of the walnut handle:
And then mill the face of the handle material for a perfect flush fit later on:
And then check progress to end out the day.
And then mill the face of the handle material for a perfect flush fit later on:
And then check progress to end out the day.
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2007
- Messages
- 2,401
Looks like its gonna be a nice one Karl.
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2009
- Messages
- 1,564
The WIP's are what I like best on the forums. Thanks for doin it Karl. The knife is looking great!
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2003
- Messages
- 5,668
I had quite a list of things to do today to get two other knives out so I didn't get a lot done on this Bowie, but I did make some progress.
First up is getting the tang threaded.
Turn down to the proper dimension and thread:
Then, heat the tang to bend so it will exit somewhere out the butt of the handle material!
Now this is a really important step!!
I draw a profile of the tang on the handle material and square the butt To the tang.
I can hardly stress this enough! You MUST use a Don Hanson business card in this step or your calculations may be off!!.
Pay heed.
First up is getting the tang threaded.
Turn down to the proper dimension and thread:
Then, heat the tang to bend so it will exit somewhere out the butt of the handle material!
Now this is a really important step!!
I draw a profile of the tang on the handle material and square the butt To the tang.
I can hardly stress this enough! You MUST use a Don Hanson business card in this step or your calculations may be off!!.
Pay heed.
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2003
- Messages
- 5,668
I'm going to dispense with the drilling of the holes.
Boring.
But, you can see here on the face I have drawn a rectangle to represent the tang area that must be removed about 98%.
I leave it so it just won't quite go together.
Then I cut out and drill my butt cap.
It gets a step at about .090" in. It's .170" full thickness.
This step "catches" one of the two shoulders I will mill into the tang nut.
Then I place it on the butt and thread on a temporary nut I have that accepts a wrench.
I tighten the butt cap so that it "seat" the handle material the rest of the way down onto the tang at the guard.
Boring.
But, you can see here on the face I have drawn a rectangle to represent the tang area that must be removed about 98%.
I leave it so it just won't quite go together.
Then I cut out and drill my butt cap.
It gets a step at about .090" in. It's .170" full thickness.
This step "catches" one of the two shoulders I will mill into the tang nut.
Then I place it on the butt and thread on a temporary nut I have that accepts a wrench.
I tighten the butt cap so that it "seat" the handle material the rest of the way down onto the tang at the guard.
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2003
- Messages
- 5,668
I did need to file just a little bit more material out of the front hole to accept the tang, but then everything tightened up rather nicely.
Now I still have my original lines from milling the guard slot, so I use that to center my guard profile by using a French Curve.
Everything stays nice and centered this way.
It's late and I'm happy.
Two knives to the post office tomorrow and then I will profile the butt cap and then pin all connections.
Now I still have my original lines from milling the guard slot, so I use that to center my guard profile by using a French Curve.
Everything stays nice and centered this way.
It's late and I'm happy.
Two knives to the post office tomorrow and then I will profile the butt cap and then pin all connections.
- Joined
- May 14, 2001
- Messages
- 1,414
I'm one of those that don't get tired of a good WIP. Thanks for all of the work on this one. Keep it up.
Gary
Gary