A Boot Knife Build

[BrokenolMarine]

Here is the other side of the knife after the rough shaping.

46 other side.jpg

Now it's time to get busy moving toward the goal. I clamped the knife in the BIG serious clamp and started to polish the bolster. Starting with 120 to smooth the rough transitions, I used the HIGH Dollar custom shaping tool. (Popsicle stick and erasers) to smooth things out.

47 120 grit polish.jpg

Of course, it was a wet sand and dawn, then 400 grit to remove those scratches and ease the transitions even more.

48 400 grit polish and shape.jpg

After that major work was done, I moved to the bench and used 600 grit holding the knife in my hand and using the thin strips on the finger tip and VERY small circular movements.

49 600 grip polish.jpg

When I needed to change things up due to cramping, I set that aside and took up the scalpel to clean up the tooling, removing the squeeze out where it wasn't wanted.

50 clean up the tooling.jpg

Stopped here for now, broken, so breaks are needed. Next up I'll start on the 1000 and 1500 on the bolster and began polishing the tooling around the edges. We are getting close. I want to do the pins, but I have asked about getting someone to build the JIG for the pin finishing. If I don't get a welder that can do that, I'll fake it and use JB Weld to weld it.

THIS is the way it's done, and the JIG is explained from 3:00 to 6:00 minutes. You can't buy them already built, I looked.
I don't weld, but if the JB weld would hold, I think I can find the materials locally and make it. The tapping wouldn't put too much stress on the assembly. (It's an interesting video and the guy built a beautiful knife to show the pin finishing.) Maybe someday mine will look that good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBRDYNQ8prY&t=371s

[BrokenolMarine]

If you watched the video, pay attention to the tooling on the spine of that knife. Amazing. I'll get there, or die Still trying. That is beautiful. The Damascus accents and the rest of the build is very nice. I'm working to build my skill levels to that.

Some of these guys build knives that you have to sit back and rewind to look at several times to take in all the details. I just remind myself that they have been doing it for a LOT longer.

[BrokenolMarine]

I went out into the shop to look at building the Pin JIG using an Old Lawn Mower Blade and the JB Weld, but then the 123 Block sitting on the workbench caught my eye. I had already polished the top of two carriage bolts of different lengths. I dropped the bolt in the single hole in this style 123 block. (I have two styles) It was too tall even with the shorter of the two bolts, but I have a woodworking bench with holes everywhere.


Line the block up with a hole on the edge for clearance. Use my knife blank drilling JIG, and....

Here is the 123 block:

51 123 block.jpg

Add the Bolt over the hole:

52 add the carriage bolt.jpg

AND... tah dah! You have a Pin Jig.

53 tah dah pin jig.jpg

It worked out pretty well, although I may look for a scrap piece of 2x8 to make a base for them to be mounted on to make them more stable in the next go round.

Took the knife to the big vise and mounted it for final polishing of the tooling on the edges, using the High Dollar Tool.
I took it from another pass with 600, to 1000, then finally the passes to 1500. Looked pretty good.

54 final polish tooling.jpg

Rolled the edges until I was satisfied and smoothed them as well. A final 1500 pass on the bolster, and used the pencil dremel on the pins. Anything else? I'm always asking myself that question.

[BrokenolMarine]

The knife is done, for now. This was a test to see how I did with the rolled pins and a few other techniques. They have "Promise," but I am not quite there yet. One of the pins slipped during glue up and since I had the knife covered with wax paper due to the excess epoxy I had applied, I didn't find it until the unveiling. You can see the difference in the pictures. Here is one side:

55 shes done.jpg

Flip side, there is no Right or Left on the boot knife designs.

56 other side.jpg

The tooling came out pretty good as well, but I am still looking to improve that technique. Will come with practice I'm guessing. There are other designs, Rope, Chain, Lightning... I'll get there, I hope. But this adds something, so everyone has said.

57 tooling came out okay too.jpg

The copper tint didn't add as much bling as I had hoped. I'll test some of the other tints in the future and see how they perform. As for the sunken pin, when I take the knife back out to make the sheath, I can drill down a bit IN that pinhole, if I decide to take the RISK, and put a fake pin head over the top. PRE polished. I will probably leave it since I don't plan to get rid of this one. I may make another and I'll be ahead of the game having had the practice.

Input is welcome....

[Mags]

You make it look so quick and easy! Very well done.

[CT_Shooter]

Your "practice" knives are beautiful, Marine; as are your descriptions and photos.

And, I really enjoyed watching the video link to the pin instructional. Thanks for that. Talented people sharing knowledge and techniques about their work is one of the finer benefits of our digital lives. Browsing around in the "knife parts" store was cool, too.

Great forum threads.

[BrokenolMarine]

Sheath Practice

Had to do some work in the shop on a small project for Miss T, and the piece she wanted me to work on had a crack in it. While the glue dried, I decided to practice on the tooling techniques for the Sheath for the boot knife. Haven't decided what I'm going to do for the sheath yet, so basically it's just general tooling practice. The tooling work is all about consistency and working with the mallet and a tool in the other hand. The stamps can be used to create all kinds of patterns.

This H shaped stamp I used in the past to make the heart pattern on the Granddaughter's Phone pouch. She loved it.

heart technique.jpg

Been a good while, but for a first attempt in a good while, I turned out well.

hearts done.jpg

A lined triangle stamp can be used to make a rope border pattern.

rope work.jpg

Here is a group look at some of the work. If you look at the tooling in the background, you'll see the modified H tool with a leg ground off makes the serpentine border, while the H tool makes a slightly different Serpentine border as well.

all together.jpg

Still haven't decided on the sheath, but the practice doesn't hurt. No matter, Miss T will probably steal the dang thing anyway. Each of the patterns can be enhanced by stains or antiquing.

[BrokenolMarine]

Well, headed out to the shop, to get out of Miss Tina's way... Anyone else do that? I didn't make her mad, but I wasn't going to be in the impact area.

I took the Boot Knife and my coffee and started on the sheath. The knife was going to be for Tina anyway, great place to hide out.

I started by laying out the basic pattern, and I'd work from that. I initially used a folded over design, but that wasn't going to work as it would make the sheath awful fat to stuff in a boot. Tina had made the comment that "a knife in the top of her barn boot would be really handy." She would actually use it as a boot knife. I settled on a triangle shape, with two flat halves, front and back... pancake style.

01 initial layout.jpg

Now of course, I can't just sew that together and let it go, I have to put a design of sorts on it... so I need a defined area for that. In leather work, we call that a window.

02 window cut in.jpg

I decided to basket weave the window and then background the outside.

03 tooling.jpg

[BrokenolMarine]

That line in the middle of the outside backgrounding, is the stitch line. That is where I'll put the holes for hand stitching. I have a VERY nice leather sewing machine, but on small projects I hand stitch.

[BrokenolMarine]

I took a bunch of pics along the way, but I won't bore y'all stiff with the details of all that. Eventually, I got to the point where it was sewn, and riveted, and had a coat of yellow stain on the front and back. The sheath is very tight, and the rivets should keep the knife from pulling the contact cement and stitches loose.

09 sewn riveted and beveled.jpg

With the burnishing gum applied after staining the sides light brown, I burnished the sides to seal them. This keeps out the water, and dirt and grime that can cause the leather to swell and come apart.

11 burnishing gum.jpg

13 burnished light brown.jpg

The knife fits well in the sheath, very tight. I wouldn't usually have this much above the sheath, but the boot will help hold the knife in place. Good thing about a sheath, it's something you can make more of if it doesn't work out. The knife fits well and Miss T loves the design.

14 she fits.jpg

A look at the back. The sheath is basically done other than antiquing, to bring out the tooling and emphasize the depth, and waxing to help extend the life. I heat the leather with a cheap hair dryer prior to the first waxing, and then heat the applied wax on subsequent waxings to drive the wax into the leather.

15 the back.jpg

I'll post a last pic or two after the job is completely done.