This will be my first November Project

[Hatchdog]

A bit off topic but I’ll share this…

Yesterday I was at a neighbor’s place who was celebrating his 80th birthday. Another neighbor who is doing the finish work in his home was telling be about some issues he had. Told me after ruining his third piece of trim he just quit for the day and started up again the next day. I was telling him about your knife building and how you do the exact same thing, stopping when it’s time to stop either from the body saying quit or working thru a problem.

Now, back to regularly scheduled knife building…

[BrokenolMarine]

I got the bandsaw set up and cut out the scales. As always I stayed just outside the lines. I learned a long time ago, better to sand off the excess than to wish you could ADD back wood you took away by mistake.

27 cut out the scales.jpg

Once they were cut out, I chose a liner of Black G10 and glued the two scales to a liner material and put them in clamps to cure. I set them aside and moved on.

28 glued up backing.jpg

[BrokenolMarine]

The next step in this project is to drill a hole in the blade blank for the bolster. Normally you won't have a bolster on a knife with a guard, so this is really just a copper accent. Okay, I need to drill a hole for the copper accent. I mark the spot for the hole and put the blade in the JIG so I can drill squarely thru. Carbide 1/8" bit.

29 prepared to drill bolster hole.jpg

I clamp the JIG on the drill press table and slowly, so as not to overheat the EXPENSIVE carbide bit and shatter it... (like the really small one I used in another project ,) ... I keep it oiled to cool it as well.... I drill the hole. Slow and sure, slow and sure, pulling the bit up and spinning it in the air to cool it, and the blade blank.

30 drilling.jpg

Then, I clamp a bolster (copper accent) under the blade blank and touch the bit to the copper to mark the location ON the accent. Then I clamp the copper to the press table and Drill thru that.

31 first bolster.jpg

I flip the blade blank in the JIG, then clamp the second accent in position and touch the bit to the accent piece then repeat the above procedure.

32 second followed.jpg

Both pieces are done. I sand away the blowout on the bottom and clean up the marks on the top by hand sanding them on 220 grit paper. We are ready to mount them. I measure and cut a length of 1/8" copper rod.

[BrokenolMarine]

After test fitting I mix up the two part epoxy, and add some metallic copper tint to the epoxy. This way the bleed thru will fill and hide any minor gaps. I glue on the one side, and drive the rod thru just a tad to help align side two. Then drive all the way thru so I have a small portion thru on both sides. Then clamp them both and let the epoxy cure.

33 mounted.jpg

A few hours later I come back out to the shop and with the various tools at hand I begin shaping the bolsters. (Accent copper. LOL.)

34 shaping.jpg

I also remove the scales from the clamps and discover one has failed to properly glue up. I clean and re-glue that scale and go back to work on the copper, polishing and shaping. Another hour of work and the copper is looking good. Check the scale, the five minute epoxy had cured, the scale has failed again. I carefully consider my options and toss both scales in the trash. You have to know when to hold and know when to fold. I have options and will choose new scales.

Miss T knocks on the shop door and tells me we are under tornado warnings and I'm done for the day....

[BrokenolMarine]

If I don't join Dorothy in OZ, I'll have plenty of time to think about new scales, Like Scarlett O'hara, I'll think about this tomorrow.

[Hatchdog]

Man, those scales are not your friend. I sure do like the tooling you are putting on the spline. As I type this I have seen the destruction in OK from the tornados, man what a year ma nature has delivered to date.

[BrokenolMarine]

We came out fine on the other side. We got a lot of rain, which we needed, but no flooding. We took the UTV out late yesterday evening and checked the creeks. Running, but not ripping. The pastures were fine, wet but not spongy. We hadn't seen rain in months. The ground was cracked with craters in it. We needed the rain, and a slow steady rain for twenty four to forty eight hours. Last night we got a steady rain that bumped up to hard now and then, even thunder storm volume here and there. High winds, lightening, Thunder that shook the house. I grinned in my sleep.

[BrokenolMarine]

Got back out to the shop for a session today, though I spent the bulk of the day inside waiting for the VA clinic to call me back after I called them this morning. They never did.

I started going thru the available scales looking for the replacement for the Red Heart. I thought seriously about using the off cut from the Cutting Board I had pictured earlier. But... my plan for that entailed cutting it dead center between the purpleheart, and inserting something to widen it so the holes for the pins fell centered ON the purpleheart. I had even found a nice piece of burled white oak that would have worked for that. I decided I use that on a later project.

37 cutting board offcut.jpg

I remembered a nice piece of Curly Cherry that I thought was buried in a cabinet and started digging for it. I came across a highly figured slice of walnut. A winner. No need to look any further. I Sanded it smooth on both sides, laid out the cuts and made them on the bandsaw, clamped each side to the blank and drilled the holes.

35 Walnut won.jpg

Next up was making the pins for the blank and I chose Nickel Silver to mate with the Stainless Blank. We will be ready to glue up in the morning AFTER we vote.

36 both sides and pins.jpg

I have high hopes this time. I'll do a last bit of prep sanding once we get back from the polls and Boom, Glue Up.
Watch this space.

[BrokenolMarine]

As predicted, we headed over to vote as the polls opened at 7, and were home by half past. After coffee, I headed out to the shop and prepared to work on the glue up. My first step was to prep the Kant Twist Clamps. I stripped off the old tape from the leather pads and applied new painter's tape and leather to the clamps so they wouldn't damage the scales. They are ready to go.

38 clamps prepped.jpg

Next, gathered the things needed to set the scales, mixing cup, stir stick, the scales, the pins and the table top is protected. Good to go. Five minute epoxy means five minutes. I also chose the tint for the epoxy, copper ... going to try something with this one since I bought the dang tint.

39 everything ready.jpg

I mixed up the epoxy, and added just a dash, a very small amount of tint. Too much and the glue won't cure. (Don't ask me how I know this.) Okay, I'll tell... luckily it was experimenting on scraps... not a real project. Got the scales and pins installed, folded over a piece of parchment paper, and clamped it all together.

40 glued up and clamped.jpg

Snuck in q-tips to pull off excess bleed out from the edges, and tossed them all away. I wanted a good glue up. I don't want to do this all again, nor do I want to toss this blade blank. We'll leave this to cure until after lunch.

[BrokenolMarine]

Out after lunch, with the five minute epoxy curing for a couple hours. I pulled the clamps and the rest off the knife and it was solid. Looks good, time to clean 'er up and start shaping.

41 out after lunch.jpg

Spent some time on both 1 x 30 belt sanders and the oscillating sander to get the inside curves, and she is starting to show herself. Up to 400 grit so far with a touch of 600 on the guard and copper accent. I took a break and will be back at it late this evening or tomorrow. We will take the walnut up to at least 800, the metals to 1500 or so. I like it so far.

42 some time shaping.jpg

I can't wait to see this with the finish on it.