Woodcraft Tanto Kit

[BrokenolMarine]

Okay, out in the shop this morning for the waxing and buffing. I love this part... it's the final step, and I LOVE the smell of this British Beeswax.
Unlike many of the products I use in the shop, this stuff smells great, even Miss T likes it. It's not like the quizzes our teachers passed out in middle and high school with the purple ink fresh off the memograph machine where everyone in the class immediately huffed the smell of the ink... and got a quick spin around the classroom. (Think Fast Times at Ridgemont High) Anyone else remember this? Anyone?

23 the beeswax.jpg

I got the cleanup done first, then got the first coat rubbed on both knives and let it dry to a haze. Buffed it off with a cloth and put on a second coat. I piddled around the shop, picking up and putting away other items and touching up things waiting for the next coat to dry, and setting up the grinder. It has a WAX ONLY stitched buffing wheel, used only to buff out waxed finishes. I love waxing these things. A couple coats gives you a soft sheen.

24 waxing both.jpg

Build up five or six coats, and really buff them up and you can work up a high gloss. The best part of the Watco Oil and Wax Finish... ?
If you get a ding, or a scuff, rub the spot with oil, let it dry. Wax it, and buff it out and your ding is blended back in.
Finish gets dull, wax and buff and you are back where you were.

The Tanto is done, hardware in place. I can braid in a lanyard later.

25 tanto done.jpg

Kitchen Knife done as well. Ready to go back in it's rack. Curly Cherry Scales showing their beauty.

26 kitchen knife done.jpg

I will knock out sheaths for the knives when I finish the other two that are up next. I will start a different thread for those, and a different thread for the leather work, IF anyone is interested. Hope you enjoyed the ride.

[MuddyWaters62]

Please DO NOT leave us hanging! Just love your work.

Muddy Waters 67

[CT_Shooter]

I will knock out sheaths for the knives when I finish the other two that are up next. I will start a different thread for those, and a different thread for the leather work, IF anyone is interested. Hope you enjoyed the ride.

Those knives are simply beautiful!

Your workshop threads are at the top of my forum favorites, Marine. Thanks for taking the time to share your work with us.

[markiver54]

Yet another example of beautiful, professional work by our friend BOM!

[daytime dave]

Beautiful work!

[JEBar]

nicely done indeed .... instant family heirlooms

[BrokenolMarine]

I am setting up the leather working bench now. I ordered the head knife from Amazon this morning about 4am, should be here tomorrow. Gonna make a sheath before I start the next two knifes, just a bit of a break on the knife work, to get my hand back in playing at the leather work. More sitting, less standing. LOL.

[BrokenolMarine]

STARTING ON THE LEATHER STATION!

First I cleared one of my Home Depot Tables, I'll use this as my leather station. The two drawers will store most of the tools. The knife kits and blanks, and the sanding belts WERE stored in the drawers, but I moved them for now. I have ordered a 4' table for the grinder, sander and those two drawers will hold the belts and knife related kits. Will be the dedicated knife working table.

I started by putting all the tools that would fit in the drawer, in the top drawer.

01 tools drawer.jpg

In the bottom drawer I put some stuff like the backlit tracing pad and a few other things. My dyes and other related things, such as lacing, waxes, and other chemicals went into a tote to be stored on the shelf for now.

02 dyes and such.jpg

This is my lacing pony. They are VERY handy. It's not an original design, although I made a couple improvements of MY design. I added a magnet to either side so that when I need to release the needles to reposition my work, I just place the two needles on the magnets. This makes life SO much easier. I padded my jaws with leather for a non marring tight grip, and I didn't have a knob, so I made a t-knob from maple, by shaping it and gluing in a nut.

03 lacing pony.jpg

It rotates on the base, which slips under my thighs wherever I decide to sit to do my lacing/sewing. I doubt I'll ever buy a leather capable sewing machine. Miss T has one, but I dare not get near it. It was $7,000 and does more things than I can count. This, of course, is just a start. I have a lot of things in mind, including making tool stands and WAY more organizing.

Stick with me. Now I need to practice, since I haven't been working with leather for more than a year.

[BrokenolMarine]

Using a scrap piece of leather, I'll start by cutting a lacing or stitch groove with a groover. It rides along the edge of the leather and makes a groove in the piece so the stitches are below the leather surface and protected. It's pleasing to the eye, but keeps wear from damaging the piece. With all measured techniques, the most important factor is constant contact in two points. The work surface (table, cutting board, etc.) and the leather's edge. Like woodworking, shooting, reloading.... speed is not always good. Slow and steady yields the best result.

04 stitch groove.jpg

Now I try to stamp a Running W border. This is also called a Carlos and is a favorite of Saddlemakers for Skirting and Stirrup Trim. First step is to measure a reference line off the Stitching groove. I come out 1/8 inch. then a second line about 3/8 from that. Using the calipers, I mark both those lines, following the two contact rule above.

04 calipers.jpg

We begin to tool the leather by "Casing" or wetting the leather with the spritz from the spray bottle. Not wet enough, you don't get a good impression. Too wet, the leather is mush. You dampen the leather and begin to work just as it starts to turn light again. You can spritz again anytime needed during the tooling.

We start the Running W using a stamp and placing the base along the line. Always careful to watch the spacing. The base of the next stamp should be almost touching the previous stamp. If there is a curve in the line, you need to be mindful of the outside curve. You want a bit more space or the inside curve stamps will end up crowded. This is why we practice, to get the feel for the spacing on the curves.

06 punch for running w.jpg

Once the first side is done, we spin 'er and start the second side. Here we have to watch two points. We want the base square with the reference, and we want the point centered between the opposing side points. Especially critical inside curves. Carefully place, check, stamp. Repeat.

07 runner pt 2.jpg

Here is the practice piece for the sheath. The running W came out okay, not great. The carving beside it is far from my best, but for not carving in over a year...

More practice.

[BrokenolMarine]

Out the next day, after Miss T picked up a cedar 4x4 at home despot while visiting the Garden Center for landscaping for the farmhouse. Thanks Miss T.
I had been planning the tool caddy for some time, so I knew what I wanted to do. I pulled the tools bound for the caddy from the drawer, and figured the number and sizes of the holes I needed then marked them lightly in pencil. I wanted them spaced generously, as crowding makes it very hard to locate the tool you want. The tips all begin to look the same. Once they were ready, I went to the drill press, and the forstner bits.

10 measured and marked.jpg

I drilled each group with the appropriate size. 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, and 1-14 for the rawhide mallet. That is the only one that goes all the way thru.

11 first group done.jpg

After about two hours, I had drilled the initial passes on the drill press, then deepened the straight holes from the press with a hand drill. The tool bar and the bases were cut and ready, lightly sanded.

12 tool bar and bases cut.jpg