Challenge Build Along Post

[BrokenolMarine]

Next session I started looking at drilling the needed holes in the knife blank and the pucker factor was too high at the time. My lower back and hands were killing me, but I still wanted to work in the shop. This was to be a Bling type project, and I had looked at the mosaic pins at Jantz. I saw a couple I liked, but they were "Dear." I didn't see exactly what I wanted to go with this project.

I do have some lanyard tube, which is what THEY make the mosaics from. The endcap is copper and I have some thin copper wire, I could MAKE my own mosaic, right? I cut a 2" piece of tube and some 2" copper wire and started fiddling with the combination. The mosaics are made by placing the fillers in the tubes and filling with epoxy. Easy Peasy... Right? (Ah, No.)

Then, I thought... I have saved some small flakes of turquoise, and I placed them in a paper towel, folded that and placed it on the small jeweler's anvil, and with a ball peen hammer, turned it to smaller flakes.

29 home made mosaic.jpg

My plan was to fill the gaps around the copper wire with the flakes of turquoise. Hmmm? The gaps were too small for even the smallest flakes. Solution was simple, remove the copper wire. Fill the tube ends with just the turquoise flakes.

30 worked sorta.jpg

This worked, sorta. We'll see how well when the knife is assembled and finally polished. In the end, if it doesn't look RIGHT, I can LOCK the knife in the frame, drill thru the tube and slide in a nickel steel rod and repolish. Tah-Dah... All will NOT be lost.

[BrokenolMarine]

In two sessions in which I would have been able to hit a very HIGH note if I had eaten beans... yes, the pucker factor was high... ... I drilled the holes in the blade blank. I put the knife blank in the frame and locked it on the drill press table.

NOTE: I had learned that EACH carbide bit is supposed to be spun at a different rpm. They vary greatly. The 1/4" is 800, the 3/32 is 2400. Wow. That meant I had to dig out my owners manual and figure out how to change the rpm on the dang drill press. This is an old JET and I have always just run it where they set it. Never had an issue. Turns out it was SET at 800 at the factory.

31 carbide pucker factor.jpg

In an earlier post I mentioned the high cost of the carbide bits. $21 for the 3/32. The 1/4 carbide was double that at $42. I wanted to do this right. So, cut in increments and use oil to keep the bits cool. The 1/4" cut took a bit of time, (Pun intended) but came out clean. I set up carefully for the next pair of holes near the blade guard and started the cuts with the 3/32 bit. During the second hole, the bit snapped. No idea why, I'm no machinest, I'm a hacker and always have been. I do my best. Miss Tina's comment? "I told you to buy two or three." Luckily, the two holes were done before the bit broke. Perhaps the table shifted.

32 new holes done.jpg

If you look at the annotated image below, you can see where the holes are and their purpose. The new 1/4" hole is the one in the center. The new 3/32 holes are the two at the blade guard. I also added the 1/8" anchor hole for the endcap. I'm adapt and overcome.

32a new holes done.jpg

The REAL pucker factor was clamping and drilling the endcaps so they could be mounted. Being small, there wasn't much surface area for clamping. I got them done and they are test fitted below. They have NOT been glued and mounted and the pins are NOT glued in place.

33 endcap test fit.jpg

Loads more to do, and plenty of chances to crash and burn. Today I'll have to drill the holes in the copper accents against the blade guards. Once those are drilled and test fitted, we can really start to move forward. Then the hand fitting will begin in earnest.

[BrokenolMarine]

Looking at the endcap pic above, keep in mind the mosaic pin has not been sanded flush or polished to bring out the turquoise. Hopefully it will pop after that's done. It ought to look good accented by the surrounding brass and set in the copper. We shall see.

[Hatchdog]

“ In two sessions in which I would have been able to hit a very HIGH note if I had eaten beans... yes, the pucker factor was high”

Never mind, I’ll get the coffee cleaned up out of the keyboard here shortly.

What an involved project you have in process. That mosaic is such a nice touch, really looking forward to the completed piece of art.

[BrokenolMarine]

Thanks hatch... I try to keep humor in my life... it keeps me sane.

Back at it for a few hours this morning. The goal today was to drill the holes in the two accent pieces of copper that will go against the blade guard. Y'all might remember this was the step that broke the 3/32 carbide bit drilling the blade blank. I needed to find a way to hold the pieces in place and mark them thru the blank so they could be drilled exactly. I tried several of the various clamps, and none held very well, so I finally used a Wooden Cabinet Maker's Clamp to hold the Accent Piece in it's position and just touched the bit to the copper, leaving a mark. I then used a punch to deepen the mark, as a reference.

33a cabinet makers clamp.jpg

I tried clamping the copper in a vise to drill the holes but it would slip when pressure was applied. I finally just clamped it to the drill press table with special clamps made for that purpose.

34 copper trim.jpg

One hole went perfectly, and I was halfway thru the second hole when... ... the 3/32 bit snapped off in the hole. I tried using a special bit made for metal to push thru that last bit, and finish the hole, it slid OFF the bit and tore out the hole, ruining the piece.

[BrokenolMarine]

I set up the grinder, and cut another rough piece, dropped it in the water to cool, and marked the second accent piece and dug up a new 3/32 bit. Carefully clamping it in place, I drilled VERY slowly and cooled each individual cut, and the two holes came out perfect, and matched the blade blank exactly.

35 drilled.jpg

I set that piece aside and worked on the newly cut rough, sanding away the rough edges and marking IT for the two holes.
I clamped IT to the drill press table and drilled the holes. They lined it, but this piece was NOT pre-shaped as the other was. I have marked it for shaping after lunch.

36 remade.jpg

As you can see, it will take some work to reduce it close, then we can test fit the pair as I did with the endcap. They may take some tweeking, but we'll get 'er done.

37 marked.jpg

A little pre-shaping and I'll then glue up the turquoise on both ends.

[BrokenolMarine]

I got those copper accent pieces and the endcaps mounted, and left them to set, then went back out late in the afternoon to peen the pins. Once that was done I worked them on the bench grinder, working from 120, 220, to 400 to shape them and blend them, and moved to the oscillating sander for the inside curve. They looked good mounted.

38 mounted.jpg

Looking at both pictures you can see how some of the pins completely disappear and others nearly do. A closeup of the endcap below shows my first attempt at a mosaic wasn't a total failure. A note: The epoxy bleed out visible in the endcap pic below was later carefully removed using a single edge utility style razor blade like you find for a refill for a box cutter. I use those a LOT to clean up bleed out in these projects. TOO little epoxy results in scales coming loose later in life for the knives. I'd rather have a bit of bleed out to clean up than the scales fail a year down the road.

39 polished.jpg

As I have said more than once. I am nothing if not adaptable. the one hole doesn't line up, I adapt. BUT, no HUGE loss. The other inlays will put enough pressure in addition to the epoxy to hold that copper in place, but can't have that hole there. I cut two dummy pins, glued them in place and left them for the epoxy to set. After Miss T turned in, I slipped out to the shop and peened them, then polished them to blend.

40 false pin.jpg

With that done, I wasn't ready to quit, so I marked the LEFT side Turquoise accent pieces and wet them, and sanded, wet and sanded, and repeated until they were almost perfect. I'll glue them in first thing in the morning, AFTER marking the right side pieces and marking the center accent pieces so I can shape all four of those while the left side pieces set.

41 adapt and overcome.jpg

Too late for any more work this evening.

[BrokenolMarine]

Of course, the polishing above is a rough polishing and shaping... only to 400 grit. Once all the components of the knife are rough shaped and glued / pinned in place - then the knife shaping has begun - the real polishing will take place. This usually goes to about 1000 to 1500 grit. Then jeweler's rouge. This thing should really pop when it's done. It'll be a keeper.

[Hatchdog]

Wow, even the rough stage the knife is in now is gorgeous. That mosaic is going to be a real nice highlight.

[rickhem]

The addition of that mosaic pin is genius. Really like your thought process for this, the old adapt and overcome.
I see that you have more than a few jigs and fixtures to hold and align your work, which is 90% of the process. I've learned the hard way that things like that make a difference.
A couple more questions:
That small vice you bought, the one that works in the vertical or horizontal orientation, what holds the clamping part in place on that vertical mount tube? I don't see anything, but it must be fixed when you've got it where you want it. Does the lower part of the movable jaw bear against that mount tube to fix it in position? That's a very nice vice!
When you're drilling holes to match up with other holes, do you measure everything out, mark the piece to be drilled, and go? Or use transfer punches? Or do you use the piece with the existing holes as a drill guide and let the drill pass through that to keep those holes aligned?

It really is coming out nice, and thanks again for providing the build diary.

[BrokenolMarine]

The addition of that mosaic pin is genius. Really like your thought process for this, the old adapt and overcome.
I see that you have more than a few jigs and fixtures to hold and align your work, which is 90% of the process. I've learned the hard way that things like that make a difference.

I have picked up the jigs and fixtures over many years, and many of them come from woodworking and not knifemaking. It's funny, back when I was a young woodworker, I would walk in my mentor's shop and drool, wishing "I" could afford to buy THAT and THAT and THAT, never realizing it took a lifetime for him to acquire not only the funds to build that shop, but to acquire all those "things." Now, I have a shop of my own and have built up a nice selection of tools and equipment, but add a few things here and there, but slowly... after deciding I really need them. I have gotten burned a couple times. (Just like everything else.) When I started fly fishing I rattled like the tin woodsman for the first year, and carried fifty pounds of gear. Wasn't long before I realized mostly what I needed was a fly rod, reel, line, and a box of flies. Most of the other stuff was advertising.

A couple more questions:

That small vice you bought, the one that works in the vertical or horizontal orientation, what holds the clamping part in place on that vertical mount tube? I don't see anything, but it must be fixed when you've got it where you want it. Does the lower part of the movable jaw bear against that mount tube to fix it in position? That's a very nice vice!

Two part answer:

First, it's not a small vise, it weighs in at 20 pounds and is a pretty good size, which is why I anchored it to the bench on a 2x6. Second, yes. When you tighten it down it locks tight to the center post. I assumed you could leave the knife in the jaws and move it all around, but I haven't started using it yet. Once I do I'll be able to tell y'all how loose you have to back off to turn or flip the vise to unlock it to change position. Do you release the knife or jaw contents or just enough to move the vise. It is nice though.

When you're drilling holes to match up with other holes, do you measure everything out, mark the piece to be drilled, and go? Or use transfer punches? Or do you use the piece with the existing holes as a drill guide and let the drill pass through that to keep those holes aligned?

I most often use the blade blank as a template to transfer the holes to the pieces I'll drill. Most of the time you need the holes to be exact, and I am nowhere near good enough to measure and transfer, plus bits tend to wander unless you use a mill or a lathe, neither of which I own or intend to buy.

I learned most of the techniques I used from watching a LOT of youtube videos. For each technique, I've watched a half dozen or more and chosen the one I liked best or more often than not combined the best aspects of the ones I liked to form my own. Often I'll glue / clamp on the scales before shaping, then drill thru from the back side, using the blank as a template. Then glue on the other scale, and using the holes in the first scale drill thru from that side with a backer board on the new scale to prevent tear out. Then you have square scales on the blank. Pin the scales and let things cure and you can start shaping.

You can also remove the scales from the blank, temporarily pin then together and tape them, and rough shape them without the blank in place. After they are close, Glue them on the blank, pin them, let them cure, then do the final shaping and finish and polish. Depends on the knife and the shape of the scales.

It really is coming out nice, and thanks again for providing the build diary.

One thing to keep in mind is that any work you do after glue up... you have to be aware that friction causes heat. If you overheat something, you can cause the epoxy to release. I keep a container of water beside any power equipment used for shaping or polishing and cool the piece often. Any work is done in short passes to keep the heat down.

[BigAl52]

Looking excellent BOM excellent

[rickhem]

Thanks for the responses.
And I do like that vice. Worked with a Panavice once and thought that was really handy. That was tiny compared to the one you have, and I can see that turning into one of the most used things in the shop.

[BrokenolMarine]

Thanks for the responses.
And I do like that vice. Worked with a Panavice once and thought that was really handy. That was tiny compared to the one you have, and I can see that turning into one of the most used things in the shop.

Actually, when I went down to Jantz, I had both the panvise and the one I bought on the list, and asked them for advise. She told me that the panvise was more a jeweler's vise and wouldn't hold the weight of the knives I preferred to build and brought both out for me to look at. I chose the shop fox because I agreed with her.

[BrokenolMarine]

Working yesterday, I got all the pieces shaped and laid out for a last look. I checked my measurements and was happy with the layout.

42 all shaped.jpg

I mixed up the epoxy and glued in the end accents near the guard and at the endcap. I could clamp the guard accents but had to depend on gravity for the endcap. Couldn't find a clamp in ALL my collection that worked on the endcap. Left them overnight to dry.

43 end accents glued.jpg

Came out this morning and spent a session working with the center turquoise. Not satisfied because they were a trapezoid shape rather than square all the way around. Spent some additional time with each. They needed to be square on the bottom and have right angles on two additional sides to make the fitting easier. The tops will be sanded off, so... no worries there. (AH, the 123 blocks make another guest appearance.)

44 three side square up.jpg

I measured the layout with the turquoise in place, found center, and then the width of the center turquoise. NOW I knew how wide the two walnut pieces were going to be. (1-5/16") I cut them slightly over using the mini-miter from Lee Valley.

45 mini miter.jpg

I hand fitted the first two pieces and am happy with the fit. After lunch and a break, I'll go back out and glue them in and let them set. Then I can drill the holes for the pins and begin to fit the other side. I'll use the pin holes in the first side the drill the second side after that side has set. (cured.) Then the shaping can begin.

46 one side rough fit.jpg

It's getting good.

[BrokenolMarine]

Got back out to the shop and mixed up the epoxy, got the pieces glued up and clamped. They will be left overnight to cure. Back at it tomorrow... Getting there.

47 glued and clamped.jpg

Again, the 123 blocks are in house. Each block weighs a pound so they make a stable platform to rest the knife so the clamps have clearance. I used Kant Twist Clamps on the wood and HEAVY spring clips to put pressure on both ends of the Turquoise. Should do the trick.

Tomorrow I'll use the 1/4" pin holes in the blade blank to drill thru the Walnut, then I can carefully fit the walnut to the opposite side, and glue up and clamp that side. We'll be golden to shape after that cures.

[BrokenolMarine]

After some errands this morning, back at it. After removing all the clamps, I set up to drill the pin holes in the first side. Note in the pic below that I placed a sacrificial block below the blank to prevent blowout on the walnut scale prior to drilling. I drilled thru slowly with a nice sharp 1/4" bit using the blank as a guide. Both holes were drilled. No worry about heat as the wood doesn't heat up much on a smallish hole in thin wood.

48 drilling pin holes.jpg

Here is a peek at the completed holes. Note I only drilled the two center holes, that off centered hole was left covered by the new scale as planned. (I HAVE accidentally drilled out a hole I PLANNED to cover. ) But, adapt and overcome, I cut a plug from scraps from the same wood, matched the grain angle and glued it in, and Boom, never showed.

49 pin holes completed.jpg

Spent the next hour or so cutting and fitting the pieces on the other side, then gluing them in. I am SAD to say these don't fit as tightly as I had hoped, but I'll fix that once I finish the rough shaping and initial polish. I'll fill the minor gaps one way or another, and make the repair compliment the piece. (At least that is MY plan.)

50 second side glued up.jpg

I have a couple ideas I've been playing with, and one of them will likely work.

[BrokenolMarine]

Two additional sessions, a late afternoon session just long enough to cut and install two nickel silver pins, and leave them in the bench vise to set up. The friction fit in the holes meant I didn't need clamps. I left them for several hours to cure.

51 quarter in pins glued in.jpg

After dinner and a couple episodes of "Locke and Key" with Miss T to wind down from the day, I slipped back out to the shop to answer the call. I could "Hear" the project calling all the way from the shop.

First, I pulled it from the bench vise, and mindfull of the friction, I ground down the pins flush. This was rough and I didn't worry about polish as I knew the rough shaping was next.

52 pins ground flush.jpg

About an hour on both the oscillating sander and the 1x30 belt sander and the rough shape has appeared. This is also at 120 grit. I will begin refining the shape tomorrow and working up thru the grits to about 600/800 grit on the 1x30 and oscillating sander (for the inside curves) before I slip over to the bench vise and hand sanding.

53 rough shaped 120 grit.jpg

Hand sanding will take 'er up to around 1200 to 1500 for the metallic and the stone. I'll likely stop at 800 or so with the wood. We'll see. The metal and stone will get polished with Jeweler's Rouge as well. All of it will get waxed as a final step. We are getting close.

[BrokenolMarine]

The best decision I made in the design phase was drilling the new quarter inch pin hole to balance the aesthetic of the scales. All the time spent measuring the distance from the center of the remaining space between the turquoise on both ends to find center, then down from the spine to place vertically really paid off. If you scroll back through and look where the original pin would have been... It would have thrown the knife out of kilter.

[Hatchdog]

Oh boy, looking great and the end is in sight. The turquoise is really popping. That’s going to be one good looking knife.