Challenge Build Along Post

[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.