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A Trio of New Knives

Any and all knives or other edged things. Special preference for BUCK knives
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BrokenolMarine
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Re: A Trio of New Knives

Post by BrokenolMarine » Sat Apr 03, 2021 6:09 pm

The five minute epoxy says you reach a working strength in about twenty minutes. I left the scales in the clamps for a couple hours while we had lunch and watched an episode of a TV series on DVD. Two hours passed and I went back out to the shop and prepared to drill the holes. I use the holes in the blanks as guides, the drill press, and Press Clamps for safety. If the blank gets away from you if the bit grabs and spins, the dang thing could slice you up like it was a knife. :no: Oh... wait... :?



21 safety first.jpg

I set each hole up carefully, aligning the drill bit in the hole, holding the drill down in place and placing the first clamp. Then, still holding the drill bit in contact, placed the second clamp. No chance for the blank to move then. EACH hole was drilled in multiple passes off the drill press to avoid overheating the steel. The backer board under the blank helped to avoid tearout.


Once all three were drilled, I then mixed the next batches of epoxy, one blank at a time and glued up the second set of scales. CAREFUL to insure the front edge of the blanks aligned, and the other three sides had coverage. They will all be trimmed and shaped later, but the front was shaped before assembly and can't be adjusted or shaped easily. :roll:
DAMHIKT.

22 all three clamped.jpg


Now the blanks and scales cure overnight to insure the epoxy reaches full strength.

Tomorrow? Drill the second scale, using the holes in the first side as a reference.. then start shaping on the 1x30 sander. I love this part. :P

A bonus...

When your memory is short, with all the tools and tool boxes in the shop, you label EVERYTHING. This is how I labeled the toolbox drawers on most of the boxes. Easy to Read, Easy to change as needed, when I rearrange things.

23 adapt and overcome.jpg
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BrokenolMarine
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Re: A Trio of New Knives

Post by BrokenolMarine » Sun Apr 04, 2021 11:42 pm

Came out this morning and took the "knives" out of the clamps. They were solid. First step was a trip to the drill press to drill the holes for the screws all the way thru using the existing holes in the off side scales as a guide. Carefully aligning each hole, with care to insure the knife was flat on the drill press, boom. All the holes were done. I went slow and took my time. We are about halfway there.

Before starting on the shaping here, we will tape up the blades to insure safety, I don't want a knife twisting in my hand and cutting me. I leave the plastic sleeve in place and add a couple layers of blue painters tape. Insurance. CHEAP insurance.

24 blades taped.jpg


Next up was setting up the 1x30 with the 60 grit to start the shaping process. This is the part where we begin shaping those rough scales to the blanks. I love this part. Not only do the knives start to take shape, but this is were we start to actually see what the scales have been hiding from us. We see a dramatic change in this first step. In the picture below, the two drop points have been shaped, but the Tanto is waiting. Note the difference in the shapes.

27 two and one.jpg

Spent thirty to forty five minutes on each knife. The first one up was the Lacewood, and you can tell by the uneven bottom edge where I started and that I didn't have the feel for the technique of using belt crossing the top of the wheel to do the rounded portions. It worked much better on the cocobolo drop point. I had a better feel for control. You will see when I dressed them up in the passes on the 100 grit.


The sixty grit passes completed. The grains are starting to show and the shapes are revealing themselves.

25 60 grit.jpg
26 not too bad.jpg

I got back out after lunch, and hit them with the 100 grit. I spent a lot of time shaping and smoothing, and I did manage to correct the waves that were running across the bottom of the lacewood knife. It's looking a lot better. I will watch to insure I don't (try not to) make that mistake in the future. One second of inattention and the sander can pull the blank across the belt and a fine point is flat.


28 100 grit.jpg

There is a lot more to do. I will at least go 220 and 400, maybe even 600 or 800. I doubt these will see the 1000.
:smirk:

So far so good. There will be some handwork in the tight areas with thin cut strips, light shining shoes.
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You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
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BrokenolMarine
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Re: A Trio of New Knives

Post by BrokenolMarine » Sun Apr 04, 2021 11:44 pm

I have appointments in the AM, and a couple errands. I may just work on leather practice tomorrow. I overdid it today, too much time standing and leaning over the bench. But, I was pleased with the progress. The two knives for my daughter and I are looking pretty good.
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BrokenolMarine
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Re: A Trio of New Knives

Post by BrokenolMarine » Mon Apr 05, 2021 9:31 pm

I am sorry to say, looks like the project will be on hold, maybe for months.
:cry:

Had found a great deal on RR Ties for my range, $7 each, and got the word to come pick them up today. They even let me load at the railhead, one mile from the house, instead of in town, twenty miles away. :)

While pulling the third 16 tie bundle off the trailer, a stack shifted. :o
Miss Tina was running the tractor and yelled for me to "Get Back!"
I stepped back, hooked a heel and feel backwards. I tried to break my fall. :shock:

Down I went. Four decades plus of training kicked in, I tucked my chin and rolled my shoulders when I did hit, but the hard packed earth broke my fall, and my left wrist. (In two places.)

ER doc says it looks like surgery will be required. I am supposed to see the cutter tomorrow.

I'll know more once the orthoped has his say.

Sheesh, I was loving the knife work, leather carving, and we were moving into fishing season.
:evil:
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JEBar
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Re: A Trio of New Knives

Post by JEBar » Mon Apr 05, 2021 10:48 pm

hate to hear it .... do hope whatever treatment they end up giving proves to be successful
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BigAl52
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Re: A Trio of New Knives

Post by BigAl52 » Mon Apr 05, 2021 11:36 pm

Wow I hope you recover soon and Im sorry for the misfortune
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BrokenolMarine
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Re: A Trio of New Knives

Post by BrokenolMarine » Wed Oct 27, 2021 4:03 pm

Wow! After months of therapy and frustration at the confusion of referrals and lost time waiting on Lost Paperwork, and confusion and misinformation, Physical Therapy and breaks in the PT because of skeletal notes by busy docs and trips to the VA Hospital so an official VA Doc could write a referral that someone would pay attention to... :twisted:

Wait, what was I talking about? Oh, Yeah...

I went into the shop the other day to grab my multi-meter to check the lights on Tina's stock trailer... Phew... dead mouse.
Cleaned the shop all up, pulling the tool boxes and work benches away from the wall and finally found the poor sucker... Foul.
I realized that I really missed the work and it was time to get back at it. Christmas is coming.

The Cleaned shop... Mostly it was cleaning up the hundreds of dead bugs all over the floor and the dust. The bugs are from the Exterminator. He's a good guy and sprays my shop for me at no extra charge when he does the outside OR the inside spray treatments every three to six months. I don't know what he uses, but it takes a license to buy and apply and it works. :D Good thing is after it dries it still takes out the bugs but is safe for the dog.

shop c.jpg

I still can't close my fist, and don't have a lot of strength in that hand. NO grip strength, but I can pinch. So, I set up the sanding table, reviewed the notes I had left when I realized I couldn't work on the knife trio after I broke that wrist. Upon that review, I found I had stopped at the 100 grit sanding belt. I slowly but surely changed to the 120 belt and began carefully sanding each of the three knives. All the left hand had to do was provide off side support, while the right did the work. The right guided and rotated the knives thru the sanding process. Carefully sanding and shaping a bit more through each grit.

Here is a look at the sanding setup. A $100 Rikon belt sander, perfect for my needs, hooked to my shop vac to control the dust. I have a drawer full of belts up to about 1,000 grit.

sanding setup c.jpg

The left hand was a bit tender, since yesterday was the first day back to PT in Two Months.. :roll: :evil: It took that long to wade thru the BS to get another 15 visits approved, but I have them locked in and intend to make the most of them. I will start lightly using the left hand, as I am did today. I worked the 120 grit belt, and then changed to the 150. After working that one as well, the hand was calling quits, so I stopped for the day. I will lightly use the hand in conjunction with the Professional PT and the home PT but I will be careful not to overuse it.

The knives were showing improvement. From Left to Right: Cocobolo, Walnut, and Curly Cherry.

knives c.jpg

I will likely work up to 600 or 800 grit and call it golden. I will have to work the finger grooves on the two smaller knives by hand, using cut strips of the various grits of sandpaper to do the final shaping. That might have to wait a month, as I need better control in the left hand in order to do hand work... unless I find a way to adapt. :roll:

Great to be out in the shop again. Watch this space. I may also start work on the sheaths or at least practicing with the leather working tools.
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Ozarkwoodswalker
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Re: A Trio of New Knives

Post by Ozarkwoodswalker » Wed Oct 27, 2021 7:32 pm

Looks great!
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JEBar
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Re: A Trio of New Knives

Post by JEBar » Wed Oct 27, 2021 7:45 pm

really great to see you back in your shop .... looking forward to following your coming projects
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BrokenolMarine
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Re: A Trio of New Knives

Post by BrokenolMarine » Wed Oct 27, 2021 11:33 pm

I will be starting out slow as the left hand isn't sure what the right hand is...
...wait. The left hand doesn't know quite sure yet how to do it's part. It will move along fine then get a severe pain hitch in it's giddy up. :o
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You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
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