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Another attempt at Stag
- BrokenolMarine
- Ranch Foreman
- Posts: 5832
- Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
- Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
Another attempt at Stag
Made a trip to my knife supply and picked up a blade blank with a hidden tang so it's made for making the Stag Handled knife. I thought I'd give 'er a go. I will accent this one with some buff bone left over from a small skinner with buff scales and red carbon fiber accents. It'll have a brass guard and pommel.
So, you gather up all the goodies to start..... In this starting off pic below you can see that the bone squares have their basic holes cut already. I carefully marked them and drilled a single hole in the center of the one for the top, and a wide slot for the one that will ride down the tang to mate with the guard.
Note also that the guard and pommel are "rough." They will need to be shaped and polished. The slot in the guard has to be filed to fit the tang.
Starting out, you lay out the pieces and make orientation marks on each after deciding what faces which direction and which piece works best where....
After a couple days of work, mainly drilling the hole thru the center of the stag handle, and then filing and filing to make it fit the tang, I was ready to glue up. This included filling the gap around the tang with epoxy using a popsicle stick after sliding the stag on. Otherwise it would rattle. It was left to cure for 24 hours. Looking at that hot mess you wouldn't think it would amount to much would you? I could see the shape I wanted in it, so I had no worries. Okay, I wasn't too worried.
After several sessions of shaping, it's looking pretty good. But I know there is more to do. I need to blend the bone at the guard and pommel and there is a lot of polishing still to be done.
So, you gather up all the goodies to start..... In this starting off pic below you can see that the bone squares have their basic holes cut already. I carefully marked them and drilled a single hole in the center of the one for the top, and a wide slot for the one that will ride down the tang to mate with the guard.
Note also that the guard and pommel are "rough." They will need to be shaped and polished. The slot in the guard has to be filed to fit the tang.
Starting out, you lay out the pieces and make orientation marks on each after deciding what faces which direction and which piece works best where....
After a couple days of work, mainly drilling the hole thru the center of the stag handle, and then filing and filing to make it fit the tang, I was ready to glue up. This included filling the gap around the tang with epoxy using a popsicle stick after sliding the stag on. Otherwise it would rattle. It was left to cure for 24 hours. Looking at that hot mess you wouldn't think it would amount to much would you? I could see the shape I wanted in it, so I had no worries. Okay, I wasn't too worried.
After several sessions of shaping, it's looking pretty good. But I know there is more to do. I need to blend the bone at the guard and pommel and there is a lot of polishing still to be done.
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3 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
- North Country Gal
- Firearms Advisor
- Posts: 6195
- Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2016 12:46 pm
- Location: northern Wisconsin
Re: Another attempt at Stag
You really are an artist. Stag grips are my favorite on single action revolvers. Have you tried making those? Would love to see what you can do.
0 x
- markiver54
- Deputy Marshal
- Posts: 10335
- Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2018 11:49 am
- Location: Biue Ridge Mountains, NC
Re: Another attempt at Stag
Me too!North Country Gal wrote: βThu Feb 22, 2024 6:09 pmYou really are an artist. Stag grips are my favorite on single action revolvers. Have you tried making those? Would love to see what you can do.
No pressure though..
0 x
I'm your Huckleberry
- BrokenolMarine
- Ranch Foreman
- Posts: 5832
- Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
- Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
Re: Another attempt at Stag
I'd love to try, really would. I'd need a piece wide enough. My daughter just gave me a section of longhorn's horn, but it would be rather plain. I'd need a 6" section of elk antler I'd imagine for it to be wide enough for Single action grips.
0 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
- BrokenolMarine
- Ranch Foreman
- Posts: 5832
- Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
- Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
Re: Another attempt at Stag
I spent another couple hours in the shop this morning shaping the handle by hand. I spent a good part of that working on the "guard" transition. I wrapped 60 grit, then 120 and 220 around a dowel at first, then thin strips backed with packing tape and using a shoe shine motion worked the area dampened and hit with a touch of dawn... It still needs a bit more work on a few minor areas (that still show as white) I want them all to be clear black. Then I'll move up to 400, 600, and 800 and polish with rouge so they shine. BUT, the transition is a LOT smoother now and has the smooth slope I saw in my mind.
My internet sucks, as does my phone service. Pictures get caught in limbo. I have a closeup of the improved Pommel transition as well as a new pic of the knife... when they final transfer I'll post those too.
My internet sucks, as does my phone service. Pictures get caught in limbo. I have a closeup of the improved Pommel transition as well as a new pic of the knife... when they final transfer I'll post those too.
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1 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
- BrokenolMarine
- Ranch Foreman
- Posts: 5832
- Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
- Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
Re: Another attempt at Stag
Last two pics for tonight... the view of the pommel after more work on the transition and some blending. Same as the guard. Work thru 220. Still needs polishing.
I'll want to polish and buff both the bone sections and the brass to eliminate as many of the minor faults as I can, and then buff them out and make them shine. Here is a view of the knife improvements up to this point. My skills are coming back, but I am still learning every session.
In the future I might do one of these where I buff away all the stag markings and turn the grip into pure bone, where it looks like ivory.
I'll want to polish and buff both the bone sections and the brass to eliminate as many of the minor faults as I can, and then buff them out and make them shine. Here is a view of the knife improvements up to this point. My skills are coming back, but I am still learning every session.
In the future I might do one of these where I buff away all the stag markings and turn the grip into pure bone, where it looks like ivory.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
1 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
Re: Another attempt at Stag
β Looking at that hot mess you wouldn't think it would amount to much would you?β
That is exactly what I was thinking. I knew you would somehow transform that block of mass into a beautiful flowing knife but at that stage itβs hard to imagine.
That is exactly what I was thinking. I knew you would somehow transform that block of mass into a beautiful flowing knife but at that stage itβs hard to imagine.
0 x
- BrokenolMarine
- Ranch Foreman
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- Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
- Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
Re: Another attempt at Stag
I spent another session in the shop today with 600 and 800 grit polishing and smoothing the transitions of the bone and brass. Repeating the dawn, wet sandpaper, and rinse technique to get that glass smooth look I was working for. The bone sections looked like black glass. I was happy. I went to work on the shape of the pommel, I wanted to get rid of those facets and make it as smooth and rounded as I could. Worked and worked and it was looking good, meanwhile the bone had a chance to dry and white defects appeared again. What the heck?
Then I palm slapped my forehead. They weren't defects. I remembered these were cut offs from actual horn, not black synthetic. They came from this little skinner, look at the accents in the horn...
Well duh, there will BE some yellowish, or whitish color in the buff bone here and there.
I'll be back out tomorrow to start the final polish on the bone and brass. This will involve the dremel, polishing head and the two stages of rouge. Red then white. Hopefully I'll get shiny brass and polished black bone.
Then I can decide if I'll make a sheath or not. That might wait until I decide what to do with the knife, watch for pics when it's completely done.
Then I palm slapped my forehead. They weren't defects. I remembered these were cut offs from actual horn, not black synthetic. They came from this little skinner, look at the accents in the horn...
Well duh, there will BE some yellowish, or whitish color in the buff bone here and there.
I'll be back out tomorrow to start the final polish on the bone and brass. This will involve the dremel, polishing head and the two stages of rouge. Red then white. Hopefully I'll get shiny brass and polished black bone.
Then I can decide if I'll make a sheath or not. That might wait until I decide what to do with the knife, watch for pics when it's completely done.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
2 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
- BrokenolMarine
- Ranch Foreman
- Posts: 5832
- Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:28 am
- Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
Re: Another attempt at Stag
Alrighty Then.
Got out in the shop this morning and spent a couple hours with the pencil dremel and some red and some white rouge polishing the brass and bone. Took my time and got the sheen I wanted. The knife is done. I was joking with the wife that I didn't know what I'd do with it... but I finally told her it was destined to be the knife on my western gun belt. I'm happy.
Once I decide to make the gunbelt and holster, then I'll make the sheath for the knife. I'm in no rush... Now I have to decide which KNIFE is next up...
Got out in the shop this morning and spent a couple hours with the pencil dremel and some red and some white rouge polishing the brass and bone. Took my time and got the sheen I wanted. The knife is done. I was joking with the wife that I didn't know what I'd do with it... but I finally told her it was destined to be the knife on my western gun belt. I'm happy.
Once I decide to make the gunbelt and holster, then I'll make the sheath for the knife. I'm in no rush... Now I have to decide which KNIFE is next up...
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
2 x
You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
- markiver54
- Deputy Marshal
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- Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2018 11:49 am
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