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.