A Boot Knife Build

[BrokenolMarine]

I just can't help myself, I have to build. I ordered some blanks from Jantz, and they delivered the order in two days. $15 including priority shipping. Cheaper than the gas to drive down and the EXTRA money I would have spent picking up things I saw on the counter when I tried to check out with just the things on the list. Five Blades, and a Card File. (Used to clean the files when they get clogged.) Taking my time, and practicing leather work by making sheaths for each knife, these blanks should give me four months or so of shop time. $300 ish.

aug 2024 jantz order.jpg

[BrokenolMarine]

The boot knife I'm going to build is on the right, second down. I had planned to get really fancy again, then decided to use the stag panels I picked up when I went to the dentist. It's a boot knife, and it might actually get used.

01 Chose Stag Scales.jpg

The Amber highlights in the one panel caught my attention and I really liked them. The second panel was mostly Black, and I didn't care for it as much, so I spent about forty-five minutes working the panel with some 120 then 220 grit sandpaper and water to remove some of the thick stain that it appeared they had dipped it into. Not only did it pull the amber / orange color out to attempt to match the other panel, but it deepened the texture which had finish caked in the valleys of the bone. Time to move to bolsters, which I chose copper for, since it would accent the amber in the scales.

Cutting bar stock copper sucks. I crew the hacksaw blade thru a chunk of wax, and got cutting. Whew, two sections cut, and then I was done for that session. I would begin shaping and polishing during the next time in the shop.

02 cut rough copper bolster.jpg

[BrokenolMarine]

First up, I got the rough shape of the bolsters done. Shaping them on the bench sander took a while as you can sand for about five seconds, then you have to cool in the water, they heat up FAST. Try to go too long and you'll end up with a blister. Don't ask me how I know this, it's a lesson you only want to learn ONCE.

03 Rough shaped bolsters.jpg

Once they were shaped, I used the holes in the center of the blade blank to mark the spacing for the holes in the bolsters, then drilled them. If I am getting better at pinning then peening, you won't SEE the pins in the bolsters, but I wanted to try and make them consistent if they are seen.

04 Drilled first bolsters.jpg

Eh, they came out slightly off. If they were going to be seen, I would have REcut the first one not drilled the second to match, nor used the bolster as a template later to drill the blank. As it were, I pinned them together and textured the facing edge, that will be 90 degrees to the blade rather than rolling it. It will reflect in that polished blade for an effect. We'll see how it looks later. I have seen it done with other knives and liked the effect.

05 pair drilled and textured face.jpg

[BrokenolMarine]

Time to drill the blank, so I set up a bolster to use for the template.

06 bolster for template.jpg

Each carbide bit needs a certain speed to function correctly. I hadn't known this previously, but now that I know, I try and be a good ToolMan. I set the drill press to use the 1/8 bit. You change the belts to reflect the speed you want. PITA but it's what you do.

07 changed bit speed.jpg

To drill the second hole, I pinned the first hole, then marked the location of the second hole, CAREFULLY set up the press to drill the second and ... crossed my fingers and toes and had at it. It worked. Bazinga....

08 marked blank then drilled.jpg

IF my peening skills work out, it won't matter that my holes are slightly out of line, so I will peen very carefully. It might be a day or so before we find out, as I will tool the edges of the blank before I set the bolsters. Watch this space for updates.

09 bolsters and blank drilled.jpg

I know, I know, the suspense is killing you. Like those old two part Batman and Robin episodes when we were kids, that split over a weekend when part ONE was on a Friday. Didn't you hate that?

[BrokenolMarine]

That blue stuff on the blank? Marking dye so that the pencil marks are easily seen. It's nothing. It gets sanded away before glueup.

[Hatchdog]

Understanding the offset holes was not your intent and you will be able to conceal the offset really it looks kinda cool like that. But I can appreciate your being not pleased with the outcome as it wasn’t intentional.

[BrokenolMarine]

Yeah Hatch, my intention was that if they showed, they mimic the holes in the body of the knife. But, hopefully my peening skills are improving and they won't show or be very faint when I am done. Slowly and Carefully has been improving the results in the last few attempts, so we will see.

This morning I will mark the edges of the blank and start the accent tooling of the body of the knife. Hopefully the serpentine pattern will look awesome crawling around the blank from bolster to bolster.

[BigAl52]

Marine do they sell any folding knife blanks at all? Similar to like a Benchmark Bug Out

[BrokenolMarine]

Marine do they sell any folding knife blanks at all? Similar to like a Benchmark Bug Out

They sell a LOT of them, kits and just the bare blanks, plus all sorts of accessories, in case you want to slick up an existing knife. Jeweled posts, slick bearings, etc. Check them out and tell me what YOU think. I love these folks.

www.Knifemaking.com

[BrokenolMarine]

Didn't get to work on the knife Saturday, errands. One was a run to Hobby Lobby. Miss T wanted to catch the new sale, Material was on sale and she had promised to make several more quilts for a veterans charity she volunteers for. But, the Jewelry (Beads) were back on half price, so I was going to stock up. I'd find what I might need for future sheaths, holsters, belts...

Once I got home, I broke down the necklaces, and sorted the components by size and color into the bead keepers Miss T found online. I was paying for the previous day's activities, so it was a rest day. I could sort sitting inside.

[BrokenolMarine]

A long session in the shop this morning after coffee. The first step is the layout and the blue layout dye really helps.
I measured 1/2 centimeter spacing between marks and used a scratch awl to mark the spacing. Then went back with a ruler to square up the marking. I used a compass to mark the spacing due to the curved nature of the knife blank, and I ran the markings around the blank from the finger holes to the back of the blank on both sides, then put two marks in the angled back, splitting the space in thirds, and a single in the very back due to the small space. All about balance, as I saw it.

10 half centimeter layout.jpg

[BrokenolMarine]

The next step this morning was cutting the notches. This is always a pucker factor as the whole layout depends on the layout, and these small notches. Get the layout wrong and the notches will be wrong. Miss on the notches and the pattern will STILL be wrong. The notches guide the rest of the process as they keep the files or the Dremel on track. I puckered up and started with the hacksaw.

Ah, NO, the Bi-Metal 32 tooth blade just skidded. This Blank was HARD. I pulled out the full size Dremel and found the metal cutting disk. I put it on the pencil Dremel and set it at 2/5 speed.

11 to to cut the notches.jpg

I took my time and was as careful as possible in cutting the reference notches. A slight mistake works, as you can correct that when you widen the notch to make the pattern. Skid off and ruin the edges or cut the notch in the wrong place entirely, you have to change the pattern. (Don't ask how I know this.. ... but I have a knife with a chain pattern on the spine that I didn't know existed when the serpentine no longer was possible.)

12 notches cut.jpg

[BrokenolMarine]

Ah, yup, there is a small skid or two, but I'm good with it.

[BrokenolMarine]

Because the blade blanks I use are already hardened, I discovered I was working myself to death trying to use files to work the patterns and asking questions I found the solution. I ordered this set to use to cut the hardened metal. They do the job, but... YOU have a learning curve, they spin and can get away from you and skitter across whatever you are working on and CUT while they skitter... Um... it's not a pretty sight.

13 tool for widening.jpg

I started widening with a sharp pointed cutter that rounded toward the back. Start with the tip in the notch, the left hand ON the bench, right hand in the left and FULL control of the Dremel. Slowly move up the bit and widening the notch.

14 start widening.jpg

Once the entire blank had been widened, I switched to an rounded oval and and worked my way around again, further widening the pattern and rounding square edges. Not great yet, but my patterns are improving. I have to move slowly and maintain that two hand control. ONE slip and the dreaded "Skitter Monster" will appear. Got it widened and we are ready to smooth and polish.

15 widened.jpg

[BrokenolMarine]

I started to polish with 120 grit paper and the pink school eraser on the entire blade, removing the blue layout dye from the entire blank. Then pulled out the custom, high dollar, wood and gum polishing tool. It must have cost... $0.50 to make.

17 started to polish.jpg

A closer look at the tool. Everything doesn't have to come from some custom shop. A popsicle stick and a couple slices from one of the bulk purchased erasers and I can get into cracks and turned on edge, into angles. I sanded up through 400 grit...

16 high dollar custom sanding tool.jpg

I spent a good hour polishing and buffing with the Dremel and the Black rouge, meant to smooth rough spots. It's polished for now. As we move farther into the build it will be polished up to 800, 1000, maybe even 1500 grit and red rouge.

18 polished for now.jpg

[BrokenolMarine]

Next session I can peen the bolsters in place and start looking at mounting the stag scales. Ooh Rah.

[BrokenolMarine]

I went out to peen the bolsters and this is what I saw... the textured bolster faces.

19 The textured bolsters.jpg

I started thinking about it, and decided I wasn't totally happy with that look so I used the kit to give them a bit more texture and still, wasn't happy. What to do to make the grumpy old man happy. I know, add MORE texture. I got out the ruler and marked off a layout.

20 more texture.jpg

With a small diamond file, I cross hatched both bolster faces. I would have checkered them, but for two reasons.
1. I didn't have the checkering files.
2. I have never checkered anything because, I have no clue how to do it.

21 cross hatched.jpg

[BrokenolMarine]

Time to prep the bolsters for mounting. I got out the Tapered Reamer kit and opened the holes slightly. If you have followed any of the other builds, you may remember this allows the peened pins to expand and pull the bolster down tight against the knife blank in case the epoxy fails. You can retain the bolsters or scales with ONLY the pins with this method. Some skip the epoxy all together. I wear a belt and suspenders, just in case.

22 tapered reamer.jpg

I won't show the entire process again, lets just say, it worked better than last time, and much better than the very first attempt. On this side, you almost can't see the pins at all, they are barely visible if you know to look for them...

23 barely visible.jpg

On the opposite side, they have disappeared. If I'm lucky, I won't discover them when I buff out the scratches.

24 disappeared on this one.jpg

The face treatment DOES do what I had hoped and reflects in the polished blade at the front of the knife.

25 reflection.jpg

[BrokenolMarine]

Yes, I will address slightly rolling the front edge when I polish the bolsters from 600 to 1500 grit. I started it just a tad when I buffed away the last of the pins but didn't want to overdo.

[BrokenolMarine]

An overall view so far. I'm happy.

26 full view.jpg

Now, use your imagination and picture the knife with the stag scales in place, you know, shaped and all. The copper really brings out the color doesn't it?

27 imagination.jpg

We are getting there. I have to decide if I put a liner between the scales and the blade blank, or just go with the stag. If I go with the liner, what color, Ivory? Black? Red? Decisions, Decisions. The fate of (my) The World could ride on this.

Watch this space.