Apache Hunter w. kingwood handle

[Nicholas W]

This is my latest knife, a factory made 440C stainless steel blade with mirror finish, made in Japan. The model is called "Apache Hunter".

The handle is made from Mexican Kingwood and artificial mother of pearl, with nickelsilver Corby rivets and a nickelsilver "thong tube".

[singertat2]

man i really like that mexican king wood!!! it looks great on this knife the other you posted also!! great job!

[Nicholas W]

I finished making a sheath for the knife too. Orthopedic leather with a vegetable tanned belt strap, all dyed with reddish brown leather dye.

The handle is very shiny due to the wax coating, and a bit tricky to photograph since I don't have any professional lighting, and a digital camera which is a couple of years old.

[David Johansen]

Everything looks really well done. I tink you should take the next step and do the blade yourself also. From what you are putting out I think you are definitely ready.

I remember from an earlier post you stated that you lived in an apartment and did not have the tools. I did my first one with files and sandpaper. There are many different ways to make a blade and I think you could find a way to make it work. But anyway off my soapbox, your work is just looking really good and it (at least for me) feels so much better to know you made the whole knife. But I also know that many makers don't worry with blades at all. Keep up the good work!!!!

[Nicholas W]

Thanks for the comments, David!

Actually, I just recently made my first own blades, laboriously cut from a sheet of steel and filed to shape, and at this very moment they are off to be hardened and tempered. I posted pics of them in another forum here, and may post a pic or two of the finished results in The Display Case as well.

I do live in an apartment, as you remembered, and the thing I can't play around with is fire (wouldn't be very popular with the landlord if I had a forge in my apartment, I think), so forging and tempering steel is out of the question for me. I'll have to send my future blades off for hardening/tempering, but that's probably not a problem. I'm also unemployed, so money is a bit tight, which means I can't afford more powertools at the moment. I don't have very much in the way of powertools, so most of the work is done with the oldfashioned hand tools and the proverbial elbow grease.

[David Johansen]

Awesome! I would like to see them. Which forum are the pictures on?

[Nicholas W]

My first blades are shown in this thread:

http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=24257

Not very good pics, but I'll take better ones when they return from being hardened/tempered.

[David Johansen]

Those blades look good. I can't wait to see them finished up.