|
|
Register | All Photos | FAQ | Members List | Calendar | ShopStream (Radio/TV) | Search | Today's Posts | Mark Forums Read |
The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need. |
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
||||
|
||||
A First for Me!
Normally, I might have posted pics of a new knife in the Display Case, but since this is my first hidden tang, after hundreds of knives and nine years of knifemaking, I figured I was a newbie at this style and so here I am.
The blade is differentially heat treated 1080 in a classic Nessmuk profile, etched to reveal the hamon. The handle is white tale antler tip, and the hardware is old-school brass (seemed appropriate). I dislike soldering, so I used the old JB trick to seal the tang/guard junction. The process felt odd, but was actually easier and faster than a typical full tang build. So much of this knife is alien to me that it hardly looks like my work. I almost never do guards, brass anything, flat grinds, antler (even scales), squared off ricassos, etc. The sheath is forthcoming. This knife's future is uncertain. As a landmark knife, I hesitate to sell it. __________________ Andy Garrett https://www.facebook.com/GarrettKnives?ref=hl Charter Member - Kansas Custom Knifemaker's Association www.kansasknives.org "Drawing your knife from its sheath and using it in the presence of others should be an event complete with oos, ahhs, and questions." Last edited by Andrew Garrett; 10-03-2014 at 11:32 PM. |
#2
|
||||
|
||||
Nice Andy! Always good to venture out from the norm. I seem to do this type in clusters (depending on how many point are on the rack I'm cutting up). Very classic and well executed. I normally do a cast in place pewter guard instead of fiddling with fitting up. Lot easier once you figure the casting process out.
Thanks for sharing. ***don't let it be the last*** __________________ Carl Rechsteiner, Bladesmith Georgia Custom Knifemakers Guild, Charter Member Knifemakers Guild, voting member Registered Master Artist - GA Council for the Arts C Rex Custom Knives Blade Show Table 6-H |
#3
|
||||
|
||||
Very nice, Andy! It looks like you might be wiping the JB off too soon, I see what appears to be a gap where the guard meets the blade on one side. That can happen if the JB is wiped off before it sets up enough to stay in there. To avoid that, put the JB all around the tang, slide the guard over it so a bead is pushed ahead of the guard . The bead should be all the way around the the front of the guard. Wait exactly 10 minutes and then use a damp, not wet, paper towel to wipe off the excess. That should leave JB standing in that gap just the same way solder would be if you had used that method ...
|
#4
|
||||
|
||||
A trick that even makes Ray's suggestion a bit easier:
Once you have the guard try-fitted to your satisfaction, clean everything up with acetone and reinstall guard one more time. Gently "paint" some paste furniture wax around the guard and up the blade 1/4" above the joint. Do not force wax into joint, but lightly paint right up to juncture. Let set for a minute or two then carefully remove guard without disturbing or smearing wax. Mix up you JB and add a little black dye to match the steel better. Apply glue to tang - as Ray said enough so that you squeeze up a bead when firmly in place. Here's where I deviate just a little - I keep a skewed "chisel" sharpened stick (bamboo skewers work great for this) and test some of the residual JB on the mixing card. After about 30 min. it starts becoming rubbery instead of tacky. Just use the stick to lightly lift the bead away from the juncture. It should ease right off with no mess. A light swipe with a Q tip and acetone or WD40 will remove any residual and smooth up the joint nicely. Set aside overnight to cure out completely. Hanging by the tang is suggested if you did not achieve a friction fit on the guard. No surprises in the morning that way, just sometimes ...... well.... So simple you wouldn't believe it! __________________ Carl Rechsteiner, Bladesmith Georgia Custom Knifemakers Guild, Charter Member Knifemakers Guild, voting member Registered Master Artist - GA Council for the Arts C Rex Custom Knives Blade Show Table 6-H |
#5
|
||||
|
||||
Thanks for the tips fellas! Having enjoyed this exercise, I'll be doing more as long as I can get the lines right. And, because I enjoy so much thumbing my nose at what is popular, I think I'll be using more brass in my knives.
Once I realized that this was not going to be a business on which I relied for basic income and that I didn't care if I ever became 'a name' in the knifemaking world, it became fun again--just making the knives I wanted to make. __________________ Andy Garrett https://www.facebook.com/GarrettKnives?ref=hl Charter Member - Kansas Custom Knifemaker's Association www.kansasknives.org "Drawing your knife from its sheath and using it in the presence of others should be an event complete with oos, ahhs, and questions." |
#6
|
||||
|
||||
That's pretty much been my thinking....Don't like it? Don't buy it!
This is a little messinaround piece I did at my Hammer-in weekend ago. Call it a "Plumber's Necker" from a 6" Rigid PW. Not finished - still needs refinement, installing WI bail, and colorization, plus sheath. It's adjustable! Grandson said it'd give you something to play with while waiting on the paramedics (yeah he's a real wiseguy). OAL is about 4". __________________ Carl Rechsteiner, Bladesmith Georgia Custom Knifemakers Guild, Charter Member Knifemakers Guild, voting member Registered Master Artist - GA Council for the Arts C Rex Custom Knives Blade Show Table 6-H Last edited by Crex; 04-11-2019 at 06:40 AM. |
#7
|
||||
|
||||
Carl can you explain the guard casting?
__________________ Austin Colvin |
#8
|
||||
|
||||
Read the post again....it is the adjusting nut for the wrench jaw.
__________________ Carl Rechsteiner, Bladesmith Georgia Custom Knifemakers Guild, Charter Member Knifemakers Guild, voting member Registered Master Artist - GA Council for the Arts C Rex Custom Knives Blade Show Table 6-H |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
I don't normally like high polish finishes, but I have to say that is pretty darn slick Andy. I really like that blade profile.
__________________ Zen R. ZCR Knives West Central Connecticut |
#10
|
||||
|
||||
Thanks all!
And Zen, the blade is etched with a hamon, not polished, but I can see why is might look like it is in that first pic--like it is reflecting the ceiling or something. Especially since the guard is polished. __________________ Andy Garrett https://www.facebook.com/GarrettKnives?ref=hl Charter Member - Kansas Custom Knifemaker's Association www.kansasknives.org "Drawing your knife from its sheath and using it in the presence of others should be an event complete with oos, ahhs, and questions." |
#11
|
||||
|
||||
Thought I would share a tip with using the JB weld on guards.
Once the guard is on and mashed out onto the face and ricasso ,you can use WD-40 on a cotton swab to clean it up and smooth it out. Helps keep everything clean and allows you to clean it up right away. Also allows you to go back and fill a gap if you NEED to which if you do your fit up right you shouldnt but there is always a chance. Works for calking on bathtubs too __________________ Romey Cowboy inc Keep a light rein, a foot on each side and a faraway look http://www.highcountryknives.com |
#12
|
||||
|
||||
I never used WD40 on the glue joint because I thought it would contaminate the surface and not allow re-adhesion without an acetone cleanup. I'm with you, a tight fit will eliminate most fill-in-the-gap issues best.
Of course, even using acetone in excess can compromise the integrity of the glue itself by breaking down the bond. Always use sparingly.....just enough, no more. __________________ Carl Rechsteiner, Bladesmith Georgia Custom Knifemakers Guild, Charter Member Knifemakers Guild, voting member Registered Master Artist - GA Council for the Arts C Rex Custom Knives Blade Show Table 6-H |
Tags |
antler, blade, brass, build, display case, fixed blade, full tang, guard, hamon, handle, hardware, heat, hidden, hidden tang, knife, knifemaking, knives, nessmuk, newbie, post, profile, sell, sheath, tang, white |
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|