Amber Stag

[Charles Vestal]

Hello Steve;

I was wondering how you clean the dye off of amber stag before you use it?

I picked some up from Mother Of Pearl Inc. at the Blade Show but it will make a mess of your hands very quickly.

Thanks

Charles

[Don Cowles]

Wipe the gluing surface with acetone. Other than that, I have had no problems.

[Charles Vestal]

Thanks Don, I didn't know if the dye residue would stain you hands badly or not.

Take Care
Charles

[Steve]

Just get an old towel and put on some plastic or rubber gloves and rub the heck out of the outer bark surface. It will stain your hands, badly, at least it does mine if you don't. I give my kids some of those cheap disposable latex(?) gloves and pay them to rub off the surface. That helps A LOT! I will even use those disposable gloves when I'm grinding away the inner surface, thinning down the stag.

http://www.mcmaster.com/ (Disposable gloves, pg. 1645) You can get them lots of places.

[Charles Vestal]

Thanks Steve, I will have to see how much my two girls(8&12 years old) will charge me to learn this very important part of knifemaking.

Take Care
Charles

[Steve]

It's a dirty job. Pay them well! Maybe the acetone route would be better, I'll have to try that. Get gloves that it won't dissolve, though!!

[Charles Vestal]

Thanks for the help with the amber stag.

I thought I would post the knife that I put it on.

Sorry Steve for the ,I hope resemblence to your backpacker model.
Please let me know what you think about it good or bad.

Take Care

Charles

[john foxwell]

Charles,

That is very nice, well done, I like everything about it.

What dye did you use on the stag?

[Steve]

It might look a little bit like a Backpacker, but you know that's a Loveless design anyway, not mine, though I do believe I was there when the first one was made..............maybe, perhaps, coulda been........long time ago.

I totally love that knife, the blade, the stag, the sheath, the bolsters the drop point. Very excellent job! About a perfect bird/trout knife, or EDC, if you ask me. Thanks for showing it to us. Did you have Culpepper stain it?

[rhrocker]

Very nice Charles. Are the steel surfaces bead blasted? If so, what grit, psi, any other info you can offer.
Thanks!
Robert

[Charles Vestal]

Thanks all for the kind review.
I do like the style of this knife. I didn't know that it was a Loveless design, have never seen one of his or you have made some changes over the years from the original.

The Stag is from Mother of Pearl Inc, it was pre dyed when I bought it at the Blade Show.

Robert, The surface finish is hand rubbed 800 grit. The lighting in my photo box seemed to wash out the hand rubbed finish.

Thanks Again
Charles

[Steve]

That's not exactly a Loveless Backpacker design, just reminiscent of same. Looks like you have your own style there, though there are many small drop point-types around, I guess. Whatever, it's a great looking little knife!

If I could figure out how to do it, I'd post a Backpacker here, but since I'm too dumb, there are two on my web site, if you want to search them out, #'s 17, engraved with stag and 19, mokume guard and Bighorn sheep, from the top as you scroll down, on this page: http://www.srjknives.com/hunters.htm

[Charles Vestal]

Steve, I'm sorry about the wording in my last post. I should have said I didn't know that the Backpacker as you make them was a Loveless design.

Thanks Again
Charles

[Steve]

Hey no problem. You've just got one very nice little knife there!