Barlow work in progress.

[Brett Holmes]

Well i have finished my first day of working on the barlow and here are some pictures of what i've come up with.
So far its all going pretty well, everything is lining up pretty good and there havn't been any un fixable slipups. i have learnt a bucket load of stuff. i have heard of people mentioning how titanium sparks can start fires and i can see why, grinding it reminds me of science class in school where they burn the strip of magnesium, the sparks arent yellow, theyre bright white, and if you get it real hot they pop at the end.
also titanium really is a prick to work, i tried to cut it with the hacksaw but that was like pissing in the wind, so i got out the dremel cut off wheels and while it did get it done it wasnt neat and i used a bloody lot of wheels.

i tried to square up my drill press table before i started which was good because it turns out it was about 2 degrees out but i didnt get the bolt tightenough once i was done and had to fix it 3 times. But i think its pretty good now.
I wasnt sure what to expect when i reamed the holes for the fisrt time so was a bit suprised how easily the reamer goes through, although i guess the drill bit did all the hard work first.

so on the checklist i have profiled the blade, backspacer and liners, placed all the dowels and pivot pin, so tomorow i need to grind the angle on the lock up area and then cut the lock out, then theres a bunch of holes to drill and tap. Tommorow is looking like a biiiig day, but by the end i think it will really be starting to look like a knife.

brett

[Doc Hollywood]

Good start Brett. Hopefully I will be starting mine soon as well.

[Don Robinson]

Brett, you may not have left enough material on the heel of the blade. I never finish that part until the detent ball is in place. Your ball may track off the heel. Not really a problem, but it's best to keep it on the blade.

[Brett Holmes]

2nd day of working, i decided to take some pics and post them during the lunch break. i slept in so i didnt get much done. i stated by hand filing the lock up area on the tang and it went pretty well, then i cut the lock out with the dremel which was hard to hold straight but it came out ok and then i filed it to fit. i have also trimmed the pivot pin and screws to the corect length, so i will probably head off now and place the detent and drill the holes to hold it together.

brett

[Don Robinson]

Nice work, Brett.

[Brett Holmes]

i didnt get to post a pic last night because i couldnt get on the computer but here it is now, its the end of work on the second day. with the blade with a messed up detent hole.
when i look at all the holes in the liner its a pretty crazy and daunting looking project, but its actually pretty easy you just drill one hole then 2 more then another 2 and before you know it theres holes alll over the place.
I found the Ti pretty easy to tap, i just went slow 1 turn forward, half a turn back and they all went cleanly without a hitch. i spent this morning making a new blade after i messed up the detent hole but now im back where i started. i think i might go grind the blade and HT it and then start working on the handle.

Brett

[Brett Holmes]

alright day 3 has come to a close but unfortunately i wasnt able to finish the knife, i probably would have if it werent for a few slip ups but such is life.
today i ground the blade and added the bolsters and scales, i also heat treated the blade and spine.
i havnt got the bolsters and scales right down to size yet and the blade is still covered in scale but i decided to assemble anyway so i could see how its going.
i have discoved that the blade isnt sitting in the centre when closed but i think this is the lock pushing it to the side because there is a bit of slop in the pivot, i think the pin needs shortening maybe.

i got one heck of a scare while useing the disk sander when it decided to pass my bolster and my finger past the rest, luckily it just sanded my nail and gave a small cut, and thankfully the bolster only got a few minor scratches. the worst thing is it tore my last disk so i couldnt use it to make the bolsters and scales fit right.

sadly tommorow i have to go back to work so i wont have a day to work on the knife till next friday, bummer.

i decided to use my last bit of damascus for the bolsters and celuloid tortoise shell for the scales. im thinking i might try to heat colour the bolsters at some stage.

brett

[Don Robinson]

I'm right proud of you, Brett. Looking good there.

You're exactly right about the pivot pin being too long, or the bushing. If there is too much play in the pivot the lock spring will push the blade off center.

[Don Robinson]

Originally Posted by Doc Hollywood

Good start Brett. Hopefully I will be starting mine soon as well.

Wellll?

[Trenton Entwistle]

Looks like it's coming together real nice! I've been away for a while, glad to see this is still happening

Trenton

[BMiller]

Brett,

Very good, looks like you're right on track. It's really coold when you have all the parts laying there and you wonder if it's all gonna fit. Then you assemble it and it goes together like it should. I knew you could get it done.

Bill

[Don Robinson]

Originally Posted by twisty

Looks like it's coming together real nice! I've been away for a while, glad to see this is still happening

Trenton

Have you been in jail, Trenton?

[Trenton Entwistle]

Actually Don, yes . Our prison guards here are on strike and my police force is mandated to cover off. I've been doing guard duty for a while now. That and we had our first baby on Nov. 30, been pretty busy

Trenton

[Don Robinson]

Well, at least you're on the right side of the bars.

[Brett Holmes]

well friday finnaly came however it seemed to be gone far too quickly.

i did get a few hours of work done though and i shaped the handle right down to finished dimentions, now it just needs sanding to a nice fine grit, the scales are almost ready to polish but the bolsters are still at 80 grit and i need to buy a drill bit to recess the screw holes. so heres where im up to now.




unforunately my brothers car broke down so i have lent him mine which means i cant go anywhere tommorow and wont be able to get any work done, so it looks like another week till this knife gets finished.

brett