First knife with wip pics (pic heavy)

[Baelfore]

hi all,

so I finished this a while back but my camera went missing and I only found it the other day.

I wanted to do a Sammi style handle Since I first saw it on the Ravenlore website last year (Thank you Wayland), before I came across this forum.

I used the usual karesuando scandinavian knife kit and an extra bit of reindeer antler.

it's a 10cm carbon blade. no photos of the cutting of the different peices as I forgot to take them after the frustration of breaking two drill bits due to poor use, one of which actually left half the bit in the peice of curly birch which nearly caused my to scrap the project in frustration.:aargh4:
managed to get it out in the end, but it would come back to haunt me later...

all done by hand tools with no lecy.

I started out with just curly burch,reindeer leather and antler..
but when stacked it up i still had a little over a 1mm left on the tang,
so it accured to me that I had a few thick peices of birch bark I had been saving to make containers from, so two stacks of four and to more leather spacers later





I used Xpoxy (2hr work time) because it was what the local hardeware shop had, and I always prefer to support these small idependent businesses when I can istead of using the net. cheesy but hey.

While the epoxy was drying I roughed out a firesteel hadle from the leaft over piece of curly brich.

Next up was the filing and sanding. Japeneze saw rasp made this almost to easy.



it was at this point that my earlier damage with the hand drill reared its ugly head. that black spot on the handle is the hole which had filled with epoxy. any way after more sanding I had a shape I liked



After a few coats of raw linseed oil to the wood it was finished. It slopes in slightly to one side which,while an accident and not that aestheticly pleasing, coincedently fits the shape of my hand when griping. The cut peices of antler are not perfectly straight either, and the epoxy filled the cracks.



at this point it was two nights before my first bivi, and I wasn't going to have enough time to make a sheath, but again through pure coincidence, it fit perfectly into the plactic sheath that came with my mora wood carver.
so here it is with the curly birch fire steel from the trip.


Its far from perfect, with lots of beginners mistakes, and nothing compared to most of the knives seen on here but I love it anyway!


thanks for looking. all feedback or advice greatly recieved.

(P.S. please dont judge me by the mess in the shed)

Regards,
Baelfore

 

[John Fenna]

I have seen a lot worse!
A great first attempt - but be aware that this is a habit forming pastime!

 

[Robbi]

you made that look so easy !! spot on mate

 

[Dreadhead]

nice work, more good inspiration

 

[Biker]

Superb work, and no leccy either, that's even more impressive! Bravo!

I have two TP Knife blanks sitting in a drawer right beisde me waiting to have handles and sheaths made for them. Gonna have to get my finger out and do them someday, reading threads like this are and inspiration... as well as making me feel guilty. Thanks on both counts.

 

[Harvestman]

That has lots of character. You will always be fond of it.

I've yet to make a knife. One day...

 

[Albus Culter]

As said great first try and its very addictive.

My one bit of advice. Grab a pencil and paper. Draw round the blade before you start and draw out the handle shape you fancy. Its easier to see the lines and change them on paper. Then draw this on the wood and work to these lines. Keep drawing it on as you cut, or rasp the guide lines away.

 

[MertzMan]

It's very addictive! A first knife is full of little quirks, but come second time around you'll know what to do to make it even better.

That still is a very pretty effort. I'd be proud to make something like that

 

[Niels]

That's a lovely knife, especcially for a first time. You should be really proud. +one on what albus said, and also to get your reindeer spacers to match up a bit better, you could use a piece of wood like this with a hole that fits the spacer. Simply go over it with a course file and it will be easy to get a flat spacer.


2013-05-07 11.15.43 by Sami knives, on Flickr

 

[Baelfore]

Thanks for all the kind words and suggestions.

I did originally draw out the handle, but while sanding and rasping I hit a knot and ended up trying to remove it. big mistake on my part, but happy with it all the same.

Neils, definietly going to try that for filing the antle next time, thanks!

and you're right it is slightly addictive, spent the day cutting antler spacers for my second blade!