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Good point Dave, I'm still undecided if in putting a thin stainless steel sheet under the wood scales full length for added strength and to look pretty. But I will definitely need some shim washers.
Ive got 3 different Hultafors knives (heavy duty,safety tip,and a standard blade) they are excellent little knives , The Heavy duty one surprised me especially, how I've not broken it yet is a mystery , the scabbard part is very good too as you can bung it in the dishwasher.....and a very fair price
Not seen the file sided one before though....*tries to resist adding it to shopping cart* Im so weak
Looking at different grinds at the moment . the blade is 5.5mm thick Suggestions on a postcard please ?
Ive also got some clay that Im gonna use to sculpt the scales is so I can feel what size and shape feels good and then try and copy that to the side scales . the rough plan is to wrap the blade in cling film so it wont stick too much . mould it to the shape I want . then try and split it length ways and lay them flat to dry a bit, so I can measure them and the copies can be made ...unless you guys have any Ideas
With a blade that thick I'd go for sabre (tall scandi). Depends on what tools you have though really.
Here a hultafors heavy duty I rehandled in plumb/brass.
If I had the means to drill hardened steel (no bit I have bought can do so without breaking) I'd have a go at a friction folder or two made from these blades.
Thats a lovely little knife Samon, I will re handel my ones like that... if I ever manage to break or damage one . I do like the plastic handles when out crafting bushes as you can see them easily amongst leaves and they are easily cleaned . I suppose I could dye the wood pink
(probably telling granny how to suck eggs but) To drill Hard steel you need a drill press at the correct speed (small fast big drills slow),lots and lots of lubricant and good drills . I like to use Dorma HSS drills they last so much longer than the chocolate ones from B&Q , Start a small pilot hole and work up to the size you want ....or invest in a pilot drill with a carbide tip and then work up the sizes with normal ones.. if that fails heat up the area to be drilled till cherry red leave it to cool slowly and then have a stab at it
Im a tool ***** , If I ain't got it I can get it , Ive you a bench grinder with various grades and a buffing wheel, Angle grinders, and a belt sander that sits up side down on my bench so it can be used as a linisher .
After all my talk of tools , I have now decided to keep it simple and build a filing jig , As the knife is so thick (5.5mm) its gonna take a while, but thats fine. Im enjoying the tinkering about . Im gonna file from edge to edge with the two thicknesses of ply set up , and then remove one for the final grind so it's slightly steeper
Its form a gurkha Kukri knife My Grandad was in Burma in WW2 he said It was to stop blood running down the back if the knife and making the handle slippery.
So as its a bushcraft knife, in all likelihood it will be used to pop open some messy bunnies or fish
I know it adds a plane of weakness but it looks kinda cool and gramps would have loved it
Few pics of my first scale making experience,Lets call it a TEST RUN for the final product. However it has turned out to be a futile exercise and a total waste of time...Well not a total waste,I've learnt quite a lot form it, like how to make sure the blade is only sticking out 3" instead of 3.5"
Heat treating tomorrow me thinks ...But for now I think I will look for sympathy for my stupidity in the bottom of a bottle of beer
The blade is always the easy bit! My advice is make a template, and having failed a couple of friction folder handles my template heleped me get it right for once!
Its helped me loads deciding what I want it to eventually look like , I realised early on it was wrong but stuck with it for practice and to see what it felt like to use, Got a bit carried away with the "Jimping" (didn't know it was called that ) But it feels nice to hold the scales just need to be shunted forward 1/2 and inch , the main fixing bolt is a bit messy too where the drill wobbled
I will make a template now I know what i'm looking for , Also discovered I don't need a pin to stop the blade (as in a peasant knife)as the file sits into the cut out nice and snug , and Im gonna make it shorter at the back , and this time the wood wont be given its beautiful finish with WD40 either
lol my advise with the fixing bolt/pivot is to use th drillbit in the hand. Do not use the drill, simplyhold the drill but with your hands. That way you can deliver a clean and controlled cut for the hole. Infact I would use a smaller drillbit than the diametre of the bolt thing, then slowly try and test when filing to get that perfect snug and tudy fit.
Im a lot happier with these, Now I have a legal 3" blade and its a lot less bulky than it was, it still feels a bit thick to hold ..think its gonna be a toss up between strength and grip. If I make them too thin I think they might break . The only other options I can think of is to have a play with some denim Micarta (not sure how strong it is ) or glue stainless steel to the back the wood scales
I still need to finish off the grind a tiny bit , then it will be ready for quenching and tempering some time next week ....oh this is so stressful
Really need to get this done, I think the universe is conspiring against me....I have been stricken with the terrible condition that some call decorating.
Got some more done tonight . Its finally starting to look like a real knife. used 80 grit to remove the gouges left after filing, Then 180 wet and dry to smooth out scratches
with any luck Ill get it heated and quenched this week
Pre heat the forge for 10 mins and then bung in the blade
The file end wasn't heating enough so I flipped it around length ways so it was heated evenly all over
when I was satisfied with the heat ,I dunked it into the oil
It came out with a layer of slag on it from the quench
I cleaned off the oil and slag gently because it is extremely delicate until its tempered and gave it a rough sand off
I then took it outside my shed to look at it the light and ....er ....kinda dropped it uppy_dog
so sorry for letting down anyone who is following this thread, But I have learnt loads from this ....Like look at the perfect martensite microstructure
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