Knife made from a sheep shear

[Mike Ameling]

This came up on one of the 18th Century living history forums, so I though it might be of interest here.

I made this knife earlier this year. I took one half of a sheep shear clipper, and turned it
into a knife with an antler handle. There are two iron pins (nails) holding the antler handle
to the blade. You do have to pick and choose carefully when looking for an old shears
to use. Of course, don't start with one that's been sharpened/worn back a lot. And
look for one that is all forged. Some are machine stamped from thinner steel. They tend
to have the top edge lapped back over to help stiffen the blade. The rest is to just cut off
the spring loop, shape up the handle material, drill a couple holes for pins/rivets, and
assemble it.

There are a number of knifes made from sheep shears in museums and private
collections. But the time period for them is the 1800's, and mostly the late 1800's. So
is is historically based. The originals tended to be made/modified by the Indians,
but some were "farm/ranch made" to meet an immediate need.

It does take a little getting used to the shape of the blade. It is flat on one side,
and tapered on the other - just like one half of a sissors. The better sheep shears to
start with have a smooth taper. Some of the later ones taper just a little across the
blade, and then have a steep bevel/taper in the last little bit to the cutting edge.
So check several carefully before you choose one to "play" with.

They do make a pretty cool knife. I'm a bit ... fond of it ... for some reason.

Yeah, that unicorn trade mark stamped into the blade is pretty cool also.

Just one of the little ... sharp objects ... I made earlier this year.

Mikey - yee ol' grumpy blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

[Ogri the trog]

Very nice Mike,
You have totally transformed the shears without betraying its origins.

Might be the spur I need to make a few that I have on the drawing board.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[jojo]

Now I really like that knife, Mike. It oozes personality. Did you "age" the antler in any way? and if you have what did you use? I'll keep my eye open for shears now.

 

[Shewie]

Very "Whitechapelesque"

 

[SOAR]

I really like that. Looks and feels like its got alot of history about it.

 

[Mike Ameling]

Yeah, that knife just ... oozes ... character.

The handle is a bit short for some people. It's just 3 inches long. When I hold it, I tuck my little finger up behind the butt. I have made several where I left the antler crown sticking out on the end. They also look good. The hard part is finding a section of antler that has a straight enough section to work. A little curve out past the iron part of the handle is OK, but you do need the antler to fit pretty close to the iron handle. Some careful hammering can "curve" that handle a little without heating it, but that all involves some more "tinkering" to get it all to fit and look good.

Yes, the antler did need a little ... toning down ... after I got done carving/grinding/filing/sanding it. The new edges were fairly white. I whiped it down with a solution of potassium permangate (or however the spellin goes). I mixed a bit of water with the crystals to form a strong solution, and then whiped it on using a q-tip. It turns any organic material a brownish color - looks purple when you first apply it, but turns the antler brown. I put on a coat, and then just let it slowly dry. After several coats it looked "aged" enough, so I then thoroughly washed it in soap and water.

I've also "aged" antler handled knifes by soaking them in very strong tea or coffee. It takes a lot longer for that stain to soak in, but does a pretty good job. Altho, it does end up with a bit lighter or more tannish color.

I got the potassium permangate from a buddy who got it from the local drug store. But be careful with it. Any organic material that it touches will start to turn brown! The few drops I got on my fingertips while touching/turning the knife turned brown, and would not wash off. They had to wear off.

A bunch of people use the hulls/husks from black walnuts for their stains. They make a solution by just putting a bunch of the hulls in water, and letting it all leach into the water. Some guys will heat it up a little while - to help spead up creating the dye bath. Of course, use and old pot or container for your dye bath. And if you use an iron pot/pail/barrel, that "iron" helps the dye set in whatever you are staining. The weavers say that iron acts as a "mordorant" or something like that.

One other caution on sheep shears. There are some that were made as "self sharpening". Well, that means that the blades wear a little bit on each other in use. So those will have softer blades, and not hold an edge long. They will work, but it's better to start with a different shears.

Also, the blades are set/kinked at a slight angle from the handle - so that they will slide/cut along each other. I corrected this by clamping the blade in my vise, and then carefully bending the handle straight into alignment with the blade. I used a big monkeywrench or spanner for leverage, but you could also just slip a piece of larger pipe over the end to do your bending. And round off and smooth all the sharp edges where you cut off the spring portion of the handle BEFORE you pin on the handle. Believe me, it works a whole lot easier to do it first! And also smooth off any sharp edges up by the back of the blade where your fingers will be holding it.

They are a fun project to "tinker" with. And are based on historcal examples ta boot. But the best parts are that you can make it yourself, and they just LOOK COOL. As I said, they ... ooze ... character!

Just my humble thoughts to share. Take them as such.

Mikey - yee ol' grumpy blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

[Chopper]

Now...I really like that

 

[BOD]

Great Work Mike

I have seen these in Australia too and they struck me a as a very good bush knife