My latest project

[rapidboy]

Shing had a few blades for sale a while ago over on British Blades and as i had been too late to sign up to try out his field knife i thought i would put one together myself.
I made a few changes to the handle and the sheath design as suggested in the field knife feedback threads on here and on BB and from my own preferances.

The blade blank started out like this .....

I reduced the weight as much as possible to help the balance.

The scales are Coconut palm with a red spacer and they started out as a bottle holder ....

:rolmao:
....and ended up like this

I made a pouch sheath and made the belt loop so that it allows a lot more movement ,this is the second sheath i have made with this loop and it works really well.

This is the second knife i have put together and im not for a minute comparing my work to Shings.
This is just my interpratation of a Shing blade.

rb

 

[tomtom]

Great job rb... you have dont an amazing job on the sheath there!! :biggthump

 

[Adi007]

Very nice DIY knife! Superb work!

 

[rapidboy]

Thanks guy's ,i had a few people PM me after i posted pic's of my last knife asking about the blade and materials etc.
Anyone thinking about putting a knife together should give it a try as it's really not that dificult or expensive.
The guy's over on British Blades are a great help and it's very rewarding using a knife that you had a hand in creating.

rb

 

[Paganwolf]

Nice one RB!! :biggthump

 

[Ahjno]

That became a great looking knife RB!! Top job you did mate!
I really like that style of sheath you made - can't hardly believe that's only the second one you made!! :shock:

Keep on going with making these beauties ... and keep us posted with nice picies :super:

 

[Hoodoo]

Superb job all the way around!

 

[Snufkin]

Very nice knife and really nice sheath :biggthump

 

[SquirrelBoy]

Your `da man RB !

Fantastic work, esp like the use of the bottle holder - cracking idea :biggthump

 

[Stew]

Excellent job!

Now you can open that bottle rather than having to use it to hold that piece of wood up!
:trink26:

 

[rapidboy]

I had been trying to find something different to use as scale material and picked a few of these up on holiday at Christmas for a couple of quid each.
They have some nice grain patterns and anyway the bottles around here never stay full for long :trink26:

 

[SquirrelBoy]

..oh forgot to ask, what is the red bit between the scales and the tang?

:biggthump

 

[rapidboy]

..oh forgot to ask, what is the red bit between the scales and the tang?

vulcanized fiber material

 

[Squidders]

vulcanized... I get it, it's so the handle will live long and prosper isn't it

Seriously, I have a question... do you rivet the wood before or after shaping the handle material around it or somewhere in the middle to get it all flush and smooth?

 

[CLEM]

Great job there Rapid,well done.You must be well pleased with it.

 

[rapidboy]

Seriously, I have a question... do you rivet the wood before or after shaping the handle material around it or somewhere in the middle to get it all flush and smooth?

The "rivets" are corby style bolts

I epoxy the scales to the spacer material and when they set I epoxy and bolt them to the tang.
When the epoxy has set you just file the bolts flush with the scale material and start to shape the handle.
I work slowly and keep checking each side is staying symetrical.
Hand tools are slow but easier to use than power tolos for a beginner.
I keep picking it up and checking how it feels in different positions untill it feels comfortable and then just sand through the grit sizes to finish.

Next time i will try and take a few more pics of the assembly procedure.

rb

 

[Stuart]

superb :biggthump

 

[TheViking]

The others said it all. :biggthump

 

[CanRanger]

Beautiful job the seath really rocks too.

 

[tenbears10]

Looks great and I approve of your taste in Rioja as well. I have one of those wine bottle holders which never gets used. It would last much longer as a knife handle, top idea.

Bill