Next knife - questions; buffalo horn, treatments, blades

[redcollective]

Hello all,

Having recently put together my first knife (and contracted the bug!) I've a few questions for the experts on here, as i've another box of bits on order for xmas courtesy of Swmbo:

1. I used some antler in the first one, but after having treated the knife handle with danish oil I've read recommendations to 'seal' the antler with superglue. is unsealed antler going to fall apart? (I don't imagine this first knife is going to get wet often, perhaps the occassional wash).

2. Buffalo horn: is it necessary to seal it with anything? or will danish oil work ok?

3. I'm going to try a progressive tempered Lauri blade from Brisa - anyone any comments on this blade.

Thanks in advance - sorry for the multipart question.

 

[ssj]

The Lauri PT blades are excellent. They take a good edge and keep it. They're pretty easy to work with but you may have to thin the tang to get a good fit on the guard.

 

[philaw]

I bought a 63mm Lauri carbon PT blade, and whilst I've been held up in getting a handle on it by a lack of available tools, first impresions are very good. I got the brass bolster to go with it (both from Brisa, who I'm very impressed with) and it fits fine, with just a polish needed on the outside edge. I tested it handle-less on my block of birch and it cut well. I'm new to all of this stuff, but still, they seem to be very good blades at bargain prices.

 

[redcollective]

That sounds encouraging guys cheers, anyone out there with advice on the buffalo horn?

 

[twelveboar]

I've made a knife using one of these blades, and I can't believe how cheap they are, it took a bit of finishing to get it shiny and achieve a flat single grind, but that's part of the fun.

 

[leon-1]

Hi mate I am no expert, but I have used buffalo horn on a couple of knives, one of which was a lauri PT blade also, it looks pretty good can be polished to a very high shine.

Buffalo horn is more like a toe nail than antler which is more like bone, its structure is a fair bit different in that it is not as porous as antler (hence the high polish that can be achieved on it), I tend to treat the whole handle on these knives exactly the same with Tung Oil and as yet there have been no problems with them.

BB would probably be a better place to ask about buffalo horn.

The lauri PT blades are very good indeed, they hold a very good edge and can be sharpened with ease, however I have had one of these blades rust quite badly whilst I was working on it in the workshop, partly my fault as I should of re oiled it when I had to take a break for a couple of days, but they can be susceptible to rust.

 

[redcollective]

Hi again,

What do you oil the blade with? Would sewing machine oil do the trick? I was thinking of leaving the blade blackened as it comes, as I've head this is increasingly popular - but how does it last?

 

[leon-1]

The Bevel has no coating on it and I do leave the rest with the coating on it, sewing machine oil is quite light and IIRC non edible, so it could be rather unpleasant if you will be prepairing food with the knife.

Camelia is a natural oil and non toxic, I know that some of the guys have been known to use olive oil as well.

Others here use Sentry Solutions Tuff Cloth, which from what I have heard is pretty good, in the end the choice will be yours, but I will use something that doesn't taste bad, won't poison me and has been trusted by both the Chinese and Japanese smiths. Camelia oil

 

[Lost_Patrol]

I found the Lauri PT blade a little brittle when sharpend to a single bevel. I put a convex edge on using a Hoodoo hone and have had no problems since.

Buffalo horn is great to work with - like plastic it has no real grain to split, and polishes very well. It stinks when heated so go easy with the powertools

 

[cgait]

Any chance of seeing a picture of the knife you made?

 

[8thsinner]

What is SWMBO?
If it is a UK knife supply place can you let me know.
Or if anyone can share UK knife supply places also please let me know.

 

[scanker]

If only!!!
She Who Must Be Obeyed. Otherwise known as 'Er Indoors, or the Missus!

http://www.attacc.co.uk sell the same sort of stuff as Brisa, but not the entire range, and I think it's cheaper from Finland TBH.

 

[Lost_Patrol]

Cgait,
I'm not sure if you wanted to see the Lauri PT bladed knife or the Buffalo handled one. This is the buffalo handled one - I'm not very good at photography I'm afraid. If it was the Lauri PT blade you wanted to see let me know and I'll take a picture tonight.

Cheers,
Andy

 

[Lost_Patrol]

8thsinner,
Look on British Blades, or try Outdoorcode.co.uk , Extreme Outdoor Gear or Hennie Haynes.

 

[redcollective]

What is SWMBO?
If it is a UK knife supply place can you let me know.
Or if anyone can share UK knife supply places also please let me know.

oh lordy - no some might say the prices at SWMBO are too high.