Tactical style bushcrafter...latest creation

[C_Claycomb]

I had wanted to make something like this for a while, but couldn't figure out how to get the handle thickness. I got very excited when I figured out how to do it, then rather crestfallen when I learned it was already a method in fairly wide use So much for original ideas in knife making!

Its 1/8 thick O-1 with a buffered vinegar etched finish. Handle is linen Micarta as part of a framed tang with hidden bolts and a bit of old Crossman air rifle barrel as a lanyard tube.

I rather like the finish on the blade, it is also going to resist corrosion better than bare metal, but I realise it could be an acquired taste

The only problem is that I rather like this thing and could see me using it myself...not really why I made it though

 

[Squidders]

That's actually really nice, I like the pattern on the blade a lot too. nice one.

 

[Longstrider]

Nice work Chris (As ever)
Is the "Framed Tang" design basically as much steel in the tang as a full tang but with handle material around it (to give a bigger handle) or some fiendishly clever design that us mere mortals wouldn't attempt to make?

 

[C_Claycomb]

There is as much tang as you would have in a mortise tang job. Think mortise tang, but without the hassle of needing thicker material and a milling machine!

The only awkward part is getting the spacer/framing material of the right thickness.

 

[g4ghb]

that is really, really nice! - I love the blade - how exactly did you acheive the mottled effect?

 

[Hoodoo]

That's a really nice looking knife! I love the coffin tang.

And...you can use that lanyard tube as a mini blowgun. You already know the caliber.

 

[jojo]

That's a beautifully made knife! :You_Rock_I like it a lot. How did you get the mottled effect on the blade did you put something on the blade before you used vinegar?

 

[Hoodoo]

There is as much tang as you would have in a mortise tang job. Think mortise tang, but without the hassle of needing thicker material and a milling machine!

The only awkward part is getting the spacer/framing material of the right thickness.

Ah! I misunderstood. Got a tutorial lying around?

 

[CLEM]

A very very handsome knife that.I like the pattern in the blade,I have to say that I am proper envious of your skills!

 

[C_Claycomb]

The blade was done with a variation of the mustard etch. Just an overnight soak in vinegar with a synthetic buffer medium which generated the pattern where it contacted the blade. I used moisture absorbing polymer beads, like they put in pots for house plants. I got the mix right this time, but on others that I have done it’s turned out a darker, more uniform colour, due to using a little too much vinegar. Unlike the mustard or horseradish patina methods, this didn't involve smearing foodstuff all over the blade!

 

[Snufkin]

That's a beauty mate .

 

[C_Claycomb]

Hoodoo,
I didn't think you missunderstood

After I found references to this tang construction, I went searching the forums to see what people reckonned to it. There wasn't a huge amount of info, but the following tutorial pretty much covers it.

http://www.homestead.com/beknivessite2/cokebottlehandle.html

In my case I didn't do the perimeter pinning because I wanted to do more shaping on my handle than there is on that bowie, gluing like-to-like synthetic materials together is going to be stronger than sticking wood to steel, and lastly, those bolts offer a lot of resistance to the tang moving. When I do another I might try some very fine hidden pins around the perimeter, but will have to see how the space works out.

It was possible to get a closer fit between the tang and the "filler" micarta this way than you ever get with a blind hidden tang, or probably a mortise, unless you are milling or routing it out.

 

[Hoodoo]

Nice work! Thanks for the tutorial. I originally thought it was a mortise tang.

 

[jojo]

now that's going to sound like a daft question but what vinegar did you use I have a blade in white distilled vinegar and it does not seem to have any effect It's been in there about 3 hours now but nothing, or is it because I keep looking at it Do I need to boil it

 

[nickg]

That looks really nice chris. Where did you get the micarta and what thickness was it. I want to use some for a Tom Brown Tracker copy but I can only find 6,5 mm thick stuff on Brisa.

Cheers
Nick

 

[C_Claycomb]

For Micarta I would recommend www.trugrit.com over www.texasknife.com if you want something bigger than a 5x1.5" scale. They sell 12"x12" sheets. You want 3/8" thick stock. Not quite as thick as I like my handles, but for something on 5mm blade stock it would be fine.

For vinegar, I just used the white stuff, BUT I left it over night. It is nowhere near as strong an etch as ferric chloride, but the oxides it leaves adhere much better, so the time is worth it in my opinion.

 

[C_Claycomb]

This is the bigger brother to the knife at the top For someone who likes a little more blade length.

5 inch blade, just fractionally under 10"oal, canvas Micarta handle and brass bolts/tube. Again, flat ground and etched. This shows what happens when that vinegar etch is a bit too wet more black than grey and fewer blotches.

Not really all that much to look at, but it feels pretty good in the hand, ballances well too even though the tang isn't as tapered as I intended...gotta get more practice on the grinder. Filing tapers is easier!!

 

[Martyn]

There is as much tang as you would have in a mortise tang job. Think mortise tang, but without the hassle of needing thicker material and a milling machine!

The only awkward part is getting the spacer/framing material of the right thickness.

Chris, dunno if you've tried it, but for milling non-ferrous handle materials to the fairly shallow depth of 2 or 3 mm for a mortise tang, a cheapo drill press works very well.

Lovely looking knife.

 

[C_Claycomb]

I guess my drill press really IS then! I tried it with a 6mm end mill and a piece of king wood and nothing I did would keep the wood from being grabbed and yanked HARD by the cutter . I even mounted the wood to a great big slab of metal to add weight and something to hold.

I am pretty sure that I have not improved the bearings from just those two attempts since the drill is noisier now than it was before I won't try that again.

Maybe if I had a milling vice/table system, but that is just daft on a £30 drill

 

[Martyn]

I guess my drill press really IS then! I tried it with a 6mm end mill and a piece of king wood and nothing I did would keep the wood from being grabbed and yanked HARD by the cutter . I even mounted the wood to a great big slab of metal to add weight and something to hold.

I am pretty sure that I have not improved the bearings from just those two attempts since the drill is noisier now than it was before I won't try that again.

Maybe if I had a milling vice/table system, but that is just daft on a £30 drill

You have to make sure that the plunger is as close to the top as possible by raising the table as high as you can get it before making the cut. This minimises the lateral stress on the bearings. Take small cuts.