had the urge to grind something tonight so got my goggles mask and gloves on and went to work about 6.30.
i had a little bit of an offcut and John had generously sent me a few bits of antler so i decided this would do as my first stick tang effort/attempt.
i started with this
i didnt bother to photo me making this shape,the stick bit was straighter so i bent it in the vice a little.might hold better when i epoxy it in the antler.
then on to the grinding,broke out the rexxon again as i have belts to use up.thought id put a scandi grind on it ,then my hand slipped so it quickly became a convex grind.though it could turn into a sabre grind before i HT it lol.
id drilled an 8mm hole in the antler deep enough to take the metal stick and flattened out the face of the antler too,then i cut a little recess/housing for the blade so it wouldnt spin round and a little extra strength.
feels really comfortable in my hand,and i made sure the angles were right before placing the blade for comfortable use.
then i made the transition from metal to antler a bit smoother,i also ground out a finger grip just before the blade and put in a little half circle.i like doing these as it gives a definite start point for the cutting edge.
then into the vice for a little filework,nothing too fancy just a thumb gripper and a bit of snakeing to the point.
so far ive ended up with this little beauty. i might change the angle so the blade continues the curve of the antler rather than go straight out,in other words - drop the point a bit more.
i,ll post a few more pics as i go on. i intend to pin the tang,maybe stainless steel,and put a lanyard hole in the end too,6 mm.
finished the whole lot by 7.10,not that i was rushing ,i just noticed the clock to see if it was too late to go for a swim...it was:doh2:
i had a little bit of an offcut and John had generously sent me a few bits of antler so i decided this would do as my first stick tang effort/attempt.
i started with this
i didnt bother to photo me making this shape,the stick bit was straighter so i bent it in the vice a little.might hold better when i epoxy it in the antler.
then on to the grinding,broke out the rexxon again as i have belts to use up.thought id put a scandi grind on it ,then my hand slipped so it quickly became a convex grind.though it could turn into a sabre grind before i HT it lol.
id drilled an 8mm hole in the antler deep enough to take the metal stick and flattened out the face of the antler too,then i cut a little recess/housing for the blade so it wouldnt spin round and a little extra strength.
feels really comfortable in my hand,and i made sure the angles were right before placing the blade for comfortable use.
then i made the transition from metal to antler a bit smoother,i also ground out a finger grip just before the blade and put in a little half circle.i like doing these as it gives a definite start point for the cutting edge.
then into the vice for a little filework,nothing too fancy just a thumb gripper and a bit of snakeing to the point.
so far ive ended up with this little beauty. i might change the angle so the blade continues the curve of the antler rather than go straight out,in other words - drop the point a bit more.
i,ll post a few more pics as i go on. i intend to pin the tang,maybe stainless steel,and put a lanyard hole in the end too,6 mm.
finished the whole lot by 7.10,not that i was rushing ,i just noticed the clock to see if it was too late to go for a swim...it was:doh2:
.............no matter what some might have you believe.
