Wilkinson Sword Survival Knife - Dartmoor Blank - Dartmoor Blank re-profiled

[Roughneck]

So I have finally finished playing with the Dartmoor Blank from Sterling Dartmoor Knife. I've had the blank for a wee while and decided to jump in after a few years watching utube clips.
A lot of the myths have been dispelled with grinding my own knife so my 1st attempt has gone well-ish. But I've certainly made a few errors and mistakes which have been duly noted for my next blank.
I've learnt loads about the various stages, I used a 1x30 Machine Mart Special which I've had for 7 years, and although it coped "Just" I found that using cheap belts made the whole grinding much harder and time consuming. The later part I had ordered Pro Belts and used them in the final parts. So much better all round less strain on the grinder. They weren't cheap so on a budget probably not worth it, but I'll be making more so definitely worth it.
I was going to post a few pictures, but not as straight forward as dropping them in but using the various formats. So I've put the build on a utube clip.

 

[TeeDee]

Awesome job , thanks for recording, producing and posting,

 

[CLEM]

Great stuff

 

[C_Claycomb]

Good job.
If you ever do another one, you might want to consider narrowing the tang and fitting a handle that fully encloses the tang (hidden tang), rather than applying scales to the sides. A knife like this benefits from some drop and shape to the rear of the handle. The original knife didn't have this, but that was a design compromise because they had the removable handle. A morticed tang handle looks like it would have been well within your skills.

Thank you for sharing!

Chris

 

[Roughneck]

Hi Chris,
thanks for your comments, and yes I will be doing another one well actually 3 as I bought 3 more blanks. Its very early days for me I don't think I'll be getting into the the tempering part yet as there already hardened, I just enjoyed what I've done so far and a personnel challenge.
"Hidden Tang, Morticed Tang" I'm a good copier Chris, have you got any examples of those types of details so I can I a look at please.
Thanks.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Hi,

If you have not yet found Edge Matters and Blade Forums, they are good places to browse around and look at how other people do things.

I always share this thread, its for a big hidden tang using a drilled and broached method, which might be too much at this point for you, but the thread is awesome and makes good reading, like taking a course on knife making techniques!

Wheeler's Steel * Stuck in the metal with you

Thak you for taking the time and documenting your processes. As stated before in so many words; I can't believe the amount of free advice. :thumbup: The Steve Johnson DVD on building a sub-hilt shows using the polished guard in the way you used the mirror. Thanks for re-enforcing the idea.

www.bladeforums.com

I have attached what I consider one of if not the best tutorial on making mortice tangs. It was published a long time ago and had been taken down well before 2013. While he uses a mill, it is possible to use a hand router, or as I did when I started, a chisel and mallet.

With a carefully cut morticed tang you can fit the blade to the handle well enough not to need a guard or other part to hide the join. With a drilled type hidden tang, the opening in the handle block is usually pretty messy and needs a separate part to hide and tidy up where the tang enters the handle. This can be a metal guard, but it can be easier to use a block of dense wood, stabilised wood, or Micarta / Tufnol laminate.

If you enter "knife mortice tang" on Youtube, most of what you get is people making three piece handles, where they use a U shape middle filler piece, which you could also do. This too can be a very tidy method. I do not thing it right to call this construction morticed (looking at what a mortice is in wood working). They are really "frame tang" construction, but using something other than steel for the frame. I have made knives like this too and it can work well if you can conveniently find a filler piece that matches your blade thickness.

Chris

 

[C_Claycomb]

Examples of handles.

Frame tangs, using black Micarta filler piece the same thickness as the blade.
Frame Tang by Last Scratch, on Flickr

A very stupid way to shape a tang, you want to have an abutment shoulder on one end of the tang only! These were made in stabilised wood with hand tools, chisel, files and a Japanese hand saw to split the original block. It would have been easier if the tang had been parallel and exited the but at the same size it passed through the handle.

This was a Fallkniven S1 that needed a fatter handle. Tufnol with a milled mortice slot.


This was a re-handle of a stainless leukku, solid block Micarta handle, drilled and broached, so needed the thin brass bolster to tidy it up. The thin blade worked with a big drill and two broached slots, (a key hole has only the one slot, but otherwise a good analogy) to locate the tang. It was a great chopper handle. Steel doesn't go all the way through.


This "guard/bolster" was made of layers of black paper Micarta (a 3/8 handle scale piece) and black and white G10 for the middle pieces. It was easy to set the blade into the first layer of Micarta. Handle was drilled and broached stabilised wood, so needed something to make it tidy. Another good chopping handle.



Chris

 

[C_Claycomb]

Metal frame tang, kind of advanced, but it shows how far it can go.

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[SCOMAN]

So I have finally finished playing with the Dartmoor Blank from Sterling Dartmoor Knife. I've had the blank for a wee while and decided to jump in after a few years watching utube clips.
A lot of the myths have been dispelled with grinding my own knife so my 1st attempt has gone well-ish. But I've certainly made a few errors and mistakes which have been duly noted for my next blank.
I've learnt loads about the various stages, I used a 1x30 Machine Mart Special which I've had for 7 years, and although it coped "Just" I found that using cheap belts made the whole grinding much harder and time consuming. The later part I had ordered Pro Belts and used them in the final parts. So much better all round less strain on the grinder. They weren't cheap so on a budget probably not worth it, but I'll be making more so definitely worth it.
I was going to post a few pictures, but not as straight forward as dropping them in but using the various formats. So I've put the build on a utube clip.

Nicely done. I'd like the saw blade taken off mine but I'm not skilled in anything beyond a screwdriver and only with supervision.

 

[Roughneck]

Wow that's some serious precision stuff going on there. Good to see the progress between each stage. That will certainly be a challenge for one of the knives and I do like a challenge.
As for those sites no I haven't found them, but have now been rectified. A huge amount of neat stuff, lots of surfing there and ideas.
A big thanks for the extra info
Cheers

 

[Roughneck]

Nicely done. I'd like the saw blade taken off mine but I'm not skilled in anything beyond a screwdriver and only with supervision.

I noticed someone on the site had a Kydex Sheath for a Dartmoor Knife with the saw edge intact.
That might be a consideration but I would still enclose it with leather and have the Kydex protecting the leather sheath part.
Chris has given me a HUGE amount info which I will look forward to picking my way through.

Thanks

 

[SCOMAN]

Aye that's likely me with the kydex sheath

 

[Roughneck]

Oh Good, the saw guard does that go into the sheath or just attached in general use ?

 

[Stew]

A mortise tang works well!

 

[Roughneck]

That's a neat Finish on the grind, something for me to aim for the next time.

Like the shape of the Handle.

Thanks for the picture