BladesByBaz

I've been using my lunch breaks and some time after knock off before going home well.

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Blackened and buffed the handle on the Dirk. Sanded and stained the box. Varnish, hinges and latch next.

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AAAARRRRRGGGHHHH!!!!!!

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Two questions:

1. This is the only piece of stabilised wood I have like this - I love it and don't want to throw it away. Can I inject this crack with araldite and either press it back together in the vice or just use the resin as a filler and sand it smooth, living with the crack as a feature?

2. This happened during peining. How do I stop it from happening again?

BBB.
 
You could try removing the pin and gluing the piece back together. If it looks alright then, I would redrill the hole (if necessary) and glue in a pin. I wouldn't try peening it again. I think stabilized wood is more stable and, therefore, more likely to crack if you try to force it. If you must peen, perhaps using a smaller hammer and/or lighter blows would help.
 
I'm with Chris, removing the pin and gluing it back together would probably be your best bet. I would be a bit worried about the crack lengthening over time. In the future, you could try Smaller pins or Corby pins if you are looking to change things up a bit. You could even do cool patterns with small and big pins-leaving the big ones un-peined and only peining the smaller ones. Just an idea, although I do think the larger pins compliment the handle shape. That wood is really going to look nice when it's finished up too.
 
I couldn't remove the pins without damaging the scales further. :mad:

Wife knife complete. The araldite and sawdust didn't look as good as I had hoped and I think the crack is worse than I thought, running both sides and about an inch and a quarter underneath.

I so wanted a 200 weight anvil and a super sized sledge hammer just so I could take my frustration out on this piece of shit and start again, which it looks like I may have to. Really pissed off with this as I have been looking forward to making a special knife for my wife for months, putting hers ahead of the queue so I could use this magnificent stabilised wood.

If I can find some more extra special beautiful wood, I will cut these off and try again.

What a waste. :(

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Was the hole in your scale tapered? If it's tapered then the pin has somewhere to spread into while you peen. Use small taps as well to avoid splitting.
 
S.Alexander said:
Was the hole in your scale tapered? If it's tapered then the pin has somewhere to spread into while you peen. Use small taps as well to avoid splitting.
Click to expand...

No it wasn't, but then none of my other knives have been tapered and I haven't had a split until now. How do you taper them?

My wife has insisted that I leave it with it's imperfections, even though I've clarified that they are not imperfections, they are very bad mistakes. Looks like it's 1/8 inch pins for me from now on or might even try Gameco for some Corby pins.
 
I would bet that it's one of those things that is just going to happen sometimes if you peen your pins at all. Wood splits - sometimes for no particular reason. Just like sometimes you are going to crack a blade when you quench it.

Pretty cool work you've been doing BTW.
 
David LaFerney said:
I would bet that it's one of those things that is just going to happen sometimes if you peen your pins at all. Wood splits - sometimes for no particular reason. Just like sometimes you are going to crack a blade when you quench it.

Pretty cool work you've been doing BTW.
Click to expand...

Thanks man. Yeah, it happens I know. Doesn't make it any less frustrating but I understand.

Your last sentence perked me up a bit mate. Cheers.

BBB.
 
So, for smoothing off the edges of my cut leather on the knife sheaths, I need some sort of tool. I found one on the internet and quickly sketched it. Upon a search I decided I'm not paying for something so simple - I'll make it.

Started with a chopped up bit of slege-hammer handle.

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Enter the dual life of my drill-press as a lathe and voila! Done.

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Making progress on the Dirk box too. Just got to rebate the hinges so they are flush.

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My first and probably last Scottish Dirk complete. 70 hours. Thanks to Karim​ from Tharwa Valley Forge​ for helping me with hardening and sharpening stages.

I wanted it to look old. I think I pulled it off. C&C welcome.

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Today I went out to Fromholtz knives to learn from Adam, how to make Damascus steel. The most fun I've had with my pants on in a long time!

Adam had already prepared the first stack of 23 alternating plates for me to start forge welding.

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Stretching out the hot billet.

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Some work also required on the anvil.

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23 Layers pressed and stretched, ready to chop up and re-stack.

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Grinding the billet clean before re-stacking.

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Chopping up the billet for re-stacking.

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Chopped up, re-stacked, (100 layers) ready to be tack welded then back in the forge to repeat the compressing and stretching process again. Rinse, repeat.

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After stretching out the 100 layer billet, it was chopped into three ingots and re stacked. 300 layer billet stretched out.

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My first Damascus ground, polished and avid dipped to reveal the pattern. 300 folds. Ready now to take back to the forge on another day and pound it into knife profile shape of my own design, then I can bring it home again and grind it. I can't wait to get my own anvil so I can do it all at home. I have everything else I need.

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1. Cut billet in half to make first knife. Beat into shape on the anvil.


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2. Grind to shape and form.


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3 & 4. Test-etch in hot vinegar before hardening and tempering because I'm impatient and wanted to see what it's going to look like. All this will disappear again during the heat treatment, but will be re-etched when finished just before the handle goes on.


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5. I found a burnt stump and took a sample with the chainsaw. I cut it up yesterday and found a lovely fiddleback pattern in it. I'm using that for the handle scales.

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6. Heat treating, (HT) or hardening the Damascus blade and two 1075 blades.


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7. Three hardened and ready for tempering.


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8. Tempering for an hour or so at 210 degrees Celsius.


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9. The handle scales on the Damascus are only positioned, but not fixed. I've got to etch the blade properly now that it's hardened first. I want to see the pattern at the rear where the steel is exposed too. The 1075 knife needs a couple of tidy-ups then off to put an edge on it.


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10. Calling on old army skills, a lanyard to grip and/or secure.


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It's always fun to watch your work! Nice Damascus!
What are you finishing your handles with? You may want to try something like Danish or Teak oil...teak is my new favorite. I do a sanded in finish...get a piece of 1500 grit paper and put oil on it, then sand the oil in going cross grain. It fills in the pores of the wood and gives it a nice finished look.
 
Nic. said:
It's always fun to watch your work! Nice Damascus!
What are you finishing your handles with? You may want to try something like Danish or Teak oil...teak is my new favorite. I do a sanded in finish...get a piece of 1500 grit paper and put oil on it, then sand the oil in going cross grain. It fills in the pores of the wood and gives it a nice finished look.
Click to expand...

I'm using tung oil, but I'll have to look into the teak. Sounds nice.

Thanks bloke.

Baz.
 
I'm digging your file work. Something I would like to try soon. Do you layout your file pattern and then file to the lines, or are you just doing it completely by eye?

ETA: I should have read the whole thread first I see you've answered this.
 
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