just a few questions on stone handled knives

[Redd Ryder]

just a few questions on stone handled knives

first I want to thank you for all your posts and instruction martial. I had run across your work about 3 years ago when I was getting started, and have "re-discovered" it as I do research in expanding my own work. I really want to market a stone handled liner lock one hand open/close . . .

questions

#1 stone on knives without rear bolster - Up to this point I have avoided making one, My fear is if it were dropped, it most likely would result in a ruined knife. The one thing I learned while taking an intarsia class, "hard as stone" has no meaning. Once the flat lap grabs the stone and flings it across the room, the resulting chip from the impact will cause extended labor or a design change. Would the bolster less design option be mostly for display knives and not for daily carry? your thoughts please. [my target market, price & finish is for use. Not up to collection quality - yet]

#2 I see you added the Buck 501 Squire - it has stainless bolsters - or are they not an issue with your custom diamond wheels? I have been afraid to try stainless with the fear of messing up, destroying or contamination my diamond wheels. Do you have reserved wheels used only on stainless? Or is it not that much different from blade steel, since we both grind on the spine, shaping both stone and steel at the same time with no problems. [although the spine on a 110 may not be "hardened" too much]

Thank you all

 

[Redrummd]

#1 - When I am doing rear bolster removed knives for every day carry I almost always do them with Jade. The secondary issue is adhesion, especially without the rear bolsters. I have completed over 2,500 knives and not one has been returned for a scale coming off. I am VERY careful about contamination and preparation of both the stone and metal surfaces and I only use UNEXPIRED Loctite 325.

#2 - It makes no difference to the equipment what kind of metal the bolsters are although I use silicon carbide wheels to do most of the metal removal and diamond for the stone. Diamond cuts stone faster than metal and you will get a cupping effect if you are not careful, especially with worn diamond wheels and belts.

 

[Redrummd]

I should note that liner lock knives are especially complex.

1) You have to ensure that the adhesive is kept ouf from behind the pivot area on the liner where the metal is cut for the lock arm.

2) The lock arm side liner is higher than the reverse side liner. How do you polish flush to the liner? I can do it as I have fit thousands of knives but you have to be able to cut, polish and adhere the low side scale to within a couple thousandths of an inch or it will not look right. If you err on the low side liner you have to err on the side of the liner being too high and hand cut and polish it down to the stone.

I charge up to an extra hundred to do a liner lock knife.

 

[Redd Ryder]

thanks for the info

after glue up when you are leveling the stone to the metal bolsters, then I assume you use silicon carbide wheels/belts on both metal and stone. [before glue up, ruffing the stone close to flush using the diamonds]

would you continue then with the silicon carbide when doing the finishing grades up to polish 600 / 1000 / 2000 / 3000 . . .

then what about polish - cerium / zam or ever diamond paste? on the final metal/stone combo.


I am just starting on the concept of a liner locker and have a lot to learn. thank you for your advice, all of the "foundation" knifes I find have a front stainless and no rear bolster, leading to these questions. there is one guy out there that is making one, the best way to describe it is, if you took the bolsters/liners and stone from a 110 and attached it to the outside of the liners of the foundation knife, with all the /screws/bolts/hardware within the metal bolsters.

it is an honor to learn from a master.

 

[Redrummd]

I use 220 grit silicon carbide for the metal/stone level cutting then back to 120 diamond, 320, 600, 1200, 3000, 8000, 14,000 diamond for almost all of the stone I use - skipping some grits as works best for any specific stone.