Tea for a Two-blade!

waynorth

waynorth

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Nov 19, 2005
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Caught up in the growing dip/dye/stain your pocket knife movement :D , and inspired by Christian's British-influenced sensibility :rolleyes:, I invited this Ivory Bone TC Barlow for Tea!!
I like what a Tea party did for Christian's Soup Bone, so I found some Red Rose Orange Pekoe (only in Canada, you say? Pity!),
And made a nice hot, double strength cuppa!
So keen was I to get started, I plumb forgot to do the before pic, but I assure you the bone was very white. I have included a mint Sawcut to show the contrast at the blades and bolsters.
This knife is a second. It had some tiny chips in the edge around the bare end. I just happened to be at GEC, and Bill Howard was standing nearby when I opened the tube. I asked him if he could bevel the butt edge to clean it up, and was amazed when he agreed to do it, and double amazed, when he freehanded a perfect matching bevel around the end in seconds! The years (his whole life) he has spent making knives really showed itself!!
Anyhow, I am very pleased with the resulting, shall we call it Pa-Tea-Na!! I like it better than the vinegar treatment - very even and tenacious, and it has speeded the "aging ivory" look of the bone.
Back into the pocket it goes, to give olde Boily a break, and to see how I fare with a two-blade as opposed to a one-blade.
Hope you enjoy the pics! *
TCTea1_zps6637be44.jpg

TCTea2_zpscdeff18b.jpg

TCTea3_zps215a211a.jpg


*That is gem grade Sleeping Beauty turquoise, providing some contrast to my usual boring scans!!
 
Very nice Charlie. The effect is very subtle (to me, remember I'm mega colorblind) and doesn't take away from the original beauty of the smooth ivory bone. And Boily deserves a break!
 
Looking good as always Charlie. I like the subtle aging the tea bath imparts, on both the bone covers and the steel parts. And it definitely smells better than a vinegar dump. :thumbup:

- Christian
 
Charlie, do you just submerge the whole knife in the tea, and for how long, or what is the procedure?

Definitely looks good!
 
That came out well! I did a white smooth bone rough-rider congress as a test-knife for my recent experiment with tea, and it got color, sure, but not so nice and even as that.

--Mark
 
Very nice Charlie! I really like the bevel on that a lot. I would love to get that done to my 2 blade macassar which has small chip on the butt end.

Very nice patina as well!
 
Jeff, I scrubbed the knife really well with a washcloth, dish soap and hot, hot water - twice! I had the pen at half-stop, and the main full open. I held the blades alternately with a paper towel, as I rinsed it under the hot tap, then blew it dry with a hair dryer. If you touch anything with a finger, wash it over!!
Even a dab of a fingerprint will show! The deal is to absolutely degrease it!!
In a flattish shallow bowl I put two teabags, and poured a cup or two of boiling water, brewed it for a while, then microwaved the tea to make sure it was hot. I "blow-dried" the knife to make sure it was hot also always holding it with a clean paper towel!! Then I laid it in the tea for 30 minutes, flipping it from side to side with a couple of clean dry chop sticks. Left the bags in so the tea got pretty strong!
Took it out, and ran it under a little hot water, blew it dry, blew it full of WD-40, blew that out with a can of air I use to blow my keyboard free of dust, then oiled the heck out of everything, and rubbed it down with a clean cotton rag. Voila'!
Jason, it is pretty easy to sand that chip out to a bevel - much easier with wood than it is with bone. Just go slow till you get the shape you want!
80 or 100 grit, then finer grits till it shines!
 
Glad you like it my friends!
Brian? Any mail yet??
 
Looks great Charlie....I stain my old stag antlers with tea (or walnut skins) when they get sun bleached....Works just fine...Beautifully shaped sheepsfoot on the Charlows too...Very cool..... FES
 
Hey, thanks Fes!

Tell me more about Walnut Skins, Please!!
 
Sure thing...By skins i mean the green pod? that encases the walnut itself...Walnut husks are good too but not as good as the pod...My friend has a walnut and chestnut farm and i helped him pick his crop one year over several weeks...The pods will stains your hands DARK brown and it took several weeks for it to wear off....I believe it is a traditional dyeing component from way back (cant remember where i read it?)...Hope that helps...p.s ,wear gloves...............FES
 
Hmm . . . . I see some "traditionally" dyed bone in my future!!
Thanks!!
 
I must add Charlie,that i forgot about a bit of antler and it had been soaking for maybe 4 months?...It was dyed all the way through to the pith..It certainly works............FES
 
A mug of PG Tips tea with plenty of lemon
Kept stirring it with my O1 Enzo Trapper

The tea was tasty and the blade was grey
 
Well, Charlie, I'm not a tea drinker, so I substituted coffee grounds. I filled a coffee cup with grounds and added enough boiling water to make a thick sludge. I opened each blade one at a time and stirred the hot sludgy grounds for about 2-3 minutes each, then rinsed in hot water and wiped down with Windex on a paper towl and oiled 'em up. A couple light passes on the stones and a strop to show a nice, shiney edge, and here you go. Nice, dark patina with some rainbow colors.

CPEureka_zps4ccc9e87.jpg~original
 
waynorth said:
Caught up in the growing dip/dye/stain your pocket knife movement :D...
Click to expand...

... says a Pioneer.

This knife is a second. It had some tiny chips in the edge around the bare end. I just happened to be at GEC, and Bill Howard was standing nearby when I opened the tube. I asked him if he could bevel the butt edge to clean it up, and was amazed when he agreed to do it, and double amazed, when he freehanded a perfect matching bevel around the end in seconds!
Click to expand...

Ahem. Every minute has "seconds" in it-- an important distinction should anyone else ever expect such a nice job from Bill Howard in less than a minute. Poor man. ;)

The years (his whole life) he has spent making knives really showed itself!!
Click to expand...

No argument there! It was fascinating to see the knife, watch him disappear with it for a few minutes, returning it anon with such a neatly rounded edge. :thumbup:

TCTea1_zps6637be44.jpg
Click to expand...

That looks great, Charlie! I already considered this one a special knife due to Bill's attentions (not a "second," because-- with its Bill-created newly rounded edge-- it trumped some Firsts). Leave it to you to boil it and dunk it and steep it and once again improve it. :D

:thumbup:

~ P.
 
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