What's going on in your shop? Show us whats going on, and talk a bit about your work!

Before and after pics of another rescue.

I bought this off of the great auction site. Had to buy from the limited supply of items listed in canada; tried several times to get nicer shape ones from US but it seems nobody wants to send meat cleavers to Canada.

This was pretty beat up, looked like somebody was using it for target practice with a bb gun and some sort of bladed tool. I managed to clean it up pretty well but there are a few deeper marks from the cuts that I am fine with leaving in so I don't mis-shape the blade too much or remove the makers marks.



The tang was slightly overdrawn so there is a gap, it was also bent, I straightened it but did not try to grind it flat. I came into some nice chunks of hard wood, I believe this to be walnut... with tung oil.

It looks like there is an actual open gap between the scale in the pic but it is filled solid with epoxy mixed with a bit of sawdust. Over about 3 hours I kept drizzling epoxy into the top gap until the epoxy was setting up and didn't run out the bottom anymore then finally mixed a bit of sawdust into it and pushed it into the gap.





 
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Don't have near as much to show as some of you guys, but this is the latest effort, my sixth knife to date. It just needs sharpening and one of my bare bones sheaths.

Specs. 9" Overall, 4&1/8th tip to plunge, Aldo's 1084
Ironwood scales with Red G-10 liners and Brass Corby's

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Thanks for sharing all the above, and thanks for your unknowing help in improving my skillset to this level.

Jeff
 
I was laying the block around my shop today!!!!!! Might get some wall stood this weekend! Trying to beat the snowballs. It was snowing a little the morning we poured the concrete, but it cleared up and was sunny the rest of the day. Can't wait!
 
My first damascus blade with more than 11 layers........rough ground and quick etched just to see what she looks like.
9 inch blade.........120 layers 1084 and 15n20 from Aldo..............this is very addicting.
Oh yeah, probably should add, that this was done with hand hammers only........no power hammer or press.
Darcy:)


 
That rough brut de forge and the damascus showing on the bevels........
YEAH!!! :D

What will the handle be like?
 
Thanks guys.........I have a piece of caribou antler......polished. Have a couple other blades to finish before this one though.
Darcy:)
 
I have been busy. Though I still have little to show since the last time I updated my shop. I have so much to learn but at least with the internet and the many contributing members here I have a goal line set for myself.

I am still blessed with machinery I am rebuilding. And I have two knives that should be going out to Peter's soon. The same two I had about ready six months ago. I am beginning to think the hardest part of this job is going to be focusing for me. Delivering on the product is the worst problem to have. Damn.
 
I thought the polished caribou you were saving for the engraved fighter?:p
 
I guess I had better get a knife finished for my 1K posts give away that is sneaking up.....
 
This is my first batch of S35VN, and my first dagger, first fuller, first full hollow grind, and first tapered tang :D

Goin a little crazy on this one.

Disclaimer: all of these are in various stages of finishing. They only one that is actually finished and ready for ht is the dagger.

z4alEjN.jpg
 
This is my first batch of S35VN, and my first dagger, first fuller, first full hollow grind, and first tapered tang :D

Goin a little crazy on this one.

Disclaimer: all of these are in various stages of finishing. They only one that is actually finished and ready for ht is the dagger.

z4alEjN.jpg

Bottom looks like it would be great in the kitchen. Have you thought about using a small wheel to take little bites like is often seen on Santoku knives? That might be a fun variant. Every thing is looking really good.
 
Bottom looks like it would be great in the kitchen. Have you thought about using a small wheel to take little bites like is often seen on Santoku knives? That might be a fun variant. Every thing is looking really good.

Yeah, I made the original with the intention of it being a "non-hunter hunter". A lot of people, myself included, do a lot more camp cooking than hunting, but my most used camp knife was a cheap little santoku that lives in my mess box, and wasn't really good for anything else. I thought it would be nice to carry one knife that would handle just about anything I needed to do on most trips.

My original intention was to pair this with a small paring knife in a double sheath as a set. Either way, I got good response after the first was posted for sale, and have a couple more in addition to the above to make. They ended up almost taking over this bar of S35, but I would have gone nuts making a whole bar of nothing but those. :p

Edit: for the q about the scallops, I actually have a little jig I thought up, it's on the list of things to try. It's actually intended for another knife I plan on making, the "best ever cheese knife". :)
 
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Nick- Can you tell me how you round your spines? I have a hell of a time doing it and am never satisfied with the results. :/

First, I knock the corners down with a 50 or 60X belt and a contact wheel (usually the 10", but whatever size fits in the area you're grinding), then move up to a 120X belt on the wheel, and then I move to a 120X J-flex belt without any support behind it--- I hesitate to say slack belt, because I run it with a lot of tension on it.


If doing a wide open area (like an all steel, full tang knife) then you can move to a buffing wheel with Brownell's Polish-O-Ray compound in 240, then 400, and then buff with green chrome.

If the blade has "restricted areas" like a narrow choil, then it takes a lot more hand work. What works best for me, is to use strips of Rhynowet with Gorilla Tape backing with a "shoe-shine" approach. From my experience, it's best to do the "shoe-shine" then take that same grit with a leather or rubber backed sanding block, and sand the steel at an angle. This sounds like a lot of extra work, but it's really not, and it will result in a much cleaner finish.

If you just do the shoe shine thing through the grits then buff, it's really easy to end up with a wavy surface.

I typically use 320X, 500X, 800X, and then 1200X before buffing. Adding the block sanding only adds 5-15 minutes to the whole process.
 
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