What's happening in the David Mary Custom shop?

Well there's no way to heat my shop, since it is in the open air. The only solace I have is that the wind doesn't get in, so I don't get rain or snow in there... usually.
 
Since we're on a new page, I'll recap. Yesterday I ground ten blades from this:
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To this:
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And also planned out the liners and scale materials for a number of these blades, as well as the Super Seax that I had previously ground.

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And today I got the scales drilled and attached and the first stages of contouring for six of them.

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And here we are now, while I start getting ready to go out and run my errands. By riding my bicycle for a 10 mile round trip. In -20° C. :)

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I'm glad it's going to be nicer tomorrow because handle cleanup takes the most time, and requires the most dexterity.
 
Ready for sheaths:
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My Kydex/Boltaron/Holstex griddle is beneath the plank of wood, with a piece of Boltaron for the Super Seax:
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One sheath formed to a knife, another on deck waiting for its Boltaron to warm up:
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My Kydex press (please don't laugh at me for my shop shoes):
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My eager buddy wondering when I'll stop working and feed him for the fourth time today:
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And the razor sharp fruits of another day in the shop:
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I was going to ask you how you did your sheaths......I figured you had a "fancy press".....haha I Stand on mine. (but i'm only doing 1 at a time)

your sheaths are some of the most fitted/tightest I've had from the makers here on BF.....
(some makers don't put any effort in their sheaths/which is a shame) (not naming names)

so whatever you are doing, keep It up. :D
 
Crag, thank you for the kind words. The truth is sheath making, just like knife making, has been a learning curve for me as well. I sometimes throw a sheath out before it's done because I know it can be better. For example, if I drilled the eyelet holes too far from the edge and the sheath rattle is intolerable, OR, I drilled them too close and the edge contacts the eyelets creating edge rolls. And I actually used to stand on mine as well, until I realized, why don't I just keep my bigger kettlebells outside since I don't use them inside anyway except for swings. That and once I started making more sheaths at a time, it really slowed me down having to wait for them to cool, especially on big knives. The one thing that sticks out as my biggest point for improvement is finding an alternative to cardboard for big knives, due to the corrugation lines that I get in my sheaths. Nobody has complained about it, and sometimes it can look pretty good, but I am on the lookout for some kind of material that I can quickly cut to sizes up to 2" x 16" for big blades that has enough thickness and a flat surface. Just haven't figured it out yet. That and I am going to eventually upgrade my foam to something different than the underside of antifatigue mats for better definition on big knives.

Anyway thanks again for your kind words. Even with my limited resources, I always try to make a knife and sheath that I would personally want to use.
 
David Mary said:
Crag, thank you for the kind words. The truth is sheath making, just like knife making, has been a learning curve for me as well. I sometimes throw a sheath out before it's done because I know it can be better. For example, if I drilled the eyelet holes too far from the edge and the sheath rattle is intolerable, OR, I drilled them too close and the edge contacts the eyelets creating edge rolls. And I actually used to stand on mine as well, until I realized, why don't I just keep my bigger kettlebells outside since I don't use them inside anyway except for swings. That and once I started making more sheaths at a time, it really slowed me down having to wait for them to cool, especially on big knives. The one thing that sticks out as my biggest point for improvement is finding an alternative to cardboard for big knives, due to the corrugation lines that I get in my sheaths. Nobody has complained about it, and sometimes it can look pretty good, but I am on the lookout for some kind of material that I can quickly cut to sizes up to 2" x 16" for big blades that has enough thickness and a flat surface. Just haven't figured it out yet. That and I am going to eventually upgrade my foam to something different than the underside of antifatigue mats for better definition on big knives.

Anyway thanks again for your kind words. Even with my limited resources, I always try to make a knife and sheath that I would personally want to use.
Click to expand...
My "Always" knife has those ridges, and it was my first knife from you.... I imagined that you Did use some type of corrugation on it.
I like the look.
I've seen people tape rods/dowels/straws/etc to the spine to create a drain hole. I've done that, and it is ok.

Maybe you could use that tag board of cases from pop/beer?
I cut out the pieces to mock up blade shapes and holster ideas before I start with the real materials.
It's thinner than corrugated, but way thicker than paper.

I have a nice, green kettlebell that I could try? I am week after hurting myself a few times, so it kinda sits there waiting.....
 
Crag the Brewer said:
I have a nice, green kettlebell that I could try? I am week after hurting myself a few times, so it kinda sits there waiting.....
Click to expand...

How heavy is the kettlebell? I use just the 48 kg when it's a small knife, but the 48 and 36 both on everything else.

Crag the Brewer said:
Maybe you could use that tag board of cases from pop/beer?
Click to expand...

I don't drink pop or beer, so I will have to look elsewhere probably.
 
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