metal99 Posted December 18, 2012 Author Share Posted December 18, 2012 I filed it into the spine then I used cold blueing to make it black. When I glued the handle slabs on I made sure that the file work got filled with epoxy. After the glue was dry I sanded the handle level with the spine to reveal the file work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zengineer Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Absolutely stunning piece, you should be very proud. And more orders! That's a great indication of the job you've done. Out of curiosity, what's the going sale price for these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loneforge Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Great I dea on the spine work with the Bluing. I have put a dab of black leather dye in my epoxy and it turns black. Just a drop will do it too. Not sure if it will harm the epoxy strength though??? I used it to make mosaic pinstock. It might work for you here as well. Cheers again on the great work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal99 Posted December 18, 2012 Author Share Posted December 18, 2012 Absolutely stunning piece, you should be very proud. And more orders! That's a great indication of the job you've done. Out of curiosity, what's the going sale price for these? Thanks for the compliments. I sold this one for $350 Loneforge, I have been tempted to try dyeing the epoxy. I was thinking about glueing my scales on and then using a tooth brush to get the epoxy out of the file work then filling it with the dyed epoxy. That way you know there won't be an adhesion issue. For the mosaics I have made I just used straight epoxy with no color. If you look real close you can tell its not black but from a couple feet away you can't tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Private Entrance Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I have put a dab of black leather dye in my epoxy and it turns black. Just a drop will do it too. Not sure if it will harm the epoxy strength though??? I've done a LOT of epoxy pigmenting and have not noticed any significant decrease in strength as long as you don't put too much pigment into it. By too much, I'm talking ridiculous amounts, like more than 5-10% by weight. If you're just putting in enough pigment to color it well, you should be fine. For a 2-3 oz batch of epoxy, I'd put in enough to cover the end of a popsicle stick fairly thickly - a little dab will do you. Granted, I was using pigment specifically made for epoxy - I don't know what effect leather dye would have, chemically, on the epoxy. The batches I made have held up to 7-8 years in extreme environments - exposure to changes in temperature, from 100*F in the summer, to sub freezing in the winter, and subjected to longitudinal flex and twisting. And you can use it pigmented to glue the scales on, metal99, assuming the epoxy you are using is any good to start with. It'll hold fine and you don't have to worry about digging the 'clear' stuff out and then putting in more colored epoxy. If I were going to get serious about doing epoxy work again, I'd track down Coltana 24 hr epoxy. It used to be distributed by Montana Ski Products and is best epoxy I personally have ever used. It's pricey, as I recall, but worth every penny. They used to sell it in kits of 2 quart cans. Exceptional stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zengineer Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Thanks for the compliments. I sold this one for $350 Glad to hear that you aren't selling yourself short, it looks the part of a $350 knife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal99 Posted December 20, 2012 Author Share Posted December 20, 2012 Thanks Zengineer, I put a lot of time into this knife. Private Entrance, I have some powdered pigment that I want to try out some time. From what I hear, powders are the best for epoxy unless your using epoxy dye of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwisatz Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 100%! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tran Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 One powder you might like to try is the powder from a black laser printer cartridge. This will make clear epoxy dull black. I have not had any bad experience with this mixture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Private Entrance Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Metal99, I prefer powders as well, and I think the laser printer powder is a great idea. I've tried using the suspended pigments (I think they are suspended in resin) and they work ok, but I think the powders give you more control in terms of depth of color and mixing. And that does look like a $350 knife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tran Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Actually, it is not my idea. I saw on a woodworking site a year or two ago. It does work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal99 Posted December 21, 2012 Author Share Posted December 21, 2012 I think I read about the printer ink somewhere. I might have to attack my printer soon :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.