panzertank27 Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 18 inch overall 12 inch blade leaf spring from a toyota minivan handle is oak pins are mild steel quenched in motor oil @ nonmagnetic, file tested kitchen oven tempered (im thinking of drawing the back of the blade w/ edge in 1/2 inch water) sanded to 220 grit so far (i know its not perfect, lots of dings n dents but all work is done by files and hand sanded and im still learning patience in sandin, my mind is already thinking of new blade designs and i just wanna finish this knife. i had milled a gaurd of mild steel but i filed it to wide and didnt feel like spending the time on another so i ended up with a simple wood handle. the handle is only shaped it still needs a good rough sanding , progression, and then a nice 400 grit finish, the blade will end up at 400 grit too. things i learned: plan simple knives for now, be carful when filing. scratches are a pain, dont be scared to quench the oil wont catch fire too much, patience is a virtue i have to work on. question... do i peen the pins when the epoxy is still wet or wait till it dries, i would think that its done when its dry but maybe ill loosen them when i hammer them????? ps i still will draw back of blade finish handle finish sanding near bolster epoxy handles on peen pins finish sand 400 grit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longfletch27 Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 (edited) thats a bad *** knife, i dont have answers to your ?'s because iv only made a rr spike hawk so far, i have a lawnmower blade knife half done, but i keep killing blow dryers, i gotta get a reliable blower... the knife looks great Edited July 22, 2009 by mod07 Language Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy seale Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 you can peen after. but i would cut them off some more as. they will bend before they bite the scale and may break the glue bond,just my .02 but good luck,jimmy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don A Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 (edited) I would pein the pins after the epoxy is set. I always leave the pins long and clamp the slabs til the epoxy sets, then trim and pien the pins. You shouldn't need to worry about loosening them. You will have one end backed against a hard surface while you pien the opposite side. I use a lot of light blows instead of just trying to clobber the pins. I would recommend getting all of the sanding you are going to do on your blade done before glue-up. Also, I would leave the handles "almost finished" as far as sanding goes. This will allow you to clean up any epoxy that might (will) squirt out. PLus, you can touch up any minor dings from the piening process. Be careful and steady. When the glue is dry and the pins are piened you can finish sanding the handle, thus mating the wood and steel together in clean lines. Then, use whatever oil or sealer you plan to use on the wood. A bit of masking tape around the blade will save you some headaches there. As a matter of fact, just mask the blade with tape as soon as you finish sanding the blade, leaving only the handle area exposed. Leave it this way until you're done. Might spare you some scratches on the blade and some cuts on your hand. Good luck, Don Edited July 22, 2009 by Don A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweany Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 wWashers under the rivets will help prevent splits, counter drilled so they set flush they look pretty nifty. I peen one side and then install the rivets. Here's a little tutorial, scroll down until you see rivets.Link removed at the request of anvilfire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Oak is bad about splitting, The washers mentioned may help but you may still have a split when peining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panzertank27 Posted July 22, 2009 Author Share Posted July 22, 2009 do you think it would help to wet the wood before peening (of course into a champered hole , and drilled pins'at each end in the center)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don A Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 No. Wet wood swells. What starts out tight will be loose when it dries. You want your wood well seasoned and well sealed. Some makers insist on using professionally stabilized wood. You might try getting some scrap handle material with a dummy piece of steel and doing some practice pins. I know how you feel; you want to get it right the first time, but don't over think it. You just need to get those pins to swell by a thousandth or two. Plus, if you do a good epoxy job, the glue does most of the work anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panzertank27 Posted July 24, 2009 Author Share Posted July 24, 2009 thanks for the advice DON A i epoxied the handle slabs tonight and epoxy went everywhere so tomorrow i guess ill scrape off the epoxy and finish the rest. i do tend to over think things, just get r dun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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