cant wait to see it with the handle and guard

awesome knife i love the step-by-step pictures keep 'em coming

wow! so so cool. beautiful - thanks for all the photos:)

You're welcome. Thanks everyone for your comments!


Here's what I've got done so far today:

Hand sanded the blade to 400 grit:






Here it is after etching for 10 minutes:



Then I sand the blade with 800 grit paper:




Then etch 10 more minutes and sand with 1000 grit paper:

Ah, wow ,nice chatoyance. Nice welding too.

Ok, I etched the blade a total of three times for 10 minutes each. After the third etch, I rubbed the blade with the used 1000 grit paper from before, and then buffed it very carefully with green compound. It's easy to wash out the grind lines with the buffer. Also, the buffing compound tends to stick to a cold blade, so I warmed it (the blade) up on my wood stove first.

It turned out pretty well. The buffer really brings out the chatoyance:



After cleaning the compound off with Goo Gone, I lightly oil the blade and then wrap with electricians tape:



Now for fitting the guard. I'm using 416 for this one:



I grind it clean and flat on the disc sander, then coat one side with layout dye, then lay out the holes that will start the slot:



Holes drilled:



Webbing removed with a round file:



Squaring up the slot:



Just about there:



Close enough:



Now I peen the edges of the slot. This guarantees a tight, gap free fit.

I hammer the guard against the shoulders, and file off any material the keeps it from seating:




Now I lay out a couple lines which will help me keep everything symmetrical as I shape the guard:



I use a washer to make the round lines at the ends of the guard:





The lines are just guides though. I grind it until it looks right. It'll be shaped more after the handle block is attached.





Now I draw in the approximate location of the curves of the "wings". Again, more will be removed later, but I like to take most of it off now because hogging generates a lot of heat.

Now I grind the "face" of the guard clean, sand it to 240 grit, then finish it with a Scotchbrite belt:



Now I grind the corners of the tang round, and soften it with the torch so I can drill through it later:



After it cools, I clean the tang with acetone, and mix up some J-B Kwik:



After cleaning the excess off:



After all that, I decided I wasn't happy with the fit of the guard, (actually, there was a ding on one of the edges of the slot) so I pulled it off before the J-B Weld could set up. I'll clean everything up and fix it after lunch.

Well, I got the guard re-fitted. It's now as close to perfect as I can get it. If it looks like there's gaps, it's just the damascus pattern on the ricasso.





After letting the J-B Weld harden for a half hour or so, it's time to take the guard clamping jig off and start fitting the handle.

First I cut the end of the block to the correct angle. The surface exposed by cutting had some voids. I hope they don't get bigger....



Then I drew the pattern of the handle onto the block of ironwood:



Then drew the outline of the tang in the correct location:



Then transfer the lines to the end and draw a centerline. Then locate the three holes that will be drilled to make the slot:



Mark the holes with a punch:



Then drill them:

Here's how far it slid up. A little fancy work with the drill bit got it up the rest of the way.





The epoxy. I always use slow set epoxy, since it's stronger than quick set, and I don't like to be rushed.





My super high tech handle gluing jig.

WOW. Looking great. Really gives a feel for what to do and how to do it. I also really like your simple and effective setups for certain operations. Can't wait to see the high resolution finished pictures.

Phil

looking great
-josh

Very nice tutorial, and a very nice lookin' knife. I'm eager to see it finished! Thanks for posting.

After letting the epoxy cure overnight, it's time to shape the handle profile. I do this before drilling the pin hole, because it's easier for me to get the pin perfectly centered on the handle after the handle is shaped.

I normally use my wood cutting bandsaw to remove the bulk of material, but the drive belt broke this morning, and I didn't feel like replacing it. So, I used the belt grinder instead:





Now I drill the pin hole. I usually use 3/16" pin stock, but decided to do something different this time and use 3/32".

First I drill a 1/16" hole:



Then 5/64":



Then 3/32":



Here's the pin, cut to length and roughed up on the grinder:



I used Crazy glue to glue the pin in. Sometimes I use 5 minute epoxy, and I've also used Gorilla Glue. They all work, but I used CA this time because it's fast.



Here I'm marking some guide lines all around the handle. I got this idea from a recent thread of Nick Wheelers, though my setup is not as slick as his.

These next photos show my handle shaping sequence. You'll notice I run into some voids as I go. Thankfully, they are getting smaller, and I think the handle will work out.
I'm using a five inch wheel in these pics.

Well, I didn't get many pictures of the handle shaping process, but it is almost finished. After lots of grinding, then filling, then grinding, then filling....

cant wait to see the whole thing, where do you get that wood its amazing

Well, you will wait no more.














A higher resolution version of the first shot:





I usually get my ironwood from Texas knife supply, and that's where this came from. Sometime if I'm looking for some really big pieces, I go directly to the source: http://arizonaironwood.com/

WOW that turned out amazingly the highlights and lowlights in the wood accent the pattern beautyfully i am thinking about ordering some of that wood, is it consistantly good quality? what is it like to work with?

wow that is super nice man! very nice. the patern finished very nicely

I followed this thread closely from beginning to end. Absolutely stunning outcome! Your skill and casual descriptions of the process make it seem so simple. Yet, I can see the underlying knowledge, experience, and talent in the final piece. Thanks for sharing! -Derek

Thanks for this thread! Your workmanship is awesome and that you where willing to stop and take so many pics is really cool. The blade is amazing and the handle screams "pick me up". If I made that I could die a happy man! Well done.

BRAVO!!

beautifully amazing! 10 out of 5 stars!

I agree, that is one of the most beautiful Blades i have ever seen. One day i hope to have the skill to make something of similar quality. but you know what they say. practice makes perfect, and you obviously have had lots of practice to make a blade that pretty.

Phillip,
Thanks so much for taking us all on your journey with this beautiful knife. I've followed your progress since your first post with it and have enjoyed the ride. Look forward to the next "road trip".
Thanks,

Mark<><