jmccustomknives Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 The blade is forged from 7/8 cable. The scales are an unknown wood I found on a pallet. It was so deeply flamed I could see it through the saw marks. I would really like to find a stain that will help bring out that figure. This one I used tung oil wich seemed to work best of the things I have. Some slats have a better grain than others, but for the most part it's a good find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRobb Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Very nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 The wood is likely white oak. Very handsome knife. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
switchjv Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 beautiful work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmccustomknives Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 Definatly not white oak, we see a lot of those pallets. This stuff had a closed grain and was soft and light. Kind of reminded me of spruce. I'm thinking some kind of fir or such. I've never seen a soft wood get that kind of grain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnewberry Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Potassium permanganate is what is used to bring out the flame in curly maple. You might give that a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loneforge Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Nice knife. Pallets are stamped by a regulatory committee. There is enough info on the stamp itself to tell all you need to know. Such as country of origin....Heat treatment etc.......I'm a pallet hunter myself! Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmccustomknives Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 Most of the pallets we get aren't marked at all. The best ones have been repaired. I've found some pretty exotic stuff like mahagony, maple, cherry, walnut and some that were real nice but I'm not exactly sure as to the exact species. It is rare to find a pallet that is made from the same stuff (the good stuff). Most pallets we get are poplar, red and white oak, pine and some local junk woods, those get reused and or given to local recycling people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Smith Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 I'm probably wrong but that almost looks more like ash to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 I'm with JM, never seen a pallet marked as to content and have seen pallets with 6 different woods in them! I found that the pallets for heavy stuff were the best ones for good wood. I roofed my shop extension in OH with oak form 12' lone pallets the sign shop near my house got their metal on. Also sheetrock pallets are usually strong. I found that I could remove about 1/2 the nails with a good hammer, the rest would have the tops break off. So I would heat the shafts with a propane torch and then pull them out with a large set of vise-grips and a block. I remember once I had a project where I didn't want oak or hard rock maple but something light; took a while to get the number of tulip poplar 4x4's I needed. Also dunnage boards for large pipe, (metal, concrete or plastic), are often good wood and a lot fewer nails and where I used to live the dunnage boards were generally dumped in the trench---I would ask and get a pickup load *given* to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironman50 Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Amazing piece of work. I specifically love the handle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robakyo Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Nice work JMC. If you used vinegar to eat off the forge scale, you have a really nice, convenient stain as a by-product. I've used that on many of my knife handles. Vinegar would bring out the details of the cable pattern weld too. Anyhow, I put on a coat of this "stain" and once dry, put on a second coat with 0000 steel wool. I think that this weakened vinegar solution acts upon the steel wool causing some of the grain structure of the wood to darken. Other areas are lighter. It creates a nice contrast. I'm not sure, but I think that there is some kind of oil in the steel wool to protect it from rusting. This might be the cause of the dark color imparted to the grain structure. I'm not a scientist. Only theorizing. Once dry, I apply Linseed oil with more steel wool. Sometimes, if the raised grain is too rough, I will first use a strip of worn out 220 grit, which has a tendency to create highlights where there is a plane change. Faux distressed? Anyway, this creates a worn/used look. After that, you could use your tung oil. Even with that, I've used steel wool with good results. I use paste floor wax instead, because that is what I have on hand. Then buff with a soft cloth. Presto! All of my scales have been salvaged from pallet wood, so I was willing to experiment. Again, nice looking knife. I haven't been able to make a weld stick with cable yet. I keep mashing it. And I'm running out of cable! :lol: Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmccustomknives Posted November 10, 2012 Author Share Posted November 10, 2012 Thanks for the tip Robakyo, I'll give it a try on the next one. As far as your cable, use lots of borax (I apply 3-4 times before welding) and when welding heat is reached (orange to yellow)spin it around striking it medium hard with a 2 lb hammer. You should feel it start resisting. If your still having troubles the problem may be with your cable, I've gotten some with galv coating and those don't like to be forge welded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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