HEAP of JEEP Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 Well, I got it done with a little time to spare. THis is a gift for my step-son, and where as its not perfect, for my third knife, I'm pretty stoked. Its ten layers with about 3 twists, for a pretty simple pattern, but I really like how that came out. Here it is right after I got done forging it. Got it ground and ready for the heat treat and tempering Then etched in Ferric Chloride at about a four to one ratio. I etched it for 15 minutes, then sanded it with 800 grit... did that twice, then on third dip in the FC, I sanded it 1000 grit, and thought it looked pretty good, so stopped there. MAde the guard from a scrap piece of brass I had lying around... It should be thicker, but its all I had on hand. THe handle is made from some maple I salvaged from some old pallets and stained with a dark mahogany. I had the handle mated "perfectly" with guard, so drilled the hole for the pin... then noticed my "perfectly" wasn't perfect and had to work on the front of the handle, which messed up the alignment of the holes for the pin... another learning moment... wait until the handle is glued to drill... so I cut a piece of leather to act as a spacer. I should have cut the leather bigger and sanded it to the final size but I'll chalk that up to another learning moment, so it does look a little odd between the handle and guard, but its for a 21 year old to take camping, so I don't think the fit and finish is going to be a major issue. Screwed up again when I was sharpening it, and you can see some grind marks going up a little high, again, because I was rushing, but I'm calling it done and grabbing a beer. Third knife complete, and learned a lot on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 Not bad at all. Being in a hurry is always problematical though it can be good for points on the learning curve. Nice pattern in the blade, good contrast and the pattern is a pleasing shape. I give it a (not a bladesmith guy) well done. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 the sharp 90 degree cut out for the tang, where the top of the tang meats the blade, could be trouble later, what steel did you use for the blade? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEAP of JEEP Posted December 24, 2015 Author Share Posted December 24, 2015 35 minutes ago, Steve Sells said: the sharp 90 degree cut out for the tang, where the top of the tang meats the blade, could be trouble later, what steel did you use for the blade? The steel on this was a major mistake on my part... since I'm so new at this, I'm still going through all of my scrap Jeep parts... figured I'd save a few bucks during the major learning curve before I purchased some known steel. I've been using, mainly leaf springs, since I seem to have an unending supply of them, but for this one, I flattened out an axle, cut it up, and then layered a few pieces of that with a couple of layers of mild steel to get the contrast. After reading up on the axle steel though, I realized it is most likely 4140 and from what I have read, it was not a good choice for a blade. I've made a couple of hardy tools with the same axle and in my mind, I was thinking that since it was such a tough steel, it should be good for a tough blade. It did harden enough to have a file skate over it, but I do not have any way of actually testing it. So, I suspect, it will be a nice durable knife for my step-son, but he may spend a lot of time trying to keep it sharp... that's assuming he ever actually uses it. The last camping knife I bought him (Spent a pretty penny on it too), sits on a shelf because he says its too nice to actually take out in the woods and he doesn't want to get it beat up. I suspect this one will occupy a place on the same shelf. As for the 90 degree cut out... I knew that was wrong from reading other threads on here... and I actually had the file out and was ready to round that out, but I was rushing to get this done for xmas morning, and me being me... got on to some other process with it, and totally forgot to do it. I'll be able to slow down on my next effort, and hopefully will not make a lot of the same mistake that I did with this one. Next on the list of gifts is a chef knife for my oldest son, who is actually a chef and WILL probably use what I make for him. On that one, I think it may be time for some known steel, and I'm not under any time constraints, so I can take my time and start learning how to address some of the early mistakes and start working on some of the more detailed aspects of the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otto Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 Looks good. I got some scout 2 springs that need to become something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 Nice Heep! How did the step son like it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEAP of JEEP Posted December 27, 2015 Author Share Posted December 27, 2015 10 hours ago, Daswulf said: Nice Heep! How did the step son like it? He was overjoyed. Much happier than I even anticipated, so calling this one a big win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud in PA Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 If my dad made me a knife like that I wouldn't use it. I'd keep it as a memory of him and the love he had for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 3 hours ago, HEAP of JEEP said: He was overjoyed. Much happier than I even anticipated, so calling this one a big win. So glad Heap. I know I'd be thrilled if it were me. Your starting out Really well. I can see you will improve fast, but go at your pace. You have the idea and some methods down, far above I could ever imagine getting, pay attention to what you learn each time and I feel you could go far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locksmithjoe Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Beautiful pattern and the dark contrast is nice on the maple. sent my son his first Dadmade knife last Christmas and the joy that came from it was the best in the world. I know it will be with him for a lifetime. Good job!! 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.