A kid at work wanted a new blade for his pops. Something for skinning with a short blade & a fat belly. Somehow or another word got to him that I've been fiddling around with bladesmithing, & he brought me a drawing of what he wants. Asked if I'd give it a go. 

 

5160 material forged to shape & 3/16" thick. 5 1/4" blade. 9" overall before handles. Normalized twice & annealed before grinding & file work. Heat treated & quenched in warmed canola oil. 2 temper cycles at 425-450° F. For 1 hour each. Finish ground to 180 grit then hit with a red scotch brite wheel. I will change that to a gray scotch brite wheel if I can find my stinking arbor adapter. 

 

I have been given liberty to do the scales to my own discretion. So I've chosen to do a hidden tang and figured hard maple with a copper/nickle mokume cap or guard. Not sure which that'll be yet. Made enough today to do either or both. Got the scales mostly inleted while watching a movie tonight. Gonna do some danish oil when finished. Got a big slab of wenge I may do a simple scabbard out of. 

 

Truth be told, I'm not crazy about this one. The shape is just out of proportion to me. But the kid likes it so far, which I suppose is what matters. Even if it does look like the bastard offspring of a puukko & a chef's knife. 

Skinning is messy work I would suggest something like micarta or corian for a handle as they deal well with mess. (and can be sand blasted or checkered for grip.)

This is true. Either of those would most likely be a better choice. I like the warmth of wood though & I'm not particularly fond of making micarta. So dang messy & I've never worked corian. 

 

Anywho, the picture is where I'm at as of now. I'm not real happy with the mokume I made for the guard. So I'll be after another stack this weekend. Amongst the 50 other tasks to get done & the half a dozen other guys at work who now want something made. 

 

Not enough hours in the day. 

 

 

Funny I've worked with micarta for over 35 years now and have never made it---why do you have to?

Because I'm a cheap skate & I've never found any ready made that I've liked enough to buy. Add in the tactile personality I've got. If I can't touch & feel it first, I don't wanna buy it. I've got a good wood store local, but not a single blasted blade supply store. This personality trait has been the cause of more than a few ummm disagreements with the misses. She occasionally gets sick of my grumbling about stuff & just gets it only behind my back. Primarily truck parts. 

 

Now if you could direct me where to look for some locally besides my usual haunts ( steel supplier, fab shops, gun shops, leather store ), I'm happy to look & try it. 

The "Touch and Feel" is why I used to go to Guild Shows where they sold all that stuff.  Any knifemaker supply places near your general area?  Back in Columbus OH there used to be a catalog  dealer that you could get permission to wander the racks.  Very handy when you need to match a friction folder blade with the exact needed curve on a tine...

The only real source of supplies around here would be the traveling gunshow. There are some venders there who sell some odds & inns for the knife maker. 

 

However, I am loath to go to the shows. My ex-wife works for the promoter. To say that we do not have a cordial relationship, would be an understatement.

 

I suppose I need to get over my anti online shopping problem & just deal with it. 

Corian can be sourced from people who install kitchen sinks---the cut outs for the sink.

Thank you. I'll give it a go. Plenty of counter top companies around here. 

Ironically I forged this one out about a year or so ago. The blade is only about 2.5” and the handle is about equal. But surprisingly it’s one of the best skinning knives I own for white tail. I know it seems really small but I’ve actually skinned out and boned dozens of deer with it. I made the handle short and round so I could easily turn it around the hip knuckles etc. works great and it will be one I keep in my truck forever. 

Hmmmm, still looking for the "irony" in the last post.

looks about the same shape yet seems to work great despite the issues people brought up.