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Post by Matt993f.o.d on Sept 21, 2008 11:29:26 GMT
Blade length=4" Handle length=3.5" Blade thickness=2mm POB=At the guard Steel=Recycled file Hardening=Oil Tempering=One and a half hours at 200 degrees C. Brown oxide film. Very flexible. Blade profile=Shallow V, flat ground. Blade finish=1000 grit, buffed. Handle material=Buffalo horn, polished and laquered. Secured with three brass pins. This is a neat little knife I forged from another old file. Yep, I just have lots of knackered files kicking around. It is my first attempt at a shallow V profiled knife. It didnt go too well, but could have gone worse. I think the end result is pleasant enough to look at. The one thing that really bugs me about this blade is a tiny patch of scale damage to one part of the blade (on one side). It bugs me as I wasnt able to grind it out without overly thinning the profile. I have no idea how it happened as all the forging was done in the orange ranges, and no scale formed when hardening. I did NOT put the steel near the oxidising layer of the fire at any point. My guess is a rogue piece of scale must have been pressed into the steel when hammering. Must wire brush it harder next time! Aside from that, all the metalworking and heat treating went without a hitch. The handle scales were bought from a company that sells knifemaking materials, called attleborough accessories. I have bought lots of different handle materials to try over my next few projects from this company. I didnt enjoy working with the buffalo horn. It was tricky to sand, and gave off a dense dust that gave me a sore throat, and smelt of a mixture of steak and farts. Looks good though. It may be getting one of Bea's sheaths, if I ask nicely enough.
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Post by Dan Davis on Sept 21, 2008 12:10:56 GMT
Very nice work; I like it. Clean and simple.
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Post by Brendan Olszowy on Sept 21, 2008 14:35:50 GMT
Good stuff matt. Very clean and tidy. Not like the crazy hammer marks I inflict on my prey. I broke my club hammer so I've been using just a claw hammer. Sad hey?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2008 17:35:19 GMT
wow matt thats gotta be ur best work yet! howd u make the gaurd? almost forgot +1 great work.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2008 18:44:55 GMT
Looks great! I've been considering making something with a guard of sorts myself...but until now nothing I've made has any sort of 'tang' to speak of lol...they're all one piece with a spike head at the butt =p.
Seeing projects like this just shows me how much I have left to learn!
Cris
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Post by 293master293 on Sept 21, 2008 20:20:38 GMT
I can safely say, the most beautiful knife you have ever made.
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Post by Matt993f.o.d on Sept 21, 2008 20:43:38 GMT
Thanks for the kind words, guys. ;D Hey Bren. I'm rather disappointed to have any hammer marks at all! Its pretty much the first finished knife of mine that I would actually call 'clean and tidy' as opposed to 'blurred around the edges'! Be careful with that claw hammer! ;D DS; For the guard, I took a piece of mild steel flat bar and ground it to an oval, faced it off on a surface plate, slotted it with a combination of drilling and filing, and soft soldered it to the blade. I filed a shoulder onto the blade blank for it to sit on. I finished it with a HS primer, and a coat of silver basecoat. It was then lacquered along with the handle.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2008 23:17:40 GMT
Looks great Matt you are coming along very nicely, better with each one!
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Post by ShooterMike on Sept 22, 2008 0:51:06 GMT
Very nice Matt. I like the simple design and the buffalo horn grips fit the piece very well. In struggling for a one word description, I'd have to say "tasteful."
I know the scale marks turn you off. But I think it adds a bit of character. That's a knife I would like to have as a using blade for hunting.
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Post by Matt993f.o.d on Sept 22, 2008 11:32:31 GMT
Cheers Sam!
Mike- I aimed for a 'user' blade look on the finished piece. The polish is a bit bright for a user, but that is only 'cos I took it too far in the grits. I counter polished the spine and bevel so they would stand out from each other, and just got carried away! ;D
I havnt put an edge on it yet. I am tempted to buy a cool sharpening jig from attleborough accessories that lets you set the exact sharpening angle you want. Fancy.
When it gets a Bea sheath I may sell it.
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Post by Dan Davis on Sept 22, 2008 12:45:32 GMT
Matt, There is a BIG advantage to taking a 'user' knife up through the very high grits and you have heard me semprini about it when discussing the Japanese-styled blades: Burnishing. Closing the grain on a high-end user knife means that less water and other crap can get down into the blade's structure and therefore it is easier to maintain.
I know there has been a lot of buzz about "why polish up a knife that you intend to use and scratch up anyway?" and there is your reason: Better rust resistance.
I have had highly polished blades sit un-oiled for months without rusting while the unpolished blades around them corroded to hell and back even with oil.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2008 13:49:27 GMT
Dan: Doesn't polishing a blade to mirror finish mean that it will cut better because no micro imperfections to create burring in whatever you are cutting? I read something of that nature on why jay fisher insists on polishing his blades to mirror finish no matter what use it is going to be put to.
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Post by Matt993f.o.d on Sept 22, 2008 16:25:29 GMT
That is a good point, Dan. Now that I think about it, all of the higher grades of polish I have used have seemed more resistant to tarnishing when left uncoated.
I have trouble getting oil to sit on highly polished blades. It tends to pool, allowing the steel to tarnish around the oil, and it looks awful when you wipe it clean. I've ended up coating all of my highly finished blades in vaseline or wax when storing them.
What is your own personal preference for a user blade finish?
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Post by Dan Davis on Sept 22, 2008 17:36:09 GMT
I personally prefer the polish on the Japanese-styled blades. If your oil pools on the blades you can try two things: - use a much thinner oil; I use ultra-light mineral oil
- use less oil. Oil tends to aggregate, so if you are using too much oil it will collect and pool. The proper amount of oil looks like there is no oil on the blade, but shows up as a smear if you drag your finger across the blade. Conventional 'wisdom' aside, more is definitely NOT better.
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Post by Dan Davis on Sept 22, 2008 17:40:52 GMT
Dan: Doesn't polishing a blade to mirror finish mean that it will cut better because no micro imperfections to create burring in whatever you are cutting? I've heard that theory; I've also heard the theory that blades with a rough edge cut better because of the 'sawing' action along the edge. I suspect that different materials and different styles of cutting would make for different results but what seems to be the truth is that unless a grind is REALLY rough you just can't tell the difference. In other words, hype. Just my opinion, though.
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Post by Matt993f.o.d on Sept 22, 2008 20:29:11 GMT
I'll try a thinner oil. Thanks for the advice! Karma.
Its odd you should say that about the "sawing" action of a rougher edge, as I honed one of the knives I made (the utility knife with a leather disc handle) with an edgemate sharpening tool after finshing with the coarse stones. This left a very sharp feeling edge that looks rough, but cuts well. Although a properly honed edge looks and feels better, I have found that it cuts no better than the rough "saw like" edge produced by the edgemate.
Nevertheless, a properly honed edge done "the old fashioned way" with stones and a strop is worth it for aesthetics and feel, in my opinion.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2008 21:43:40 GMT
Dan: Doesn't polishing a blade to mirror finish mean that it will cut better because no micro imperfections to create burring in whatever you are cutting? I've heard that theory; I've also heard the theory that blades with a rough edge cut better because of the 'sawing' action along the edge. I suspect that different materials and different styles of cutting would make for different results but what seems to be the truth is that unless a grind is REALLY rough you just can't tell the difference. In other words, hype. Just my opinion, though. I have read, particularly in a user knife application...that polishing the edge (meaning eliminating the micro 'serrations' as far as you can) makes for a particularly good chopping knife. Something you would use to press straight down and cut with...similar to a hatchet, cleaver...etc. The less polished edge is better for a slicing tool. Think shark's teeth. This supposedly holds true regardless of the media being cut. It's the type of cutting, i.e. chopping, or slicing that makes the difference. Most user knives are slicers in my opinion. But...definitely take that opinion for what it cost you lol. Here's a couple neat links on sharpening knives: www.outdoors-magazine.com/Sharpening-and-Reprofiling.htmlwww.outdoors-magazine.com/Convex-Profiling-and-Sharpening-by.htmlwww.outdoors-magazine.com/Sharpening-experiences.htmlCris Edit~ This has nothing to do with polishing the flats of the blade for corrosion resistance...which is what Dan was talking about. C
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Post by Matt993f.o.d on Sept 23, 2008 15:52:48 GMT
I see where you are coming from with that. It would make sense that a cleaner edge would provide less resistance when chopping.
Chopping and slicing are two very different applications of an edged tool.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2008 16:05:13 GMT
I see where you are coming from with that. It would make sense that a cleaner edge would provide less resistance when chopping. Chopping and slicing are two very different applications of an edged tool. Yep! The idea when chopping is to literally split the media with applied pressure. Consider the fact that even a club can do this with enough pressure and no edge whatsoever =). Simply a round. As we refine a 'club' to an 'edged weapon' it gets better and better at chopping...even though it's making use of the same principles as the original club! Pressure plus the resistance of the media to that applied pressure. Take that principle as far as you can and you end up with a micro polished smooth edged blade with as little bevel or edge angle as possible. A slicing blade can be optimized with serrations, making it more efficient at...slicing...lol (think hack saw). And while either tool can usually adequately perform the other's job, it's the refinements of edge geometry and finish that allow either to excel at their intended application. Sorry for the obscure analogies here...but if you think about it, it works! Cris
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Post by Matt993f.o.d on Sept 23, 2008 19:23:16 GMT
I think it is possible to think a bit TOO much about such things! ;D
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