Bartknifenut
23-06-04, 06:43 PM
Hello People, men, women, boys and girls,
I'm Bart, from Belgium, 24, student in Leuven ( Louvain for you french seaking people ), almost last year computer sciences.
Time is one of the few things I don't have, so I roughly put out 5 to 10 blades a year, as a hobby maker. My style and focus is the utility value of the oldest tool known to mankind, the knife. Hence I spend a lot of time figuring out heat-treathing recipes, chemical composition and forgewelding impossible stuff together :) As a hobby off course, as a student work needs to be done too :devil:
On a more personal level, I enjoy shooting with my compound bow, I collect movies and see way too many of them, I enjoy a good whiskey every now and then ( personal fav at the moment is a toss-up between Bushmills 15 years single malt, or glenfiddich solera reserve, also 15 years single malt except the last one is scottish. Both are just within my budget, not much money as a student), and maintain www.weapons.be .
Off course, my primary hobby is making blades.
I'd like to show a few to you people across the channel, I'd be happy to hear any critique, comments or reactions in general. If I get no feedback I cannot improve ;)
1. Sword1 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/chicken.jpg)
sword2 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/hout.jpg)
sword3 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/excalibur.jpg)
One of my personal favourites, 5160 blade, full tang, differential temper ( you can see the hardeningline in the last pic to the right ). Paracord wrapped, then leatherwrapped. forged guard ( the whole sword is just one piece of steel with cord and leather basically). full distal taper, both ways, as wel towards the blade (goes from 1/4 inch at the guard to 1/8 3 inches from the tip). Very nice balance, lively fast sword with tremendous power ( that's pine wood, about 1 month ago that tree was still alive, that was done with one one handed swing).
The chicken is still alive and well FYI ;)
2. damascus1 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/mark/15.jpg)
This is a damascus exeperiment that went well ( for a change ;) ), the wide stripes is cable damascus of 1075 carbon steel cable, the thin layers are band saw steel. If you look closely you can see the quench line, believe me, differential tempers on low-layer damascus is not simple, hi misstake rate.
Handle is cocobolo, superglue finish, homemade mosaic pin, brass guard, kydex spacers.
3. khukri1 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/mark/4.jpg)
khukri2 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/mark/3.jpg)
A heavy working blade, well over 1/4 inch thick, full convex ground, soft recuve shaped blade. The blade is excaclty one foot long, because that's the limit in some cutting contest I made this for ( I won the contest easy). 5160, tripple differential hardened, double temper. Micarta handle, forged on broze guard. This basically is my idea of a workhorse of a knife if weight is no issue, and a great chopper.
4. tanto (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/mark/7.jpg)
The same guy that orderd and bought the khukri above orderd this one too, he request 15 stainless pinns, D2 blade, thuya handle, Tanto shaped and specified a "fast fighter". That's what I made from that idea, 4 mm D2 blade (the right kind D2, with 1.6 % C and 1% vanadium). satin finished, smooth grind lines to make slicing easier. Got good comments on this one, took me a while to figure out how to HT D2 at home, I made a salt pot setup for this blade.
5. survival blade (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/mark/9.jpg)
52100 blade, HT'ed the Ed Fowler way. Survival/hunting idea blade. green micarta handle, 420 J2 guard. My idea of a simple user blade in the field.
6. puuko1 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/mark/18.jpg)
ATS-34 blade, 3 mm, brass guard, Handle = Rhododenderhon, I have no clue how to describe it, it's something that we have often in gardens here, nice flowers too, kinda waxy non-shiny dark green leaves, about a meter high. The root of one very large bush of that stuff was stuck in the ground for a years, I sawed that piece out, had it stabilized ( plant where they make superglue, big vat in a vacuum with superglue in it, I keep it in there a day or so, keep to dry for a few weeks and voila ). Superglue finish too.
7. Utility (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/mark/8.jpg)
Basic utility knife, one piece forged 52100, nice double quench line, double temper. Convex grind. My idea of a low cost-hard use utility knife. Functional as stable knife, kitchen knife, hunter, skinner.... 4.5 inch blade, 4.5 inch handle about. I love to make these, much use for a knife made in under 2 hours ( not including temper cycles and cooling down and stuff ).
8. puuko2 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/mark/16.jpg)
12C27 blade, from a damaged finish puuko, handle is Brown horn, zebrano, the rings in the middle also brown horn, and I keep forgetting the name of that white-yellow wood, pretty well known stuff, hard yet silky to the touch, very fine grain. also superglue finish.
9. nickelstripe 1 (http://users.skynet.be/bk235015/mes1.jpg)
Winner of third prize in cathegory overall best knife at the last Belgium knifeshow in Gembloux, 5 layers heavy blade ( 1/4 inch thick ), 3 layers of 1084 and two pure nickel layers, also differetial temper, 410 steel guard, zebrano wood, spacer is reindeer horn. Pin is simple stainless steel.
Have to tell, I am very proud of this one, it is a well balanced, tipheavy fighter, XXL handle and nice grinds.
10. tomahawk 1 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/tom6.jpg)
tomahawk 2 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/tom1.jpg)
tomahawk 3 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/tom2.jpg)
tomahawk 4 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/tom3.jpg)
tomahawk 5 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/tom4.jpg)
tomahawk 6 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/tom5.jpg)
My tomahawk, and how it was made. 5160, differential temper, gorgeous temper line. Pics tell the whole story.
11. griffes.jpg (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/grif1.jpg)
Couple of griffes I made from A2, actually exercise of myself to see how "utility" the one-hole-knife approach is. Ironwood scales, one claw aka fighting design, one leafblade, utility blade. Satin finished. Fighter = hardened to HRC 57, to be more impact resistant, while the user is hardened to HRC 60, to be the better cutter. grind is also thinner.
My tools: Anvil, self made gasforge, drill press, angle grinder and cutter, small belt grinder ( 1 x 42 on 1/3 HP motor, only suitable for handles and light work), and a butload of files and sanding paper.
what's your favourite, and why?
Comments? Lemme know.
I'm Bart, from Belgium, 24, student in Leuven ( Louvain for you french seaking people ), almost last year computer sciences.
Time is one of the few things I don't have, so I roughly put out 5 to 10 blades a year, as a hobby maker. My style and focus is the utility value of the oldest tool known to mankind, the knife. Hence I spend a lot of time figuring out heat-treathing recipes, chemical composition and forgewelding impossible stuff together :) As a hobby off course, as a student work needs to be done too :devil:
On a more personal level, I enjoy shooting with my compound bow, I collect movies and see way too many of them, I enjoy a good whiskey every now and then ( personal fav at the moment is a toss-up between Bushmills 15 years single malt, or glenfiddich solera reserve, also 15 years single malt except the last one is scottish. Both are just within my budget, not much money as a student), and maintain www.weapons.be .
Off course, my primary hobby is making blades.
I'd like to show a few to you people across the channel, I'd be happy to hear any critique, comments or reactions in general. If I get no feedback I cannot improve ;)
1. Sword1 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/chicken.jpg)
sword2 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/hout.jpg)
sword3 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/excalibur.jpg)
One of my personal favourites, 5160 blade, full tang, differential temper ( you can see the hardeningline in the last pic to the right ). Paracord wrapped, then leatherwrapped. forged guard ( the whole sword is just one piece of steel with cord and leather basically). full distal taper, both ways, as wel towards the blade (goes from 1/4 inch at the guard to 1/8 3 inches from the tip). Very nice balance, lively fast sword with tremendous power ( that's pine wood, about 1 month ago that tree was still alive, that was done with one one handed swing).
The chicken is still alive and well FYI ;)
2. damascus1 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/mark/15.jpg)
This is a damascus exeperiment that went well ( for a change ;) ), the wide stripes is cable damascus of 1075 carbon steel cable, the thin layers are band saw steel. If you look closely you can see the quench line, believe me, differential tempers on low-layer damascus is not simple, hi misstake rate.
Handle is cocobolo, superglue finish, homemade mosaic pin, brass guard, kydex spacers.
3. khukri1 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/mark/4.jpg)
khukri2 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/mark/3.jpg)
A heavy working blade, well over 1/4 inch thick, full convex ground, soft recuve shaped blade. The blade is excaclty one foot long, because that's the limit in some cutting contest I made this for ( I won the contest easy). 5160, tripple differential hardened, double temper. Micarta handle, forged on broze guard. This basically is my idea of a workhorse of a knife if weight is no issue, and a great chopper.
4. tanto (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/mark/7.jpg)
The same guy that orderd and bought the khukri above orderd this one too, he request 15 stainless pinns, D2 blade, thuya handle, Tanto shaped and specified a "fast fighter". That's what I made from that idea, 4 mm D2 blade (the right kind D2, with 1.6 % C and 1% vanadium). satin finished, smooth grind lines to make slicing easier. Got good comments on this one, took me a while to figure out how to HT D2 at home, I made a salt pot setup for this blade.
5. survival blade (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/mark/9.jpg)
52100 blade, HT'ed the Ed Fowler way. Survival/hunting idea blade. green micarta handle, 420 J2 guard. My idea of a simple user blade in the field.
6. puuko1 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/mark/18.jpg)
ATS-34 blade, 3 mm, brass guard, Handle = Rhododenderhon, I have no clue how to describe it, it's something that we have often in gardens here, nice flowers too, kinda waxy non-shiny dark green leaves, about a meter high. The root of one very large bush of that stuff was stuck in the ground for a years, I sawed that piece out, had it stabilized ( plant where they make superglue, big vat in a vacuum with superglue in it, I keep it in there a day or so, keep to dry for a few weeks and voila ). Superglue finish too.
7. Utility (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/mark/8.jpg)
Basic utility knife, one piece forged 52100, nice double quench line, double temper. Convex grind. My idea of a low cost-hard use utility knife. Functional as stable knife, kitchen knife, hunter, skinner.... 4.5 inch blade, 4.5 inch handle about. I love to make these, much use for a knife made in under 2 hours ( not including temper cycles and cooling down and stuff ).
8. puuko2 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/mark/16.jpg)
12C27 blade, from a damaged finish puuko, handle is Brown horn, zebrano, the rings in the middle also brown horn, and I keep forgetting the name of that white-yellow wood, pretty well known stuff, hard yet silky to the touch, very fine grain. also superglue finish.
9. nickelstripe 1 (http://users.skynet.be/bk235015/mes1.jpg)
Winner of third prize in cathegory overall best knife at the last Belgium knifeshow in Gembloux, 5 layers heavy blade ( 1/4 inch thick ), 3 layers of 1084 and two pure nickel layers, also differetial temper, 410 steel guard, zebrano wood, spacer is reindeer horn. Pin is simple stainless steel.
Have to tell, I am very proud of this one, it is a well balanced, tipheavy fighter, XXL handle and nice grinds.
10. tomahawk 1 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/tom6.jpg)
tomahawk 2 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/tom1.jpg)
tomahawk 3 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/tom2.jpg)
tomahawk 4 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/tom3.jpg)
tomahawk 5 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/tom4.jpg)
tomahawk 6 (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/tom5.jpg)
My tomahawk, and how it was made. 5160, differential temper, gorgeous temper line. Pics tell the whole story.
11. griffes.jpg (http://users.pandora.be/bart.weijs/grif1.jpg)
Couple of griffes I made from A2, actually exercise of myself to see how "utility" the one-hole-knife approach is. Ironwood scales, one claw aka fighting design, one leafblade, utility blade. Satin finished. Fighter = hardened to HRC 57, to be more impact resistant, while the user is hardened to HRC 60, to be the better cutter. grind is also thinner.
My tools: Anvil, self made gasforge, drill press, angle grinder and cutter, small belt grinder ( 1 x 42 on 1/3 HP motor, only suitable for handles and light work), and a butload of files and sanding paper.
what's your favourite, and why?
Comments? Lemme know.