Scottish newbie saying hi

[Drumgerry]

Hi all

Just saying hello. I'm Gerry Thompson and I live in Aberdeenshire

I am a newbie at this knifemaking thing in every way. I have been reading and been enthralled by all of your posts for the last week and thought I should step out of the shadows so to speak. I have made a few guitars so my background is in woodworking - given that up cos I don't have the time with family commitments. But I love carving and always enjoyed shaping the necks of the guitars best - knife handles look like fun.

I am awaiting an order from Brisa with which I'm going to make a semblance of a puukko (is that the right spelling? Doh!). I have a Hankala blade and some amboyna as well as various other bits and bobs coming.

I am amazed that some of you guys forge your own blades. It seems like such a black art - most metal work I've done has been fitting and filing/polishing frets. BTW - do any of you use microplanes for carving/ micromesh for sanding/polishing or tru-oil for finishing? These are things I swear by from the old geetar days.

Anyway enough from me. This is such a fabulous resource!

Gerry

[trojanargus]

Gerry
welcome to the forum :biggthump

[ANDYLASER]

Welcome Gerry, let the addiction commence. I have heard of tru-oil mentioned by quite a few people, I therefore think it is used quite often.

[mojofilter]

Hi Gerry and welcome from a fellow Scot!

I play guitar and would really like to see photos of some of your creations!

stuarty

[lemoneyewash]

Welcome Gerry!!!
:D

[Hellz]

Welcome! :)

As you say, this place is a great resource and also a great place to hang out, enjoy :)

Hellz

[Basemetal]

Hi Gerry,
Welcome Aboard...you'll have noticed it's a pretty friendly place and surprisingly "international" - - -we even have some English people posting here!
Whereabouts in Aberdeenshire? I'm in Fyvie.
Danny

[Drumgerry]

Quick replies guys! I am impressed!

Thanks for the welcome everyone. It does seem pretty friendly around here and in my reading of the archives I haven't found a flame war yet - unlike some of the other message boards I participate in.

Basemetal - I live near Castle Fraser but my place is for sale and I'm moving to Moray/Highland soon. Not too far from you though eh? The international thing is cool - I am particularly enjoying all the Scandinavian stuff.

Mojofilter - I have made just a few and I don't have a digital camera or scanner to upload or email any images. FWIW my latest unfinished (hopefully to be put right in the next year!) project is a OO size with walnut back and sides, WR cedar top, mahogany neck and abalone soundhole inlay.

Thanks again everyone and see you on the main boards when I'm asking the many questions that I will have once I get started.

Gerry :thanks:

[Chux]

Welcome to the forum. Would love to see photos of your work.

[Sajuma]

Welcome to this funny farm. Nice to notice that you want to start with Finnish Puukko. Mr. Hankala's blades are top of the line and he is one of the best smith's on Finland, I'm a big fan of his work.
Have fun and please send us some pic's if you can.

Juha

[JC]

Gerry,

Welcome. I look forward to seeing your work.

JC

[Underhay]

Welcome to the forum :biggthump
If you make guitars, I would have thought you'd have no trouble with knife handles, but you'll learn to hate fitting the guard to the blade.
I look forward to seeing your work.

Go on have a go at forging a blade, you know it makes sense ;)

Regards
Duncan

[Drumgerry]

There's a job in guitar making which I loathed but which the success of the instrument completely depends on and that's accurately fitting the neck to the body. It's the sort of job where you shave a bit here, try it out, shave a bit there, and try it out. The problem I found was that my shave a bit here/there usually led to here/there having gone too much the one way - sorry if my explanation is clear as mud. After many attempts things ended up ok but it sure was a pain in the a***.

Fitting the guard/bolster/ferrule looks to be a similar sort of deal if on a smaller scale.

To keep myself going until the Brisa order arrives - hopefully tomorrow - I have dug out an old army machete I found in the garage and I have had a few goes at grinding a new edge with the dremel as well as grinding off all the rust. I've ditched the old plastic handle and may use some cocobolo I have sitting around to make a new handle. I guess I'd have to use rivets to put the handle on - the original was attached only by some old rusty screws. Anyone have any experience doing something similar and words of wisdom to share??

All the best

Gerry

[Underhay]

There are plenty more experienced people out there than me, but I've found that the problem with riviting wood is that it's easy to split. There are two options I have used to avoid this:
You can just drill tight holes for brass rod pins and epoxy it all together, or you can drill through for a threaded rod and tap threads inside circular brass nuts which go into countersinks on each side. The nuts are tightened by cutting a slot in the top. Once it is all solid you cut off the excess rod/brass and smooth it off. If it is all one metal it will look like a rivit, but is less risky. I think you can buy these fastenings somewhere, but I don't have the link.

Have fun.

Duncan

[narsil]

Hi and welcome to the forum :)

As a luthier I'm sure your knowledge and experience will be a great help in your knifemaking and a great assest to the forum.

Welcome aboard!

[Drumgerry]

Thanks for everyone's kind words - what a welcoming party!!

I am not taking anything for granted about what I may or may not achieve with knifemaking. Some of the skills I have developed in lutherie will no doubt come in handy but I am going to be a newbie at this for some time to come. I just hope I can approach the level of craftsmanship you guys have achieved - the galleries are awesome and I hope to feel worthy of uploading my own pictures of my own knives when the time comes. I'll need to borrow a digital camera first though.

Underhay - I like the sound of the fastenings you describe but not quite sure what they are. Are there any other discussions that mention them or can you give me even a lead and I can go off and try to find them myself?

All the best

Gerry

[mojofilter]

Mojofilter - I have made just a few and I don't have a digital camera or scanner to upload or email any images. FWIW my latest unfinished (hopefully to be put right in the next year!) project is a OO size with walnut back and sides, WR cedar top, mahogany neck and abalone soundhole inlay.



Gerry :thanks:

Now that is a real guitar :biggthump , I just assumed you made solidbody electrics, sorry!

[Dave Barker]

Hi Gerry,
Welcome Aboard...you'll have noticed it's a pretty friendly place and surprisingly "international" - - -we even have some English people posting here!
Whereabouts in Aberdeenshire? I'm in Fyvie.
Danny

welcome Gerry

Base mate i know a song from there. old folk song, the Maid of Fyvie

sing " There once was a troop or irish dragoons...............!"

[Graham]

Welcome to the Forum Gerry :biggthump as someone who regularly repairs guitars I sympathise with you regarding Guitar necks they are nearly as bad as sound posts on small Violins.

Cheers,

Graham.

[Underhay]

I've found a good link on the forum titled "Loveless bolts" which should help:
http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5408&highlight=brass+fixings
A picture paints a thousand words as they say.

Duncan

[Drumgerry]

Thanks Underhay for the info - an interesting thread indeed. Not sure I'd want to go to the trouble of getting them from the US just for this old machete. I was in B&Q this afternmoon and noticed they have lengths of solid brass (or was it copper) rod in various diameters. The holes in the machete are pretty irregular but are around 6mm. What if I bought one of those drill bits which drill metal and wood and drilled through the wood scales (is that the right word for the wood either side of the tang?) and tang? The hole would be regular and an appropriate length of rod could be epoxied in place to hold it all together.

That would certainly be more secure than the flimsy screws which were holding the old plastic handle on.

And Graham - you have a cool job my friend!

Mojofilter - I think it's equally hard to make a good solid body electric - it just uses some different skills. Have you seen the quality of Paul Reed Smith instruments for instance?

All the best

Gerry

[Basemetal]

Oooooooooohhhhhhhaaaaaa..
There once was a troop of Irish dragoons
Come marching down thru Fyvie, O
And the captain feel in love with a very bonnie lass
And the name she was called was pretty Peggy-o

There's many a bonnie lass in the glen of Auchterless
There's many a bonnie lass in Gairioch-o
There's many a bonnie Jean in the streets of Aberdeen
But the flower of them all lives in Fyvie, O

O come down the stairs, Pretty Peggy, my dear
Come down the stairs, Pretty Peggy-o
Come down the stairs, comb back your yellow hair
Bid a long farewell to your mammy-o

It's braw, aye it's braw, a captain's lady for to be
And it's braw to be a captain's lady-o
It's braw to ride around and to follow the camp
And to ride when your captain he is ready-o

O I'll give you ribbons, love, and I'll give you rings
I'll give you a necklace of amber-o
I'll give you a silken petticoat with flounces to the knee
If you'll convey me doon to your chamber-o

What would your mother think if she heard the guineas cLink
And saw the haut-boys marching all before you o
O little would she think gin she heard the guineas cLink
If I followed a soldier laddie-o

I never did intend a soldier's lady for to be
A soldier shall never enjoy me-o
I never did intend to gae tae a foreign land
And I will never marry a soldier-o

I'll drink nae more o your claret wine
I'll drink nae more o your glasses-o
Tomorrow is the day when we maun ride away
So farewell tae your Fyvie lasses-o

The colonel he cried, mount, boys, mount,boys, mount
The captain, he cried, tarry-o
O tarry yet a while, just another day or twa
Til I see if the bonnie lass will marry-o

Twas in the early morning, when we marched awa
And O but the captain he was sorry-o
The drums they did beat on the merry braes o' Gight
And the band played the bonnie lass of Fyvie, O

Long ere we came to the glen of Auchterless
We had our captain to carry-o
And long ere we won into the streets of Aberdeen
We had our captain to bury-o

Green grow the birks on bonnie Ythanside
And low lie the lowlands of Fyvie, O
The captain's name was Ned and he died for a maid
He died for the bonny lass of Fyvie, O


Ithengyou:biggthump

[Drumgerry]

That was a fine rendition Basemetal :35: !!!!

Fit aboot "The Back o' Bennachie" noo?!!!

Gerry

[Dave Barker]

:35:

I have never heard the whole text. A shortened version by a folk band here in the land of nog.

I have it on cd somewhere in the house. Maybe i'll......... get a copy for you and you can tell me what you think......;)

[Basemetal]

Oh all right...Ahem...(cough)...

As I cam' roun' by Bennachie
A bonnie young lassie there I did see,
I gaed her a wink and she smiled tae me
At the back o' Bennachie.

Chorus :
Oh, there's meal and there's ale whaur the Gadie rins,
Wi' the yellow broom and the bonnie whins,
There's meal and there's ale whaur the Gadie rins,
At the back o' Bennachie.

Oh I took my lassie on my knee,
Her kilt was short abeen her knee,
I says, 'My lassie will ye come wi' me,
Tae the back o' Bennachie.

I says tae her, 'Pit on your kilt,
You're a gey bra' deem and you're gey weel built,
You can wear your plaidie alang wi' your kilt,
At the back o' Bennachie.

Oh when her mither comes tae ken,
We'll hae tae rin noo fae oor hame,
And sleep in the heather up in the glen,
At the back o' Bennachie.

Oh, here's tae the lassie o' Bennachie,
I'll never gang back for her tae see,
I'll bide wi' my mither until I dee,
At the back o' Bennachie.

Ithengyou:biggthump
:bandit:

[Basemetal]

Left handed but why do you care....?
My Avatar and the "left handed" quote, and lots of other nonsense on British Blades is taken from Rob Reiner's 1987 Movie "The Princess Bride" starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patenkin, Chris Sarenden et al.

It's required viewing so I don't know why Martyn hasn't listed it on a sticky.
You won't be disappointed. And all will be revealed...
:bandit:
PS: Script here:
The Princess Bride-Script (sort of) (http://www.godamongdirectors.com/scripts/princess.shtml)

[Drumgerry]

I'd ask for "Ye canny shove yer granny aff a bus!" but I fear it might be too much for some.

Ahhhhh....the leftie thing is now clear. I will endeavour to change my sig as I don't really know the film so the quotes don't mean a huge amount to me. Just gimme a minute to think of something else.

All the best

Gerry

[Basemetal]

Yep,
Better leave that and "flinging pieces off a twenty storey flat" well alone. Just turn around and walk quietly away with no sudden moves...
:bandit:

[Danzo]

Hello and welcome!

:biggthump

As you have seen there is singing and much good humour. I have heard it said that sometimes strong drink is taken; but I am normally too drunk to tell.

:approve:

Danzo

[Dave Barker]

Hello and welcome!

:biggthump

As you have seen there is singing and much good humour. I have heard it said that sometimes strong drink is taken; but I am normally too drunk to tell.

:approve:

Danzo


WE KNOW :rotfl:

[cammoman]

welcome :)