A hunter by kev

[jbaron]

This is a earler knife made by kev aka coutel what do you tarts think?

[Danzo]

I love the knife, but I'm not keen on the green handle, it looks like pakkawood. Is it? Nothing wrong with pakkawood per se, IMHO, it's just that there is so much cheap s**t out there that it doesn't convey quality to me.

Still, the whole knife is very luvverly. Very clean lines and also looks a real user.

:approve:

Danzo

[jbaron]

danzo there is a history to that handle

[Danzo]

Then relate to us the history, young storyteller!

:approve:

Danzo

[jbaron]

This text is quoted from ckdfourms.com and is written by kev (coutel)


"The knife is 8 1/2 length and 4 inches from tip to guard....stock removal from 1095 1 1/2 x 5/32 bar stock.The handle is diamond wood (who would have guessed) with a red liner, mosaic pins, and a tapered tang.
I encountered lots of problems making this knife!
During stock removal, I think I may have overheated the blade, so after profiling (hollow grind) I normalised it before heat treatment/hardening. However, after the initial heat treat and quench, I tested the edge with a file and saw that the last 1/4 on the chole end of the edge was not hardened...sooo, I went back to normalise it again, then back to heat treatment and quenching ........,differentaily hardening a 1/3 from the edge in peanut oil...
. I then tempered at 375 F for 2 hrs x 3 times which gave it what appears to be a good temper color.
After tempering, I went back to finish grinding..on a VERY slow speed to prevent it getting hot.
I had problems getting the grind lines symmetrical on both sides.......I think I should have tapered the point on a flat grind belt /platen before I started hollow grinding,..as I had to keep swapping between a platen and contact wheel to get the shape right...seemed to take ages!
The transition between blade and ricasso I lightly did with a file, then very gently ground with a contact wheel.
When I was satisfied with the profile , I decided to lightly etch it to check my temper lines (I know , I should of done this earlier!). I etched in a mixture of ferric chloride and white vinegar (1:1) (etching fluid and instructions from Sheffield Supply) ...I usualy use muric acid to etch, and this was the first time I used ferric with white vinegar..this stuff etches VERY fast...The temper lines looked good.
I then secured the guard (slotted stainless)...the slot and holes were completed before hardening so it was a case of pinning and peening..although I did use JB weld as a final fix, which also helps seal it .....I would like to solder, but I dont seem to be able to get it right and I didnt want to put any excess heat on the blade which may ruin the temper.
Originaly, I was going to use Maple for the handles, with loveless bolts...however, I cracked the wood during finishing, so I decided to use Palm.......but when I went to pin it, I again cracked the wood (I need to get my holes perfectly lined up!!)...this was begining tonbe a very expensive knife!)
The only thing I had left was diamond wood. I drilled all the holes, glued and pinned the handle BUT I left the mosaic pins out as I wanted to fix these after I had profiled the handle to save on mosaic pins (this stuff is espensive).....so, the thong pin and two small 1/8 pins were pinning the handle only during profiling.
When I had the shape right, I placed the mosaic pins in, ground flat then buffed.
I liked the etch effect so much on the blade I decided to keep it, but tone it down a bit on the buffer.
However, the tang sides were still mirror finish and I wanted to etch them to blend them in with the blade...rather than did the whole completed knife in the etch (not a good idea), I decided to apply the etch around the tang sides with a cotton bud (remember I said this stuff was very fast!...it worked a treat.
Final sharpening on a slack belt and finishing with ceramic has given it a VERY sharp cutting edge.
I learnt a lot from my new grinder (a lot of failed knives before this one!).....and know feel a lot more confident about it.
One thing with the grinder though, I find that sometimes the belt slides left and cuts into the frame.....it looks bad, ...the rest arm is cut so bad I think I am going to have to weld it before it cuts in half. Is this common or am I just sloppy?
One more thing...gluing and pinning handles is nearly always a problem for me....I always seem to have glue all over the place....so messy...........I always seem to be in a rush from this point...I need to slow down and keep my work bench clean.
I know need to go and make the sheath.
I am reasonably pleased with the finish, however, I wish I had finished it in the original maple, or palm as I think it would have looked better.
Oh, I forgot to say...I profiled the finger grooves in the handle with my old Delta grinder as it fitted the contours I wanted better than the Bade (until I can afford a different size contact wheel).

Thanks for looking.
Kevin.

[Kevin]

Flippen eck......I thought I had seen the last of that one!!!!!!

It was one of my first knives.....with my Bader grinder......JB's quote is from the ckd 'newbie' forum..........

Yes, it is dymond wood aka pakka wood.....I was going through my 'green' stage in life


Thanks jon.....I think!

A knifemakers nightmare is old knives haunting them :aargh4:

[Danzo]

Thanks Jon. Y'know what would look very good? The original handle wood of that vaguely kukri/ancient greek style knife that I'm hoping to get from Kev.

Edited to say, oops, sorry Kev, you got that reply in fast!



Danzo

[jbaron]

I like the handle as it's easy to see at night

[Danzo]

Flippen eck......I thought I had seen the last of that one!!!!!!

It was one of my first knives.....with my Bader grinder......JB's quote is from the ckd 'newbie' forum..........

Yes, it is dymond wood aka pakka wood.....I was going through my 'green' stage in life


Thanks jon.....I think!

A knifemakers nightmare is old knives haunting them :aargh4:

The making sounds traumatic Kev, but it is a very nice knife all the same.

I wish I had things like that to haunt me!



Danzo

[Kevin]

The making sounds traumatic Kev.........
Danzo

Yea...I was pretty excited at the time.....I rambled on a bit didnt I ...no change really....LOL

[Kevin]

I like the handle as it's easy to see at night

I have a feeling we are all going to see a lot of new piccies from Jon as he has a new camera..................

Actualy, Jon.....you are a good photographer......keep it up

[Kevin]

Thanks Jon. Y'know what would look very good? The original handle wood of that vaguely kukri/ancient greek style knife that I'm hoping to get from Kev.

Edited to say, oops, sorry Kev, you got that reply in fast!



Danzo

You can have all the bits......and they 'are' all in bits

[Danzo]

Oh no!

Let me guess; it's now two small skinning knives and an axe!





Danzo