Knife Build Process, Part 1

[rainshadow1]

I've had a few people ask, but I'm posting this for the guy who wants his custom ordered Gift knife documented for its recipient...


You may wonder what it's like to get a pre-made blade blank from a qualified bladesmith? Well....

 
It's right out of the oven! It's just been tempered and cryo treated, wrapped and shipped. It's finished to 220, and the cutting edge is still about .035 wide!



First thing you do is spend about an hour standing...



 
HERE!
   3 grits of wet dry, and alot of WD40...





 
And you scrub and scrub and scrub....




Until you just can't stand the hand work anymore...(and you can't see any more machine scratches...)





 
Then you get mechanized!
     That's a leather stropping wheel loaded with emory.


Switch through a few wheels...




 
And a few compounds...



And after close to another hour...







 
You should be able to check for boogers!






Now it's time to carve in your cutting edge...






 
Very Carefully!





After you start this process mechanized, then you go back to...





 
Hand work, to get it just right.





Careful inspection shows the edge all uniform and tapered out to nothing at every point, then....





 
Finish it off!




Ok, after 3 hours of work...  NOW you're ready to start "building a knife!"







 
Cover that thing up and start designing your grip!




The blade will get at least one more full session on the buffers, and a final sharpening, after the grip is built and finished. You just KNOW it's going to get marked and scuffed in the process. But at least it's THERE for now!



(I'll do what I can to document the grip build, but sometimes I get so focused when I'm creating, and especially doing precise stuff like fitting, I forget to do stuff like take pictures.)

Thanks Guys!

[bucklucky]

Thats a cool pictorial. Hope you remember to take pics of the handle proccess. I know what you are talking about, I try to take step by step pictures of mounting a deer and forgot to take pictures last night. Oh Well. , at least the deer is mounted.

[GoldTip]

Very cool to see, lots of work.  Look forward to seeing the grip build as well.

[huntingnut]

Looks like a lot of work, you do an excellent job bringing those blades out. Thanks for sharing, hope to get to see the handle process.

[Alchase]

Very cool, after watching the show "How it's Made" doing the Buck knife factory, they spend about 1/10 the time on each blade that you do. Your attention to detail really shows in your work.
I have to say, if I bought one of your knives I would be to scared of screwing up a work of art like that to use it, lol.

[chukar-ridge-quest]

Rain----

Thank you for the post. I learned a lot.  I learned I don't have time to even start playing with knives (after work).  Can't wait to see the grip building post.

[Houndhunter]

very cool post

[tlbradford]

Great thread, and no boogers.  Thanks for taking the time to post this Steve.

[saylean]

Thanks for the post man, its great. Thanks for the knife I bought off ya too,...hope to use it this season..

Looking forward to part 2!

[boneaddict]

Exciting post.  Thanks rainshadow.  Its cool to see an artisan at work, and your knives are a piece of art.  Got to see a Caper you did for W70 on our Sturgeon trip.  That thing was awesome.

[Sagedawg]

Awesome post. Are you going to show how you fit the handles? If you do can you use black line micarta,Im thinking of making a set of grips for one of my 45's but am wondering how you work the stuff.

  Sage

[rainshadow1]

Antler and horn around brass on this one. I'll try to photograph what I can...

[boneaddict]

I'm not a big raver as most of you know, but when something is dang nice and the workmanship is awesome, and top it off its in natural material, wood, horn, or antler, ......anyway, Between Hornseekers bows and your knives, I RAVE.  I will endorse your products to the grave.  GOOD STUFF