Ok, Where was I...... ? Oh yeah, BUILDING a Knife!

[rainshadow1]

FINALLY!!! We made it to the point of actually BUILDING a knife! (Well, at least that's all I thought there was to it when I first started doing this!)

This one gets kinda complicated, so if you're thinking of doing this as a project... don't! Just use one piece of material for scales. It's SO much easier!

Ok, this knife isn't a cheap-o. It gets very complex and utilizes some very rare and expensive components. Moose antler is our main medium, but we're also going to throw in Wooly Mammoth Ivory, Musk Ox Horn from the boss area of the horn, and 2 colors of vulcanized carbon fiber spacer material.

Let's get started...

Find a good piece of material and slab up some scales. This is Moose antler in the bandsaw, sorry for the poor picture, hard to cut and shoot at the same time!







After slabbing up a matching set, you need to square the surfaces...






Until they're perfectly flat, square, and match up to each other with no gaps whatsoever.







When your scales are done, you need to start building your spacer material. The alignment of the spacers is critical, and difficult, so it's best to do it by hand...







So they're perfectly sized, and match each other flawlessly. The more spacers you incorporate, the more critical this is...







After you're "done" you lay them out and check again....







Then you start on your extras....







Then you lay it out and check it... AGAIN!



Continued.....

[rainshadow1]

Ok, now if you're SURE you're ready!

Glue it up, clamp it, tap it, press it, and keep everything in place as it cures....







After it sets up, knock it down so you can work on it....







I actually re-thought some pin holes in this piece, so I had to break out the carbides and punch a couple new ones. (Destroyed one bit completely with a bad shatter, broke the other one twice but was able to re-sharpen and get the holes done! Hardened, Cryo-treated ATS34 is TOUGH STUFF!)







Now you're ready to lay up the other side....

So repeat the process!






The bore through your first side with your existing holes acting as guides...







Knock it down and you're ready to get to work on the grip!







Set the pins with glue...







Then peen them too, for a double bond.







Continued....

[rainshadow1]

Note, on the Mammoth Ivory, there's splits and de-laminations in a couple of them, not much you can do about that, it's just the nature of working with these kinds of materials. It's part of their provenance....


So anyway, after it's knocked down to rough shape, you dunk it in a bath of CA glue and put it under 25 microns of vacuum for 40 minutes....

At least, I do. You don't have to, but it's a good idea!






Sorry to tell you, it's pretty much hand work from here out!







Until you get it into the shape and texture of a finished knife grip...








THEN you can carefully and deliberately move to the buffer again...

Start with the brass and the ricasso....






Then finish doing the grip....








Then get out the microfiber and finish that baby off...







Until.... She's ready for the flower bed! (Or wherever you feel like photographing this time!)

[rainshadow1]

A couple more....

























Now, on to the leather!

[bucklucky]

Awesome, absolutely awesome! Thanks for taking the time and effort to show us how you build your knives.

[robodad]

HOLY AWESOME !!! 

That is a cool piece for sure Steve !!

It is fun to see those rough materials come together into a masterpiece !!!

[alecvg]

wow, thats amazing! i wish i knew how to do that!

[Slider]

Beautiful!!!

[huntingnut]

Thanks for the tutorial, it's awesome to see stuff like that come together. Again you have built a beautiful knife.

[GoldTip]

Wow, thats all I can say.  Gonna be a beautiful knife to slide through the skin of the first animal it see's on the ground.  Thanks for the pictorial.

[tlbradford]

That moose horn is beautiful.  Great work as usual Steve.

[Backstraps]

WOW!  That's a beautiful piece! Thanks for sharing Steve.

[Alchase]

It would be really hard for me to use a work of art like that as "just a knife",

This tutorial should be posted up in the articles section Rainshadow1 put too much work into this to have it eventually disappear in the topics of the Forums.

[mossback91]

THATS A BEAUTY!!