Knife Making Options

[russau]

Swizz that belt grinder is EZ to make! i saw one somebody made on the net (maybe here??) homemade would be so much cheaper!!

[swizz]

Cabin fever...
I made a belt-carry sheath for my Fiskars hatchet. I'm right handed but made this a lefty since I usually have knife & gun holstered on the right when in the woods.

[Caveman]

Beautiful!

[swizz]

Thanks Caveman.... it'll do the job. I'm thinkin leather work is a good frontier skill and I wish I'd have taken it up a long time ago but never had a reason to.
Now I'm out of things to sheath and still have a nice hunk of leather... that means I need to get back to knifemaking.

[amorton]

Chris what are you using to burnish the ends on the leather ?

[swizz]

Chris what are you using to burnish the ends on the leather ?

Mostly wet rag and friction.
Hand sand edges to #300 grit (dry sand and wet sand).
Then use a wet rag to get the burnish started, then hand buff with leather-slicker tools. Final step with the burnishing is to buff with Gum Of Tragacanth.

[Denise]

Cool belt Chris! Maybe leather belts next?

[swizz]

Cool belt Chris! Maybe leather belts next?

For sure... I'd like to make a good leather belt! I need a strap-cutter to pull that off though, in due time.

[swizz]

Well... I'm still on a sheath kick.
I just learned how to wet-form leather and made this sheath for the folding knife I pictured earlier in this thread.

[Caveman]

Ok, you got mad skills! That looks waaaaaaay better than store bought or OEM supplied. I really like the paw print on it. Can I commission one for my trusty Buck 112? The dog ate mine a few years back.

Thanks!

[swizz]

hmmmmm..... I had to give this some thought.
I could, BUT my conclusion is that it would be smarter for you to just replace the Buck sheath with another Buck sheath.
I have a Buck 112 and am familiar with the knife and sheath. The knife is ok, a little on the heavy side but good steel. If I were to make a sheath for yours... I would have to make a whole new press customized to the 112 dimensions in order to form the pouch. From there everything else is hand-done and kinda time consuming. It's a labor of love but there's no way I would make money at it for a Buck 112.
Searching Amazon the original Buck sheath for that knife can be bought for under $15 and is plenty adequate for that knife. It's not as purty as my sheaths but definitely functional and a great value. They obviously mass-produce with machine presses, dies, machine stitching, and minimal finish work. Also... a knife with it's original manufacturer sheath is typically of greater resale and collector value, regardless the sheath quality.
If you were to purchase a DDR3 folder kit (which is a far superior knife), I could custom-build that knife and a sheath to go with it for example. That's what I did here and would make more sense. I just think that a custom sheath for a Buck 112 is probably overkill unless you make it yourself.
Make sense?

[Caveman]

Very true, and yes it does.... but it wouldn't be a Swizz made sheath! I like the talent, quality, and work you put into it. I havn't bought a 112 sheath because I just haven't found them in stores and I just haven't bothered to look online for it.... I've been making do with old tool sheaths (leatherman, sog, and the like) until they wear out and I find another that will work. I've had this knife for almost 15 years, it replaced another that I had had since 1978 (lost in a snowstorm in the Flat Tops by Hiner Spring). Darn good utility knife, nice and solid, but, like you said, heavy, and for some reason, it doesn't seem to hold an edge like my old one did and is harder to open. I guess what they say is true... replacements never match the original - even if it's the same maker! Thanks for the answer and explanation.

Hope to see ypu out there!

[swizz]

This is a handle that I made and am shaping for an Arctic Hunter. The knife is purposed to skin Caribou or other game in the winter while wearing gloves so the grip is slightly oversized by design. It feels pretty good in the hand now, with or without gloves.


I'm also restoring a vintage Solingen Bowie knife for a friend. That knife is in pretty rough shape but I think I can bring it back to life. I'll probably post some pics of that one down the road.
Kinda limited on what I can do with hand tools for now but getting real close to being able to afford a 2X72 belt grinder finally. Once I get that.... look out world, I'll be in production.

[Caveman]

Are you working with Damascus steel now?

[swizz]

Are you working with Damascus steel now?

Good eye, that is Damascus.
No more steel work until I get a 2X72, fried most of my power tools overworking them.
This is a restoration for a friend. When he gave it to me the Damascus lines were nearly invisible and the faux-bone handle was coming apart. I re-etched the Damascus twice to bring back the patterns and darken the blade. I started from scratch on the handle which is far better than what was on there originally... I wish I had pics of that abomination before I removed it.
The Damascus on this knife was made by a guy in Alaska... I'm not sure of it's quality, I noticed some flaws. I'll more than likely be using forged bar Damascus from Alabama Damascus when I get on it again. Their Damascus recipe is top notch and they have excellent patterns to choose from. Man, I can't wait.