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swizz
HRC 58-60 on this one.
russau
thanks!
swizz
yaay.... back from heat treat. happy.gif
swizz
I've sanded the heat-treated Nessmuk blade to a mirror finish and am now working on the handle scales. After that I'll create a secondary bevel, or cutting edge. I'll post pics when it's completed.

Meanwhile, I was bored between knife builds while the Nessy was gone to heat-treatment so I tore apart a Gerber that I never liked and gave it a facelift. I used some more of that scrap mahogany flooring again for handle scales w/black spacer material. I also took a hand file and scalloped the spine for grip. I sanded off the black factory paint, rounded the front bolsters, removed the belt clip, and lowered the side profile and handle width little. I have two of these so it's like before & after pics.




russau
and they just keep on comeing! really nice work!
Denise
QUOTE (swizz @ Sep 9 2012, 01:31 PM) *
I've sanded the heat-treated Nessmuk blade to a mirror finish and am now working on the handle scales. After that I'll create a secondary bevel, or cutting edge. I'll post pics when it's completed.

Meanwhile, I was bored between knife builds while the Nessy was gone to heat-treatment so I tore apart a Gerber that I never liked and gave it a facelift. I used some more of that scrap mahogany flooring again for handle scales w/black spacer material. I also took a hand file and scalloped the spine for grip. I sanded off the black factory paint, rounded the front bolsters, removed the belt clip, and lowered the side profile and handle width little. I have two of these so it's like before & after pics.







Nice modifications Chris, it looks great now! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif The Nessy knife you made is coming along great, cant wait to see the finished piece.
swizz
Nessmuk update...
I'm in the finish stages now, still doing everything by hand. The handle scales are attached and finished but I'm not showing them until completion. eating-popcorn-03.gif
In this pic I am hand-sanding the blade to a mirror finish starting with #80 grit and working my way down to #1500 to remove all scratches.
If you look toward the ricasso I have added a choil. A choil is the indentation near the rear of the cutting edge. This is to create a clean termination of the cutting edge at the rear of the blade.
russau
HUMMMMM? your handmade knifes make my $9.50 pocket knife look.................well,can i say,not nearly as impressive!
Denise
Top notch work tends to do that Russ. It's coming along great!! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
swizz
Not really "top notch"... I'm not an accomplished maker yet and have been doing the old "Texas two-step" (one step forward, two steps back) more times than I care to admit, but definitely appreciate the compliments!
I'm nearing the finish line (I hope). I've begun the sharpening process. I've opted to have a satin finish on this blade as per recommendations from the pros. The blade is now sanded to #400 grit (rather than #1500 which I originally planned) because "mirror finish" is primarily used for "presentation" knives and I want this one to be a workhorse. I like the satin finish. The blade is now taped while I sharpen to protect my finish work.
russau
Chris they all look "accomplished" to me!
swizz
Not sure if I mentioned this but my Dad's birthday is on Halloween. I plan on sending this to him for his birthday gift. He turns 90 but still has plenty of fire left.... still actively working on our U.P. home, hunting camp, and cottage along with many other projects and gardens. Safe to assume he will put this knife to work!
Knife is now completed and has a razor-sharp edge. thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
I will be ready to ship it in time. happy088.gif

Two things I wish I could complete before sending it to him:
1. Wish I knew how to make a sheath, I will eventually. I have ZERO sheath-making skills or knowledge so I am now making a display base for it instead. Would like to present both sheath and base with the knife but not possible.
2. Maker's mark. I have created my maker's mark artwork (jpg format) but I think it would be a push to expect to have an etching service create my stencil and apply it to the blade in time.

Here's a picture of the base I am making from a nice piece of scrap Maple. The knife will be positioned on a small piece of driftwood from Lake Superior that my Mom sent me a while back.
Denise
Your dad is going to love it Chris!! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
swizz
Thanks Denise! I think so too. He better or I'm cutting him out of the will. oh wait... that should be the other way around.
Meanwhile, while I'm finishing the base for the Nessmuk (I'll picture that base and knife later)... I have purchased another billet of good steel for Woody's knife.

Woody, I need your input as to what style of knife you'd have most use for.
1. Nessmuk? A good all-around blade
2. Drop Point Hunter? You may already have enough of these.
3. Skinner? Can never have enough of these
4. Bowie? sorry, I don't have those skills yet blush.gif

Just let me know bud, I'm itching to get started on it.

russau
just a suggestion for Woodys knife, make it into a throwing knife so he can point out where the gold is! :)
swizz
YES! A dowsing knife, I like the way you think.
swizz
Finished at last! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Sorry but these pics are not of my usual quality. I'm not happy with them but this will have to do.
I recently broke my Olympus E420 DSLR and these were taken with my Droid RAZR. Best can do with what I have right now. Oh well....

Nessmuk
ATS-34 steel - draw-filed flat bevels, Texas Knifemakers heat treatment with Cryogenic quenching for ultimate hardness
Scales - stabilized Black Ash Burl w/black spacers, brass pins (#1500 finish and Carnuba wax)
Blade finish - #400 grit, then Scotch Brite pad
Spine and exposed tang are mirror finish - #1500 then hand buffed

Specs:
Spine thickness - 1/8"
Blade height - 1 3/16"
Blade length - 3 3/4"
OAL - 8"
Handle width - 9/16"



Top


Bottom


With Base


Note: I installed a powerful magnet (Neodymium) into the driftwood. Holds knife securely
in place when displayed. Magnet is recessed into the wood 1/16" as not to scratch the knife.


Balance
Denise
smiley-shocked003.gif Wow!! Amazing work Chris! Great idea adding the magnet and great balance. thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Sure looks like top notch work to me......
chin.gif music037.gif
russau
you have become very talented in this venture! im sure that you could sell quality knifes and make good money at it! true story, but not ment to imply anything towards you .....there was once a man where i used to .........work,and he made some beautiful knifes and had a portfolio of them to show off his talent. unfortunatly he got fired for doing this at work useing scap metal and "new" saw blades for his knifes. all the boss' knew of his work, but someone got their feelings hurt and complained to security and they HAD to fire him even though some of the guys in security had him make them a knife also.
swizz
I started my next build.
Another Nessmuk that I designed... a little different than the last one. This has a thumb-stop on the top of the tang and a different handle shape, overall a little more ergonomic. I may do some detail file work on this one for fun.
Steel is ATS-34 and currently in an annealed state. This is my drawing, template, and profile that I cut.
I'll post occasional progress.
CP
Bet your dad is going to love that first Nessmuck style, it turned out very nicely!
I really like the style of the Nessmuck too, look forward to seeing this one progress. If you do choose to go with detail filing vine work with it that will really be a nice finishing touch for sure!

swizz
Well... Dad opened his birthday present early and he loves it! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif That was the perfect thing or him.
Maybe I'm back in the will. smiley-laughing021.gif

I just ordered a set of diamond needle files for $20 from Jantz.... what a deal! That should make the detail work a little less painful.

swizz
Quick progress update on the Muk II.
The diamond files worked great.
I'm about to start the laborious process of creating the primary bevels (draw-filing) but thought I'd show a quick pic of a tool that I fabricated to help the process.
It is a 'file-guide'. I made it from two pieces of leftover billet steel. It sandwiches the bade where the bevel-plunges will start and will keep them symmetrical throughout the process.
They cost anywhere from $40+ but I was able to make this for pretty much free.

swizz
This is a billet of metal that Woody gave me and will not be a knife... just a practice piece to get better at detail filing.
Here I have filled in the file-work with a pigmented epoxy (black) and wanted to see if the black epoxy would stain or bleed into some red spacer material. The spacer material is vulcanized paper and it worked well. I had to try it before doing it on the real thing.

Denise
That looks great Chris, sweet design detail!! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
swizz
Thanks!
I now have this one ready to be sent off for heat-treat. I will be using 8 of the holes in the tang... the rest were drilled to achieve balance.
Click to view attachment
swizz
I sent the Muk 2 to Texas for heat treat & cryo. It won't be back for a week or two.
Meanwhile I'm working on another stock-removal.
This will be a drop-point camp knife or small hunter.
First I designed and drew the knife (center).
Then I put it on my copier and cut it out... traced it onto a steel billet.
Next I used an angle grinder and bench grinder to cut the knife profile from the billet (bottom). chores041.gif whew.gif
Once the profile was created I traced it onto my design sheet for future use, labeled "template" (top).
The steel I am using here is CPM154CM and superior to anything I've used thus far. A little more pricey. "CPM" stands for "Crucible Powder Metallurgy". The process creates an extremely uniform and stable steel matrix.
swizz
CP
Whew! Looks like that's a job in itself right there and x 2 for the reverse side.
Nice work Swizz.
Denise
It's looking great Chris, coming along very nicely. Looks like you have a sweet vise set up to do what you need.
Careful though, your leather gloves has holes and you don't want to find one of those with the knife blade. wacko.gif
swizz
Thanks Denise!
No worries on getting cut. The cutting edge of the knife will remain dull (thickness of a dime) until after heat-treatment and handle assembly. Shaping and sharpening the cutting edge is the final step.
The vise is such a big upgrade, especially for detail filing. It's all-steel with rubber jaws, and fully universal... still can't believe it cost only $20! Univesal Knife Vise
swizz
The Drop Point knife is almost ready for heat treat.
Denise
Not a bad price for the vise at all! Projects are coming along nicely Chris! I can't wait to see the finished pieces with the wood you are going to use for the handles. eating-popcorn-03.gif

Sweet fossil specimen also!!!
smile.gif
swizz
Hi all,
Just a quick update on my knife work for anyone interested.

This is the Nessmuk I was working on. I got it back from heat-treatment and was ready to begin finish work. I noticed a slight bow in the knife and attempted to straighten it using a table vice and three dowels. I put incredible stress on the knife while attempting to correct the problem and.... SNAP! I never had high hopes of straightening it after heat-treat. Not a big deal and I'm moving forward with other builds. The billet I made the Nessmuk from was bowed when I bought it. I had corrected it prior to heat-treat but I believe it recurred during the process. Lesson learned with the steel. I'm now working with "precision ground" billet steel which arrives perfectly straight and flat.
Here's the Muk


Here are two Drop Point Hunters I'm currently working on (from precision ground CPM154CM). I'm still working with hand files and sandpaper so these took an incredibly long time. They are almost ready to send in for heat-treatment (one still needs to be drilled).
Two different hunter-style blade shapes here. The top one is what I would consider a "classic hunter" and the bottom will be a "hunter/skinner".


I am fabricating bolsters from 1/4" thick brass billet.
Denise
That really stinks about the Nessmuk snapping, but was definately a live and learn. The precious ground billet steel sounds perfect for what you are doing. thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Your work is looking great Chris, thanks for the updates. Very interesting stuff to learn.
happy088.gif
amorton
Swizz don't throw out that knife, I can weld it for you, It wont be 100% like new but its salvageable as a good backup knife or truck knife.
swizz
QUOTE (amorton @ Dec 21 2012, 04:05 PM) *
Swizz don't throw out that knife, I can weld it for you, It wont be 100% like new but its salvageable as a good backup knife or truck knife.


Hi Andrew!
I wont be throwing it out... it's currently in my museum of broken stuff.
I wouldn't be able to live with it as a resurrected piece. It has a vine pattern filed into the spine which would never line up and it would drive me nuts to look at it.
Plus, it would still require a LOT of finish work including the secondary bevel (cutting edge), blade finish, and scales.... many hours.
Need a challenging lil winter side-project? groucho.gif
To me it's not worth it and it'll just collect dust here in the "museum".... BUT... if you want to dabble with it for your own use I'd be happy to send it your way! It's already hardened.
swizz
meanwhile...
This pair of drop point hunters is about ready for heat-treat. I'm experimenting with filing thumb grips onto the top of knife spines. If I can master that soon (practicing today)... I'm going to add that feature to these before sending them in. If I owned a checkering file it would be really easy but they cost about $50 each. Attempting with needle files now.
Denise
QUOTE (swizz @ Dec 21 2012, 06:58 PM) *
Hi Andrew!
I wont be throwing it out... it's currently in my museum of broken stuff.


I have one of those also sad to say. Sure would be nice to do something with them though. I must have 10-15 flawed guitar picks half done that will never be finished out. I see no point in finishing them when a flaw is detected, since they will be used as a tool.

Bet if the broken knife could be lined up and fixed properly, Andrew would be the guy to do it! happy088.gif
Hope the thumb grips are coming along good.


swizz
I've been learning how to make leather sheaths during the cold evenings here.
This is an accomplishment for me since I can't even sew a button to save my life.
Bad thing is, I've discovered that sheath-making is possibly more addictive than knifemaking. Leather is pretty fun to work with. I used a sewing awl so that took the pain out of stitching but I still need to learn saddle-stitching with two needles.
This sheath is a "friction fit" type. The fit turned out nice and firm. Pattern making is very important. I can shake this upside-down and the knife stays put. It has a three-finger grab. The leather is 7-8oz double-shoulder cowhide which I dyed walnut and treated with several chemicals throughout the process.
I'll be gifting this knife and sheath to the guy who delivers wood (always gives me a great deal). He's a south-paw, hence the lefty sheath.
I would encourage anyone who's ever thought about doing leather work to give it a try! Relatively inexpensive and downright fun. There are online youtube tutorials that make it fairly easy to learn.









russau
extreamly beautiful work Chris! i made a sheath for a knife my late father in law gave me out of a soft leather (possibly deer) i made this about 77-78 and i still have it but dont use the knife anymore.i used this knofe as my skinning knife when i used to hunt.
Denise
Fantastic work Chris, it turned out awesome! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif You are definately a man of many talents!! I love working with leather. My first job was working at an indian tribal center making moccasins and jewelry. After a day of punching holes in leather, one sure feels it in their hands. wacko.gif We use to also make little leather purses......I loved that job! happy.gif
Dypheron
Swizz, to go way back to the beginning where you mentioned the inlayed designs, it's a bit easier (in theory) than you think. They engrave the design into the metal in such a way that both sides are undercut. /_\ <-sort of like that. Then they basically take wire and beat it into the cut, filling in the undercut and making it part of the base metal. For a really cool looking checkerboard pattern they twist two different types of wire together and inlay that. Used to have a copy of a documentary on traditional swordmaking where they demonstrated the technique, really cool stuff.
swizz
Dypheron, russ, and Denise, thanks for the kudos! Leather work is pretty addicting. Dypheron, regarding the inlay work... I think I can grasp the inlay process but the engraving is a true art-form within itself. It requires some equipment and a lot of skill. I may try to tackle that down the road but have miles to learn about knifemaking alone. I need to master function before I get too fancy. There are many facets of knifemaking which I haven't even tried yet. I'm gonna need a bigger bucket for my bucket list. wacko.gif

I just sheathed my two throwing hawks.... took a couple days each. They're snug as a bug. Now they won't be hacking up the interior of my Jeep.
Here are some pix.












Caveman
Swizz,

Don't kid yourself.... those sheaths look totally professional. Increadible work. The same goes for the knives. Great work! I am very impressed, and I am looking foward to the day when you start selling them. I will definitely buy one!

Caveman
russau
yep! very nice indeed!
Dypheron
Ditto, the day you start selling I'll be standing in line with cash in hand.
Denise
Fantastic leather work Chris! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif Bet you can't wait to get back out there and toss those throwing hawks again. happy088.gif
swizz
Someday.... I'll be able to make and sell.... but not until I acquire a 2X72 belt grinder. That will be a glorious day, but it will be a while.
Denise..... YES! I can't wait to throw the hawks again! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
Caveman
Duck! ohmy.gif
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