Knife 2 - The Malibu Skinner - WIP

The handle looks fine. If you can add a bevel at the front of the scales.

Thanks Ty. I'm gonna try to do that... lol... try. I took a couple pics to show you guys. Bash it, criticize it, whatever. I want and need to get better. My knives still have a neanderthal look to them. I had the angle (front) drawn on the scales, but took my eye off the grinder for about 2 secs and wound up with this foolishness... but oh well. Trying to make the best out of it. Book matched desert iron wood ($20 )scales and d2 steel... and my sis is getting it for free to give to her hubby. So she really can't complain too much.



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That's an easy fix. Just flatten the scales out to match each other. You might have to remove some material from the tang to get it to match. If someone​ notices the this handle tell them that you were trying to save weight.
 
Am I tempted, yes. Have guards given me PTSD, yes. He can just be careful. Lol. Here are a few more pics.
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Lol why do I keep torturing myself with this mirror shine madness? I WILL prove to myself that I have the discipline and patience to do this correctly.

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I don't want to break your spirit, but it looks like you've got 220 grit scratches in there. That means you need to go back to 220. Go lengthwise until you are sure there are no other scratches. Every line needs to be lengthwise before you go to 320.

Alternate your sanding 90 degrees each successive grit. Use that grit until there are no more lines in any other direction.

Do that until you're using 2000 grit. Then you'll have a mirror.


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I don't want to break your spirit, but it looks like you've got 220 grit scratches in there. That means you need to go back to 220. Go lengthwise until you are sure there are no other scratches. Every line needs to be lengthwise before you go to 320.

Alternate your sanding 90 degrees each successive grit. Use that grit until there are no more lines in any other direction.

Do that until you're using 2000 grit. Then you'll have a mirror.


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Absolutely agreed. Which is why it sucks lol. Discipline.


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"Absolutely agreed. Which is why it sucks lol. Discipline. "

The knife is just fine. In fact, it looks pretty good. It just needs more sanding/hand finishing to look even better.

John is right about mirror finish. I will add this, it is painfully difficult to get it completed correctly. It takes a lot of time. Every time I try it, I end up scratching the knife and getting frustrated.

That is why a nice hand rubbed finish to 600 grit was invented. For us quitters.

DeMo
 
When I first started making knives, I was in love with mirror finishes. I didn't understand anyone who wasn't. It's funny though- over time I grew to not like the look. More so, customers told me they didn't care for the look. I think el cheapo knives with a chrome plate finish basically did-in the mirror finish. I found it ironic that I was putting in so much work only to be compared to a flea market finish. I asked a lot of people who don't make knives what their take was. The answer was surprising, but it makes sense. The hand-sanded finish with the scratch pattern running lengthwise screams "hand made custom knife" to them because no knife at the store looks that way. They have a good point.

Styles come and go. I think we all need to follow our hearts and our own eye when it comes to design and finish. If you like it, chances are there are plenty who agree with you. Find your niche.

I still do a mirror finish if someone requests it. The people who request it from me are the guys who spend a lot of time in or around salt water or who do a lot of skinning. Mirror finish is very easy to clean and does help more with corrosion resistance, especially if you can't baby your knife. How much does it help? I don't really know. On CPM154 probably none. On AEB-L, maybe a tiny bit. On carbon steel, probably noticeably better.
 
Absolutely agreed. I have grown to love the 600 grit satin finish like it was my only child.

"Absolutely agreed. Which is why it sucks lol. Discipline. "

The knife is just fine. In fact, it looks pretty good. It just needs more sanding/hand finishing to look even better.

John is right about mirror finish. I will add this, it is painfully difficult to get it completed correctly. It takes a lot of time. Every time I try it, I end up scratching the knife and getting frustrated.

That is why a nice hand rubbed finish to 600 grit was invented. For us quitters.

DeMo

Lol... I've really just been messing around with a new buffing wheel and chrome green and white


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Kwzito, everyone here is right about the mirror polishing, if I were you I would do satin finishes until you get more knife time under your belt.
I do a lot of mirror polishing and it can give you fits even on the best day. I wet sand my blades down to 1500, but even on a good clean steel like CPM-154 you can think your almost there with hours of sanding and buffing and then finding something in the blade, dirt or some kind of inclusion....then it's back to sanding, and generally not where you left off at 1500. even for experienced knife makers mirror polishes can be time consuming and tortuous. also if your grinds aren't perfect they will stand out to the critical eye.
 
Kwzito, everyone here is right about the mirror polishing, if I were you I would do satin finishes until you get more knife time under your belt.
I do a lot of mirror polishing and it can give you fits even on the best day. I wet sand my blades down to 1500, but even on a good clean steel like CPM-154 you can think your almost there with hours of sanding and buffing and then finding something in the blade, dirt or some kind of inclusion....then it's back to sanding, and generally not where you left off at 1500. even for experienced knife makers mirror polishes can be time consuming and tortuous. also if your grinds aren't perfect they will stand out to the critical eye.

I will definitely follow your advice. It really is a waste of time in my case. Honestly, my plan was to play with the buffing wheel and then hit it with 220 right before I give it to him. I haven't even heat treated yet. I thought the deadline on this knife was Fathers Day, but he won't be in town until Sunday. I also wanted to experiment to see how deep of a scratch could be buffed out. As far as me actually finishing one off in mirror fashion, I'm not ready for that. I've started to realize that, as you said, even a perfect mirror shine will look fonky with not perfect lines.

Once I heat treat, I will try to sand correctly to 600 grit.








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If your finished with grinding, hand sand it down to 400 before you heat treat, any scratches after heat treat are going to give you a really hard time.
 
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