I Call it the Diamondback, don't expect much, I suck at this.

First off, I only decided to upload this halfway through the build so there aren't any photos of polishing or any processes before that. It is a sub-hilt Bowie in 1095 differentially heat treated with furnace cement, 10" blade and I believe it is 15" o/a. It has brass guards and a buffalo horn handle, I might do liners but I want to know what color I should do that isn't red. I might put a ear bolster on for balance as well. It is inspired by the Gadsden Flag, hence the name and I will be doing a sheath with a rattlesnake skin inlay if I can get hold of it (it's bloody difficult/'spensive here). This is my 3rd knife and I have very few resources or tools and this won't be particularly pretty. I have/will make all the mistakes and it will be no good for much. 'Tis horribly ground and the guards don't quite fit, it is badly polished and the filework might just get ground off. Here it is so far. I don't own a camera, I take iPod pictures. I will upload pictures when I can but that isn't often. Also don't enter me into the prize draw because this won't help anyone but me.

LiamLynch,

Great looking start you've got there !

I'd like to make a few points for you to consider reguarding entry into the G-A-W

1. Our aim is not to exclude WIP's but to encourage and include them.

2. Your Ipod pics are fine. None of us are Pro photographers. My camera is a cheaper point and click digital camera on it's last leg. Damn thing drinks batteries and the flash lets out a tiny puff of smoke when used but I get by with what I've got. Do the best you can with what you've got just take more pics and post them.

3. "this won't help anyone but me" This is incorrect at it's face value. Many others out there are at the same level as you with a knife or two under their belt and your experiences will benefit them nearly as much as you. Sharing your wip can help others learn new techniques, avoid pitfalls, muster the courage to attempt a new style, or hone their current methods.

If in fact your wip didn't help one person but you then it would've accomplished the goal of helping a knifemaker persue and improve the craft of knifemaking.

For these reasons I'd recommend continuing taking pics and following your wip through to completeion. And of course I'll add you in for the January Supplies GAW just because I'm good like that

Carry on with your build friend ! It's a great looking sub-hilt design you've got going on there.

Take care,

Josh

I agree with everything Josh wrote. All WIPs help members like me who are newbies. A subhilt folder is a tough build. And by posting what you are doing hopefully more experienced builders will offer advice. You aren't calling this a tutorial, after all, and I thank you for the effort to take the time to post it. Besides the knife looks good to me.
Jay

I agree with Josh. Everyone starts somewhere. I started out with hand files and mild steel trying to form something that looked like a knife. Your desire is all you need. The rest will come with practice.

Here is a picture of my bolster design, I kind of messed up the skull crusher and decided to remove it, it makes it easier for the police to think it's a weapon anyway. I would put up a picture of the hamon but the iPod is visually impaired. I will try and set up the drill press today and get the handle shaped but I have homework to pretend to do. I bought a rattlesnake skin from evil bay today but I might not get through HMRC so a plain sheath might be in order. I get more money on the 14th so I will be starting the sheath around then. Liners I am thinking blue or green, I don't really know what goes with bufferlope horn. That is all for now.

Just for general info.... Ipod aside it is ALWAYS difficult to get good pics of hamon. I may take 15 pics to get just one that'll show the hamon decently and even then it'll be a terrible pic of the knife

-Josh

I got some money today and decided to spend it on leather instead of things I "need" so I decided to get the sheath designed and these are the templates for the sheath parts. I am not doing a foldy over type sheath, this one has a full welt because I think this creates less stress on the leather. I don't trust the grooves on the inside of folds really. I'm assuming that you experienced guys can work out how it works from the picture but basically I have the back of the sheath with everything else piled on top of it. If it doesn't work I will cry but I don't see how it won't. The rulers round the edge show how big the bit of leather is and apparently it is 8oz which I'm told is 3-4mm. It is black leather and the rattlesnake skin is a western diamondback I believe. School started again yesterday so nothing much will get done until February sometime when there is some kind or holiday. The brass for the bolster arrived today and there is a magic package in the post office. It's all very exciting!

I got the leather today, it is cut out at the expense of three craft knife blades (I'm 16 and in the UK, I can't get more). Still no snakeskin but I have a question, the sheath has four parts in the picture, the back and welt you can see but there are the two bits on the right, can I just put the snakeskin on the piece with the windows in it and put that over the welt or do I need a layer of leather between the welt and the window piece. If I do then I have a 3/4" thick sheath, not a problem but I am in the financial situation where I would like to save a few feet of thread. If you don't know the answer to this but know someone who does, please direct them here. The mother is quickly losing faith in my hobby so this is kind of on a deadline, hopefully I will be taken a bit more seriously when this is finished and will be allowed to buy a grinder or at least some kind of filing jig.

And in case you were wondering, I don't dress like that. That would be an air cadet uniform. If you are American I think it's like the civil air patrol or something.

Liam,

You NEED the leather behind your snakeskin ! This is an issue of safety so don't compromise.

Typically when using an inlay in a sheath like this a lighter weight leather is used to keep things from getting so bulky. Also, with your sheath that thick be prepared to break a needle or two while stitching.

If you've got a fine sharpening stone you can sharpen your craft knife blade in just a couple minutes instead of tossing it out.

Are your talking about exacto-knife style blades like this ? -
http://www.dickblick.com/products/x-acto-1-knife/

If so consider switching in the future to a standard utility knife like this-
http://www.harborfreight.com/utility-knife-3359.html

If I remeber correctly a pack of 5 exacto blades is about $4 while a 100 pack of double sided utility knife blades is about $15

Of course use what you have available at the current time though.

-Josh

Liam I read your posts and will send you a little something for your next build. Tell your mom that you can make money selling knives and prove her wrong that your not wasteing your time. You are allowed to sell a couple knives a month free here and after like 10 you have to buy a membership for 25 or 30 dollars. I dont know any kids that want to learn how to make knives I have helped one build one a couple years ago. Send me your address in a private email , also post where your from in the personal so people from your area can help you.Kelly w

LiamLynch said:

First off, I only decided to upload this halfway through the build so there aren't any photos of polishing or any processes before that. It is a sub-hilt Bowie in 1095 differentially heat treated with furnace cement, 10" blade and I believe it is 15" o/a. It has brass guards and a buffalo horn handle, I might do liners but I want to know what color I should do that isn't red. I might put a ear bolster on for balance as well. It is inspired by the Gadsden Flag, hence the name and I will be doing a sheath with a rattlesnake skin inlay if I can get hold of it (it's bloody difficult/'spensive here). This is my 3rd knife and I have very few resources or tools and this won't be particularly pretty. I have/will make all the mistakes and it will be no good for much. 'Tis horribly ground and the guards don't quite fit, it is badly polished and the filework might just get ground off. Here it is so far. I don't own a camera, I take iPod pictures. I will upload pictures when I can but that isn't often. Also don't enter me into the prize draw because this won't help anyone but me.

Click to expand...

Liam.

I also started with files and well older files for the knife blanks. You are way too hard on yourself! The sub-hilt with a double brass guard is difficult for even a experienced maker. Also to me it one of the least practical and most over rated Bowie styles,but that is another issue!

Tell Mum, That if it was easy all of the kids & adults would be making knives perfect on their first try. Also focus on what has come out well and then look to see where you can improve. Even if you could see improvement everywhere? I also wish I had a young man your age in my neighborhood that was interested & had the drive to make knives like you do.

Myself, Kelly, Josh & Eric are all cheering for you and will do what we can to help you!

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com

The needles aren't a problem, the blades I can afford but I can't legally buy them. I snapped the blades, not blunted them, they were a cheap set of lidl blades (do you have lidl in the US? It's cheap and shonky). It is illegal for me to aquire anything other than culinary knives here until I am 18. The thickness of the sheath isn't too bad, I guess it won't flex and have the tip poke through at least.

Thanks Laurence, I found out the design was impractical as soon as I tried the handle but I learned that myself and the way I see it is I shouldn't listen to anyone at all when learning about the design of knives, that is something that I believe should be self taught, it means that I make knives of my own style and design, better in the long run. Kelly, I can't legally sell knives until I have a license, which I can't get until I get insurance, which I can't get. I won't have anyone sending me stuff, especially from so far away. I'll give you my adress but it is pretty out of the way so seriously, don't send anything. All this help that you guys have offered really does mean a lot to me though. This seems to be the friendliest comunity out there and I have to say I'm proud to be almost part of it. Don't be offended at all that I am not accepting offers but I promised when I started this hobby to never take anything for free, I can't take anything from someone I can't give something back to and right now I cannot realistically give anything back. Thank you guys for the support.

Liam,

This is the best Forum out there !!!!!

Nothing in life is FREE ! Any "gifts" sent are meerly re-payment for the gifts previously recieved by the sender from others. Think of it as Paying it forward.

This the way of the knifemaking community. We do not give charity but assist makers in reaching their goals with the expectation that in the future YOU will be in the position to do the same for someone else.

In short... We take care of our own

-Josh

LiamLynch said:

Thanks Laurence, I found out the design was impractical as soon as I tried the handle but I learned that myself and the way I see it is I shouldn't listen to anyone at all when learning about the design of knives, that is something that I believe should be self taught, it means that I make knives of my own style and design, better in the long run. Kelly, I can't legally sell knives until I have a license, which I can't get until I get insurance, which I can't get. I won't have anyone sending me stuff, especially from so far away. I'll give you my adress but it is pretty out of the way so seriously, don't send anything. All this help that you guys have offered really does mean a lot to me though. This seems to be the friendliest comunity out there and I have to say I'm proud to be almost part of it. Don't be offended at all that I am not accepting offers but I promised when I started this hobby to never take anything for free, I can't take anything from someone I can't give something back to and right now I cannot realistically give anything back. Thank you guys for the support.

Click to expand...

Liam,
We all do need to make our own mistakes to learn to a large extent. LOL.

The Subhilt design to me goes under the category of Collector Closet Queen want to be knife Fighter stuff. Many beautiful ones are made and sold.
When I was 18 I was forced into a knife fight to defend my self and had a Buck 110 folding hunter with me at the time, so that's what I used. I never want to have to do that again but if I did? A Subhilt is the last kind of knife I would want.
Too difficult to get your initial grip and too difficult to change grip.

I also was surprised when I start making knives by how friendly, helpful & giving most knife makers are!
The code we learned by was to give help and what else we could to the newer people just like those before us gave to us! So you can help another new maker down the road of life.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com



Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com

This knife isn't really made for fighting, it is illegal to carry a knife here sub 3" slipjoints. It was originally designed as a wood splitter but that was just an excuse. I am trying to get all the Rambo out my system while I can use my age as an excuse. The sub hilt came about after I saw a Lin Rhea MS sub hilt Bowie and wanted my own version of it. This will probably only ever be used against facial hair when I'm feeling like Crocodile Dundee. It is also illegal to make a knife which could be marketed in a way that suggests it is suitable for combat. All the laws make this hobby difficult but I suppose it prevents stabbings so it's obviously worth it. We happen to have the tightest laws in the world and have the highest knife crime rates in the world. I shall complain no more about it though. I won't be able to working the knife at all for a while because of school because I need to know about poetry to be in the marines.

Well for anyone who didn't work it out, this is why it is called the Diamondback, I know that the flag traditionally has an Eastern Diamondback but they aren't so easy to find, you don't seem to be allowed proper Gadsden Flags here so mine doesn't have a diamondback at all so it doesn't really matter. Anyway, this one turned out to be a western diamondback which, I believe, is more brown. Either way, it looks pretty cool. I thought it would be wider though, I wil have to cut a new piece of leather that has two windows instead of one big one, I'll work something out. The best part is that it smells like maple syrup though. I will try and get some work done but I can't promise anything.

Bad news guys, I polished the blade some more and discovered that it has two cracks in it. The blade is ruined. I don't know weather to finish the knife or to salvage what I can for the next project. This isn't heat treated well at all and I don't really want to make a cracked knife. I will do a WIP of the new knife but this one is dead. No more big knives until I have a forge to ht them I think. I am rather upset after spending £90 on this. Thanks for all the support in this project though, there will be a new one soon. Liam. Out.