2013 Knife Making Progress
- Thread starter Steven Long
- Start date
Steven Long
Well-Known Member
Thank you for your support, Dozier!
As soon as my website is up and running, I will have daily updates of what is on the bench there. KnifeDogs has been great letting me post it all here for my first year at this.
Steven Long
Well-Known Member
Thank you for the compliment!
Maybe in about 10 years but you are welcome at the shop any time, my friend. I have some family in Tyler that I haven't seen in a while. If you are ever in Houston, or want to make a special trip, give me a shout.
Steven Long
Well-Known Member
Thank you, Eric!
Steven Long
Well-Known Member
Really nice one there! Also, I was just trying to figure something out on shaping a handle and that close up you posted there really helped me out!
Amazing work and amazing progress!
Awesome! Glad something I did helped you out. Let me know if you have any questions on the way I do things. I am more than happy to try and answer them.
Thanks for the wonderful comments!
What are you doing this afternoon? :biggrin: Seriously though, I appreciate the offer for sure and will take you up on it soon I bet. Maybe after the holidays we can get something going because I would love to spend time talking with another knife maker. My wife becomes a slave driver around the holiday season though so I am on the run morning, noon and night for a while. Although I will get to do some hunting with my oldest son next week!
What part of Houston are you in Steven? I'm on the NW side (Cypress/Tomball area). Maybe one of these days I could buy you a beer and pick your brain? 
Went back to the very first post again, and my first edge grind has some things in common with your third, so looking at how quickly you corrected, gives me some hope
Went back to the very first post again, and my first edge grind has some things in common with your third, so looking at how quickly you corrected, gives me some hope
Steven Long
Well-Known Member
Anytime you're ready. My job is pretty lenient during the week.
Good luck with the honey-dos and your hunting trip. I have only had the chance to go dove hunting but would love to get my hands on a deer in the near future.
Steven Long
Well-Known Member
What part of Houston are you in Steven? I'm on the NW side (Cypress/Tomball area). Maybe one of these days I could buy you a beer and pick your brain?
Went back to the very first post again, and my first edge grind has some things in common with your third, so looking at how quickly you corrected, gives me some hope
I am right off of I-10 and 610 by the Galleria, but on the other side of the tracks
. About 15 - 20 minutes from you. Whenever you're ready, let me know.Trust me, there is hope. I felt the same way and then one day, it just kind of clicked. I still struggle sometimes and chase grind lines on every knife but it gets better with each one.
Steven Long
Well-Known Member
Mikey!!! How's it going, brother?
Thank you so much for the compliments! I will be sending you a message in the next few weeks about a project I am working on :3:.
Thank you so much for the compliments! I will be sending you a message in the next few weeks about a project I am working on :3:.
Steven Long
Well-Known Member
Scary time....
Working on the mammoth tooth and mammoth ivory knives today and until Christmas morning. I figure it will take me until then to finish them up, including the leather. The bark ivory was $400 so I'm under a little pressure with this one. It has already thrown a few challenges at me but I think I am working them out...
Knife #1
-Mammoth Tooth
-Black G10 Liners
-Carbon Fiber Pins
Knife #2
-Mammoth Bark Ivory
-Copper Liners
-Copper Pins
The biggest challenge is drilling the ivory. The curve of the ivory made me have to get a little creative for how to drill a straight hole. Came up with this...
Had to get the scale upside down and in the air, but stay flush to the tang of the knife. Looks like the problem is solved...
Next I need to thin the ivory up a bit. The 4x36 sander comes in real handy for this.
Be back in a bit...
Working on the mammoth tooth and mammoth ivory knives today and until Christmas morning. I figure it will take me until then to finish them up, including the leather. The bark ivory was $400 so I'm under a little pressure with this one. It has already thrown a few challenges at me but I think I am working them out...
Knife #1
-Mammoth Tooth
-Black G10 Liners
-Carbon Fiber Pins
Knife #2
-Mammoth Bark Ivory
-Copper Liners
-Copper Pins
The biggest challenge is drilling the ivory. The curve of the ivory made me have to get a little creative for how to drill a straight hole. Came up with this...
Had to get the scale upside down and in the air, but stay flush to the tang of the knife. Looks like the problem is solved...
Next I need to thin the ivory up a bit. The 4x36 sander comes in real handy for this.
Be back in a bit...
rhinoknives
Well-Known Member
Steven,
Nice jig, You figured out a way to do it. That sure is some pretty Mammoth Molar & Bark.
I'll be watching!:3:
Nice jig, You figured out a way to do it. That sure is some pretty Mammoth Molar & Bark.
I'll be watching!:3:
Steven Long
Well-Known Member
Thanks, Laurence! Hope the copper looks good with it.
backtines
Well-Known Member
Ok cuz. Talk to ya soon.. Great jig by the way. I have a piece of channel that I milled out the center of. Works similar to that.. Good thinking !
Steven Long
Well-Known Member
Steven Long
Well-Known Member
Had a roller coaster of a day with the mammoth. Unclamped the scales and everything was looking good. The copper is a great match and glad I decided to use it...
Found some thin vinyl looking stuff from the top of an old table and glued a strip to the face of each scale. This is where my first heart attack happened. Not sure what I was thinking but I forgot to put a piece of wax paper under the first scale before I squeezed the very thin glue on it. Scale instantly bonded to the wood on my bench and my mammoth was now part of my shop. As I was prying it off, the wood was cracking and I kept thinking the ivory was cracking. That was heart attack #2. Got it off and sanded the wood from the copper liner. Got my bearings back, cleaned up my pants, and started the drilling...
Heart attack #3 and #4...
As I was drilling my weight reduction / epoxy holes, the liners decided to start to separate from the ivory. Lesson learned. Drill metal liners before attaching them to scales. The copper created a burr under the ivory as I drilled and add a little heat in there and they separated. This actually turned into a blessing in disguise because the scales were way too thick anyway. Next I started shaping the scales and hit a void the size of the grand canyon right when I was getting to my final shape. That's when I had to take a break and say a few cuss words...
Luckily I had to sand the scales down a lot so the void wasn't a problem. Huge relief!
Next it was time to get the blade ready. This is my future father-in-law's ranch brand. My brother wanted me to add it to the knife...
Glad to have made it this far. Time for epoxy...
Found some thin vinyl looking stuff from the top of an old table and glued a strip to the face of each scale. This is where my first heart attack happened. Not sure what I was thinking but I forgot to put a piece of wax paper under the first scale before I squeezed the very thin glue on it. Scale instantly bonded to the wood on my bench and my mammoth was now part of my shop. As I was prying it off, the wood was cracking and I kept thinking the ivory was cracking. That was heart attack #2. Got it off and sanded the wood from the copper liner. Got my bearings back, cleaned up my pants, and started the drilling...
Heart attack #3 and #4...
As I was drilling my weight reduction / epoxy holes, the liners decided to start to separate from the ivory. Lesson learned. Drill metal liners before attaching them to scales. The copper created a burr under the ivory as I drilled and add a little heat in there and they separated. This actually turned into a blessing in disguise because the scales were way too thick anyway. Next I started shaping the scales and hit a void the size of the grand canyon right when I was getting to my final shape. That's when I had to take a break and say a few cuss words...
Luckily I had to sand the scales down a lot so the void wasn't a problem. Huge relief!
Next it was time to get the blade ready. This is my future father-in-law's ranch brand. My brother wanted me to add it to the knife...
Glad to have made it this far. Time for epoxy...
Steven Long
Well-Known Member
Thanks a bunch, Eric!