Loveless style hunter

Mark Behnke

Mark Behnke

Well-Known Member
This is a present for my grandson who just graduated from college U.0f O.

Issues with fit and finish.

ATS34
Buckeye burl Bronze Guard
SS fittings
Red fiber

first lined sheath, wicket & craig

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Mark, that is a good looking Loveless influnced knife, tapered tang red liners 1/4" pines radius on the bottom of the blade where it goes into the guard hollow grind, you mite think about using brass pines , it was a big deal to hide your pines, when I first made Loveless influenced knives and all guards had to be soldered or you were criticized, never did find a belt finish on a blade I liked, finish in 400 grit or finer, cut a piece of wood the radios of the wheel you did the hollow grind with to put your sand paper on, on the last drag use new pieces of paper on a piece of shim stock it will fit the hollow gring and give a nice finish. nOT BEING CRITICAL JUST MAKING SUGGESTIONS, DO LILE YOUR LINED SHEATH. Deane
 
Maybe you can help Deane,

I've tried to solder a SS guard to SS blade with no success using,

stay clean solder and flux
almost no gap to .003"
sand to 800grit scrub w/ dish soap, windex, alchol
Same as above 400g

Drop or 2 of flux chip of solder at seam, heat with heat gun,
solder melts to blade and guard but won't flow into seam

Same as above w/oxy./propane torch

I did OK w/ brass guard SS blade using heat gun

My guard has rough milling marks in slot maybe not clean enough?



The other thing is the blade finish. I almost scraped this knife because of the finish, I'm going for mirror and can't get a mach. or hand sanded satin I like. New belts and I think I can go to mirror, I won't give up. Thanks for your hand sanding method, I'll try it.

400, 600, 800 corks
scotch bright
Norax 600 up
Black compound on a sisal wheel
green compound

I've tried every combo of above.
New belts on order and I think I'll get the mirror.

The soldering I'm stumped on.

I'm always open to suggestions and opinions.

Thanks
Mark
 
The only way I have been able to get a mirror finish is hand sanding. Others may be able to do it, I cant, or havent been able to. Successively finer grits removing sanding marks from previous grits until I get to about 1500 grit or so. Then buff. If I see any sanding lines after buffiing I start at about 400 grit and do it all over again. Use water or a lite oil when sanding will help keep the removed material out of the way. I use a synthetic motor oil when I hand sand, it helps.

I dont know how to solder a ss bolster to a ss blade, I havent figured that out yet.
If you use brass bolsters you should use brass pins though.

Nice knife though. I like it.
 
Mark, I used to solder all my guards don't any more, the only solder and flux that worked for me was stay- Brite by Harris Jantz has it, I went to a soldering iron, it dose not over heat your steel worked good for me, have a American Beauty 600 watt that I don't use anymore, would sell it, will send you a picture of it, sloted the tip so the tang goes threw and sits on the guard, you may want to leave a little more gap so the solder has some place to go, take a piece of 1/8" or 1/4" copper rod put a blunt point on it and a handle tin it and you can use it to drag your solder around if it wont flow, on the mirror finish the only one that I like is done by hand to 2000, don"t do them any more takes to much time. If I can help call me 775-787-2160
 

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LaGrange,
I tried to hand sand to mirror about a year ago, hours and hours over and over, 400 up and back again as you described never did get a good finish, so decided to pursue it with belts.

I know most makers want their pins to disappear but I've looked at several pictures of Loveless knives that have contrasting pin materials. This one I used bronze and would have had to turn my own pins. Haven't tried that before. I think it's like soldering guards, used to be as Deane said you had to solder or considered inferior, now people have moved away from it in favor of the perfect fit.
I'm going for an accurate Loveless Hunter making the bullseye bolts next after I master the mirror and soldering. Simple knife isn't so easy for me.

Deane
Thanks for the offer and tips, going to try those and will report back here.

Mark
 
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