Morland's KITH WIP

[Dennis Morland]

Grind the front and top. Make sure you only go about half way down the face. Do not grind the entire face or you will need to start over. Also grind the outside of the bolster. R and L face up. Or you will need to start over. Yep, did that once also.

 

[Dennis Morland]

Now I head to the grinder. Small wheel attachment to rough shap the bottom of holster on the finger guard curve.

 

[Dennis Morland]

Should look like this after rough shaping the top, front and bottom of the bolsters. I now head back to the grinder to smooth out the top of the bolsters.

 

[Dennis Morland]

As a tip. Stay away from the bottom edge. Since the bolsters are pretty much fitted to the knife blank you do not want to alter the overall shape of the bolsters or they will not fit very well. That is why I only rough shaped about half way down the face in the previous steps. A nice rounded shape that is uniform to each side is the goal. STAY AWAY FROM THE BOTTOM EDGE!

 

[Dennis Morland]

Should look about like this after rough grinding and rounding the bolsters.

 

[Dennis Morland]

I forgot to mention. Be careful with the dovetailed end. Hit it with the grinder and you will have more work to do. Brass is soft and pretty easy to manipulate. Just it them close and finish them after attachment to the knife blank.

 

[Dennis Morland]

We are getting pretty close to attachment. Only a couple of steps left to accomplish. I like to get the bolsters as flat as possible. I have a piece of granite that I use to flatten. A piece of sand paper and rub...

 

[Dennis Morland]

I like to dimple the inside face of the bolsters to hold the epoxy just a bit better. Here is where makers differ on opinions. Some use epoxy and some don’t use epoxy. I have seen some use solder. I use epoxy just to keep moisture out from between the bolster and the knife blank.

 

[Dennis Morland]

I sat down and finished sanded the front of the bolsters. This is very important to do before attachment. Afterwards it is darn near impossible to sand this area. Make sure you have it finished before moving on in this process.

 

[DanF]

I love seeing how we do the same tasks so differently sometimes. Interesting and educational, thanks!

 

[Dennis Morland]

Just a quick fitting check. Really good fit.

 

[Dennis Morland]

The dove tails on the top are aligned. No touch up necessary.

 

[Dennis Morland]

On the bottom the dove tails need a little touch up.

 

[Dennis Morland]

Much better.

 

[Dennis Morland]

I need to finish sand the knife blade. Then attachment.

 

[Dennis Morland]

Sanded to 600 grit and taped off. What is missing??

 

[Dennis Morland]

Pins. Ta-da. Magic.

 

[Dennis Morland]

I am a little anal about the pins. About 1/8 longer in the hole. Clean. Filed neatly. Sanded. Rounded on each end. Probably a bit overkill. I cannot help myself.

 

[Dennis Morland]

Final fit check. All looks good. Need to mix up the epoxy.

 

[Dennis Morland]

Does everyone know what this tool is called? It is a ball pien Hammer. A very special one. It sat on my grandfather’s work bench. When he died it sat on my father’s work bench. When he died it sits on my work bench. I smile every time I get to use it. Kinda nuts for a $2.00 Hammer that you can buy at any estate sale or auction. If I ever lost it I would cry. Don’t come into my shop and mess with this Hammer. My kids are afraid to touch it. Someday, one of them will be the possessor of this fine tool. Hopefully.

The second picture shows the the ball is polished. Do this to your Hammer so you don’t muddy up the pins during piening.