What's going on in your shop?

I'm in Fl. and I'm looking forward to winter, last weekend I was in north Fl. working in the woods, the temp. was 98 but with the humidity the feels like temp. was around 200. now I got the biggest hurricane on record coming my way. :( :eek:
 
The keg in the background is a slack tub. Mostly used to cool tongs and the rebar handles I weld to bigger billets. In the past I've used steel barrel halves (rusted through), the half oak barrels (always leaking), so I stumbled across that keg at the scrapyard and snagged it for a slack tub (the aluminum doesn't rust/leak!)

Ty: But "winter" is when all the good stuff happens! Chasing critters, and better forging weather...... what's not to want? :) I think that all those lung treatments have messed up my body.... I just don't seem to operate very well when it's hot outside.
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
The keg in the background is a slack tub. Mostly used to cool tongs and the rebar handles I weld to bigger billets. In the past I've used steel barrel halves (rusted through), the half oak barrels (always leaking), so I stumbled across that keg at the scrapyard and snagged it for a slack tub (the aluminum doesn't rust/leak!)

Ty: But "winter" is when all the good stuff happens! Chasing critters, and better forging weather...... what's not to want? :) I think that all those lung treatments have messed up my body.... I just don't seem to operate very well when it's hot outside.
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Who does Ed heck we are getting older I use to love the cold weather now it kicks my butt :)
 
I've always been more of a "cold weather" person than a "hot weather" person. When the temp is above 80 outside, I just don't function very well. I think it's because my body temp has always been lower then others..... "normal" for most folks is 98.6F..... for me it's 97.6F. I never knew that until after a couple of years in the military. The Docs noticed it on my records, did a bunch of tests on me..... and said that it appeared to be "normal" for me. Now anytime I see a Doc I've not seen before, we go through the whole "20 questions" thing about it. :)
 
I have been busy with the owners of two classic rifle/ hunting forums on knife designs that will become their respective forum knives, One is finlised and the other is just in the starting phases so looking forward to the chalenge of multiple orders. Had a stamp made for the one forum so the sheath can be embossed with its logo and working through the logistics for the other one. I really enjoy the colaborative design programme when taking ideas and turning them into a finished product. Means a few prototypes for evaluation but as the ideals are honed in on the satisfaction grows.
 
I beginning to realized that. I've ruined three blades recently but it's given me a chance to learn from my mistakes. I didn't like the way one was going/turning out so I put it in the vise and broke it. The grain structure was very fine and the symmetrical aspects of the cross section actually looked pretty good.
 
Production project update:
(progress hampered by paying jobs in the shop...knife work done in fits and spurts)

So I have been working with leather for months(fits and spurts...lol)....as many of you know my goal is to make production knives in limited quantities. It has proved more challenging than I thought it would be....even though I have many years of experience doing production manufacturing.
So months of testing leather finishes, thicknesses, dyes, assembly.... I've come close to throwing in the towel on this project...and I'm only on my first production design...lol. I have about 5 more right behind this one....sigh. The things I am learning on the first one will definitely cross-over to the rest.

Here is a sample of a leather test for "curb appeal". No welt. The dye is my own mix because the browns I have tried are all too brown...this has red and yellow added but so little you probably wouldn't notice if I didn't tell you. I've gotten pretty good at saddle stitching but don't think it's viable for production. The rivets have stood up well but I think saddle stitching is superior....my solution? many rivets. I let my son set the last three rivets and he garfed the last one.

I bought some little edge burnishers for a dremel and they run out so much that they 'bounce"....I was thinking That if I made threaded shafts that go on a grinder with the different burnishing radiuses...that would still allow you to mount buffing wheels, it would be a win/win...no extra grinder $$. I tested the steel burnisher idaea on my lathe and that is the finish I ended up with on this little test sheath.

Over-all I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel...but way more hand work involved than I had hoped to hit the price I wanted to sell at....Oh well...I want them to be nice.
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opaul said:
I beginning to realized that. I've ruined three blades recently but it's given me a chance to learn from my mistakes. I didn't like the way one was going/turning out so I put it in the vise and broke it. The grain structure was very fine and the symmetrical aspects of the cross section actually looked pretty good.
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Mistakes like that are also an opportunity to try other things. With your heat treat does .015 hold up better then .010. Can you take it to almost 0 and have it still hold a descent edge? Convex edge or 25 degree for sharpening.
Do you want try different finishes? Stonewashed or acid etch.
 
Ted, if you can crack the code of "hand made - at a price point" without resorting to slave labor and junk materials then you will probably be able to write a book about it, collect your Nobel Prize, and become forever rich and famous! The only thing close are the mid-tech knives, which may be custom designs but aren't hand made. Anyhoo, I don't want to step in that pile of poo and create hard feelings with anyone's process.

I totally get it. I've been in production and manufacturing almost all of my adult life and I, too, believed I was going to bring process flow efficiency into handmade knife making. I was wrong. I'm glad I was wrong. The handmade custom aspect of knifemaking is the main thing that makes it special.
 
John Wilson said:
Ted, if you can crack the code of "hand made - at a price point" without resorting to slave labor and junk materials then you will probably be able to write a book about it, collect your Nobel Prize, and become forever rich and famous! The only thing close are the mid-tech knives, which may be custom designs but aren't hand made. Anyhoo, I don't want to step in that pile of poo and create hard feelings with anyone's process.

I totally get it. I've been in production and manufacturing almost all of my adult life and I, too, believed I was going to bring process flow efficiency into handmade knife making. I was wrong. I'm glad I was wrong. The handmade custom aspect of knifemaking is the main thing that makes it special.
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LOL!! Thanks John! I am indeed having fun and learning stuff that will still possibly make "semi-custom" a possibility...

The problem with "mid-tech" knives is many are needlessly lacking quality that would make them a delight for the end user....

I guess I would define "semi-custom" as batch making?
 
Ty Adams said:
Mistakes like that are also an opportunity to try other things. With your heat treat does .015 hold up better then .010. Can you take it to almost 0 and have it still hold a descent edge? Convex edge or 25 degree for sharpening.
Do you want try different finishes? Stonewashed or acid etch.
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Good point Ty, I hadn't thought about checking for edge retention. I'd like to do some different finished but I have to do some reading up first.
 
Aeb-l hamon. Working with stainless and a belt finish. So far Aeb-l seems like a good steel. It will get really sharp. The burr is rough to take off after sharpening. So far a 600 grit j-weight turned inside out seems to work the best.
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What's a j-weight?
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That refers to the weight/density of a belt's backing material. "Y" weight is the heaviest/thickest backing, "X" weight is next in line, and it what you find on the majority of heavier grit belts. "J" weight is a light and flexible backing generally found on 220 grit and finer. There are a number of other backings too, but those I listed are the most prevalent.
 
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