Heikki
KNIFE MAKER
Do you stabilize or dye yours? I should have enough to experiment a bit with and was thinking of trying a few different approaches.
What's going on in your shop?
- Thread starter Justin Presson
- Start date
Do you stabilize or dye yours? I should have enough to experiment a bit with and was thinking of trying a few different approaches.
Randy Lucius
Well-Known Member
I've made a couple with giraffe bone. It polishes very nicely.
Heikki
KNIFE MAKER
Nice pieces Randy. I'd love to be able to get that look from mine. I know Von Gruff said he would stabilize his but didn't dye them, preferring the natural look. I had also read you could soak bone in boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits. If anyone has additional input, I'm all ears.
Randy Lucius
Well-Known Member
I bought those as scales and I don't have any experience dyeing or stabilizing them myself. Would like to learn more about the process though.
Bone can be stabilized and will benefit from it. Bone moves, shrinks, warps just like ivory. Just not as bad.
Keep it dry. Don't dunk in water to cool. Don't get it hot when grinding. It should not get hotter than you can touch your lips to it. A lot like giving it a big kiss.
When stabilizing, leave it oversized as it will warp a bit from the process and you will need to flatten it again.
It will also take leather dye very well but only surface deep generally. It will be blotchy in appearance as a one color dye job so consider making it multi-colored that looks like ancient mammoth. I use a q tip with leather dye and just dab a bit here and there letting it run out and/or overlap for a variegated appearance.
Here are a couple I did some time ago. The surface had tiny spider cracks and I left those in to allow the dye to run a bit. I sealed the surface with polyurethane wood finish.
Heikki
KNIFE MAKER
Beautiful knives Boss. Thanks for the information. I guess I'll cut them up this weekend and see about getting some stabilized.
Johan Nel
Well-Known Member
The idea is to do a bit of both. I have not worked with it before, so I am learning as I go along.
Randy Lucius
Well-Known Member
Working on a new design for a caping/skinning knife. The way it's made will allow a good grip regardless of the handle material used or if it gets bloody. Hoping to field test it Thanksgiving week. 
Daniel Macina
Well-Known Member
Everyone knew that the boss liked his handle material however they were a little concerned when they walked in on him making out with his Camel bone.
Did the handles and sheaths for the 2 fillet knives (Lauri 220mm and a 7" fillet) this weekend in the new shop and the bottom little knife in Richlite of the 3 hunting knives (CPM-154 blade). Nice to have room to walk in the shop without bumping into stuff! Gotta hang another light above the drill press/band saw/kydex area. Looking into getting my Ameribrade Fastback set up soon, too!
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Bruce McLeish
Well-Known Member
Great looking space. The bars on the Windows look kinda oppressive though!
Getting ready for the Midwest Knifemakers Guild meeting here this Saturday.
I have a few guys showing up Friday afternoon to monkey around.
Peter Martin and I will be forging some titanium damascus so I am prepping a couple billets.
These are either .030" or .040" thick pieces in 6AL4V and 6242 titanium. These alloys are different enough to give you different colors when heat anodized.
The first step after cutting to size is to clean off the surface oxidation. I run these on a 120 grit belt to get the surface cleaned up.
You can see the before and after here.
After wiping each one down with alcohol to remove any oils or other junk that may be left they are stacked alternately just like typical damascus. In fact the whole process is like typical damascus -- to a point.
I am boxing one billet and fusion welding the other one with the TIG.
This one is partially TIG'd around the perimeter. Basically you just melt it to a puddle to seal everything up. No filler rod is added.
This billet will just be squished together in the press with no other pattern pushed into it. I will use this for back spacer bar. It will give me nice straight lines. The process is heat until dull yellow and squeeze a few times and done. The outside will be oxidized and super tough to remove. I have some diamond angle grinder wheels to try and get the forge bark off. I will then mill it to the thickness I need.
The other billet is a bit bigger. I will box this one in. I did TIG a few beads around the billet before boxing to help hold it together. TI *hates* oxygen and any effort to get it minimized is worth it. The box is 1/8" stock welded around the entire seam "boxing" in the Ti stack. I Tig welded this also but it could have been done with MIG or stick at this point. I will also weld on end caps so it is entirely sealed. The ti will not stick to the steel no matter how much you try.
If you TIG weld, this should give you a chuckle. Stacked dimes, quarters and blobs but all TIG practice is good practice.
More pics later as we move through the steps.
I have a few guys showing up Friday afternoon to monkey around.
Peter Martin and I will be forging some titanium damascus so I am prepping a couple billets.
These are either .030" or .040" thick pieces in 6AL4V and 6242 titanium. These alloys are different enough to give you different colors when heat anodized.
The first step after cutting to size is to clean off the surface oxidation. I run these on a 120 grit belt to get the surface cleaned up.
You can see the before and after here.
After wiping each one down with alcohol to remove any oils or other junk that may be left they are stacked alternately just like typical damascus. In fact the whole process is like typical damascus -- to a point.
I am boxing one billet and fusion welding the other one with the TIG.
This one is partially TIG'd around the perimeter. Basically you just melt it to a puddle to seal everything up. No filler rod is added.
This billet will just be squished together in the press with no other pattern pushed into it. I will use this for back spacer bar. It will give me nice straight lines. The process is heat until dull yellow and squeeze a few times and done. The outside will be oxidized and super tough to remove. I have some diamond angle grinder wheels to try and get the forge bark off. I will then mill it to the thickness I need.
The other billet is a bit bigger. I will box this one in. I did TIG a few beads around the billet before boxing to help hold it together. TI *hates* oxygen and any effort to get it minimized is worth it. The box is 1/8" stock welded around the entire seam "boxing" in the Ti stack. I Tig welded this also but it could have been done with MIG or stick at this point. I will also weld on end caps so it is entirely sealed. The ti will not stick to the steel no matter how much you try.
If you TIG weld, this should give you a chuckle. Stacked dimes, quarters and blobs but all TIG practice is good practice.
More pics later as we move through the steps.
LOL.
Titanium is challenging but I like/hate it. If you like a Ti fire, wait till you set some zirconium on fire.
Seriously though, I make it a point to watch the sparks and clean up any Ti dust or swarf. It will ignite and then it will burn on it's own and is very difficult to extinguish. Ti sparks will also ignite any other metal dust sitting around. Make sure your work area is cleaned up before grinding.
Forging Ti is also a bit dangerous. I have had a molten glob of it burst out of a canister and fly by my head when forging. Wear good gear with face protection if you are going to forge it with a press or hammer.
Ti turns to almost liquid when forged too hot. Serious business.
Daniel Macina
Well-Known Member
Messed up another one tonight. Started chasing around a minuscule issue on a plunge and ended up over grinding pushing it way off center. This is like the fifth knife I’ve messed up in a row Haven’t all been the plunge issue but still irritating. Stuck in a rut.
Randy Lucius
Well-Known Member
Looks like you have enough ricasso that you could still fix it. The hardest thing to do is when you are having trouble is to walk away from it for awhile. I’m guilty of it too. Some days at the grinder I know right away I need to go do something else.
Randy Lucius
Well-Known Member
First chef’s knife. .070 ABE-L. 13 inches overall length with an 8 inch blade. This should be fun.
Sean Jones
Well-Known Member
I'm in agreement with Randy. That looks fixable to me. Take another look at it tomorrowLooks like you have enough ricasso that you could still fix it. The hardest thing to do is when you are having trouble is to walk away from it for awhile. I’m guilty of it too. Some days at the grinder I know right away I need to go do something else.