WIPstagram - American Tanto progress

[Erin Burke]

Hi Dogs... I feel like I've been MIA from the shop and forums for a while.

I hesitate to call this a WIP – it’s more just a collection of photos – and as of today, this knife still has a ways to go before I can call it finished. I’m hoping that starting this thread will provide incentive to get back in the shop.

And also, I like photo filters.

And also again, I sometimes add text to my photos for fun. As far as I know, all “quotes” are fake (satire), and included with humorous intent.

PHOTO 1 (Sketch)

All of my knives start out as a pencil sketch. Sometimes I photograph those sketches... and sometimes those photos are creepy, like the sketch was drawn by a ghost. :52:

You’ll notice that on one of the drawing versions I have penciled in the tang.

Who knows what this will turn into? To my eye, there's a lot of potential on these pieces of paper... but it also looks like a lot of work. :31:

Some thoughts on this as I consider moving forward:

• This blade will not be as thick at the spine as some of my recent knives.
• Because of the narrow profile, I'll probably use one of the DHIII W2 bars from my stash.
• I'm not sure what to do with the habaki. I get exhausted just thinking about it.
• The idea of a frame handle with dark scales and a light frame/wrap combo seems cool.

PHOTO 2 (Bar)

Bar of Don's W2. These were forged from large rounds to workable dimensions by Michael Pikula a few years back. The sketch is tacked down with Duro spray adhesive. I have a love-hate relationship with spray adhesives… but mostly hate.

PHOTO 3 (Saw)

I used to get self-conscious about the waste associated with stock removal. I don’t care so much anymore. The change in attitude wasn’t driven by any sort of logic or epiphany… mostly I’m just getting old and grumpy and don’t have time to care about stupid stuff like network TV and $0.99 worth of steel.

Here I’ve cut the bar to length, and am now roughing in the blade profile. I will leave some extra meat at the tip. (I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere.) :20:



PHOTO 4 (Hot Stuff)

I’m not sure what’s so cool about really hot stuff… probably just a fact of life I suppose.

Here I’m running the blank through a normalizing and spheroidal anneal process to reset the steel and get it ready for grinding. I snuck in a few extra bars of the DHIII W2 while I was at it. It’s called efficiency. My kiln is called Nancy.



PHOTO 5 (Can’t Touch This)

“No! Bring me the ones covered in orange paint.”

A shot of my cooling racks between normalizing cycles. These racks from Tracy are awesome, but I find I have to be super careful not to break all of those littler ceramic pins when I'm flinging random hot metal around.



PHOTO 6 (Self-Explanatory)

Post normalizing cycles.

(Note: Tape is super important. There are two types of tape in this photo.)



PHOTO 7 (Sparks)

All of the ugly scaly stuff from PHOTO 6 needed to go away. Abrasive belts in 36-grit make stuff go way quickly… especially knuckle skin stuff.

The big black thing is a welding magnet. It allows for a better grip and more even application of pressure. More importantly, it keep my fingers from burning up.

Respirators are sexy. :shush:



PHOTO 8 (Something)

Cleaned and flattened using KMG with a short follow-up on the disc.

Am realizing that nothing I can say will make this photo interesting.

(More to follow.)

 

[Erin Burke]

PHOTO 9 (It’s hip to be…)

Squaring up the work rest on the flat platen so I can clean up the blade profile. This will give me a clean surface with a perpendicular scratch pattern on which to scribe center-lines, etc.

It looks like somebody may be trying to slip me a note under the door. “Come play with us Dad! We miss you Dad!” Seriously kids… grow up.



PHOTO 10 (More sparks)

So I glued a copy of the paper template to the blank and am now refining the edge profile with an old zirc belt.

And yes, somebody did cut the holes too big when they installed the switch and receptacle boxes. I probably accidentally measured in metric inches or something.



PHOTO 11 (Procrastinating and Beard Growing)

Some of you (very few, I imagine) may be wondering why I’ve been away from the interwebs for so long. The truth is that I’ve been focusing 100% of my time and energy on growing this sweet beard.

(This photo is actually a few months old… the beard is like 7 time sweeter now. Believe it!) :35:



PHOTO 12 (Galvanized Grind Template)

Making a rigid template is kind of a pain, but will be a hero move as we proceed. The template will help ensure that we end up with symmetric grids.

I stick one of my sketch copies to a sheet of galvanized flashing, then cut/grind it to shape. It's important to rub off the burrs at the edge to avoid bloody fingers.




PHOTO 13 (Draw Filing)

I did some grinding on the KMG, but draw filing will get the bevels dialed in prior to heat treat.

PHOTO 14 (Tools)

These are the exact tools that I used for draw-filing the pre-HT bevels… originals… not reproductions. Amazing. :blink:




PHOTO 15 (Clay and Symmetry)

I like to use a thin wash of clay, not only to help the thicker clay stick, but also to minimize decarb during HT… I’m not sure whether this actually works, but it makes me feel better. The clay wash is usually applied with a 1” paint brush, and set with a couple waves of the heat gun.

I sketch in some guide lines on one side, then use the folded cardboard to get a mirror image on the other.




PHOTO 16 (More Symmetry Magic)
Some iPhone magic to show the clay on both sides. I know, right!?!:jawdrop:

PHOTO 17 (Quench)

Prayers said, the blade goes into the quench tank. I interrupted this quench a bit early, and nearly lost my eyebrows. :49:

I use an electric roasting pan to hold the oil. This also allows me to pre-heat the Parks 50 as necessary.
When all done, I just throw the lid back on and roll the tank back into the cabinet... after allowing it to cool, of course.

(More to follow.)

 

[Self Made Knives]

I think you're having too much fun!

 

[Erin Burke]

I think you're having too much fun!

Yeah man... filters are fun. :3:

 

[Erin Burke]

PHOTO 18 (Failure)

Am sad that the first heat treat went all ugly. This defective hamon gets weird toward the tang... but even worse than that is the ugly bit right at the tip. I'm not excited to have to redo it… but I'd never be happy if I left it as is. :sad:

I think that my soak temp may have been a few degrees low… will try a bit more heat next time.




PHOTO 19 (Clay 2.0)

Let’s try this again. This time I made sure the clay was solid over the spine and had symmetric undulations. I also put a bit of fine charcoal in the mix.

We'll shoot for a kiln temp of 1455 this time around.




PHOTO 20 (Unbending)

This piece of steel has been kicking my butt.

• The first quench left me with a bad hamon (as shown in previous photos).
• The second left me with a bad hamon AND horrible bend.
• The third (yes the mysterious, undocumented third) also had a substantial bow in it, but I'm not sure about the hamon yet.

On the hamon front, the first two quenches left the pearlite with a substantial drop toward the edge near the tip. Structurally not a big deal, but aesthetically nasty. I really pulled the clay back from the tip this time. Hopefully it helps.

This photo shows my effort to remove the bend in my second temper cycle. Involves a length of angle, a couple clamps, and a shim.




PHOTO 21 (Coloring Inside the Lines)

After two failed attempts at heat treat, I finally got something I can work with. Warping and regrinding left me with a thinner, lighter blade than originally planned... and repeated clay quenches gave me significant sori… or reverse-sori… or something. :les:

Much grinding has been done to this point. Here I'm cleaning up the primary bevels with a disc at 120grit... it's kind of like coloring inside the lines, only dirty, and nothing like coloring.

I'll probably proceed to 240grit on the disc before heading into hand sanding.
The edge will be quite thin, with minimal secondary bevel. I am relatively pleased with the detail that I can see in the hamon so far.



PHOTO 22 (Habaki – the Big Idea)

Can I make a habaki from a piece of copper tube and some fire?

Yes, I will jump through as many hoops as necessary to avoid soldering a Habaki. It’s a legitimate phobia.




PHOTO 23 (Hot-Fitting)

As mentioned above, I'm not big on all of the soldering that goes into traditional habaki construction, so I came up with the great idea to forge fit one from copper tube. :Idea:

The tube used is C101 copper from Onlinemetals.com. I cut a small chunk off just a bit longer than the proposed habaki.

I was pre-heating my kiln for another project, and used it for heating the copper during forging.
First I hammered the tube into a flat oval, then began driving it over the tang using the apparatus shown. This gave me a nice snug fit.




PHOTO 24 (Filing for Mune-machi)

Here I’m using a small file with a safe side to cut a slot for the mune-machi...

PHOTO 25 (Rough Cleanup)

After a bit of grinding on the disc and slack belt, the habaki begins to take shape. I still need to true up the front and rear planes, and the corners.

I'll hold off on embellishment until later in the build, as I still need to come up with a "flavor" for the knife... establishing a theme and color/texture palette to tie everything together.

(More to Follow)

 

[Justin Presson]

Awesome Erin!!! Glad you are back I love your WIP they are fun to watch and I get a laugh out of them. I also noticed in the epic beard pic you have some pvc pipe to hold your belts I'm going to steal that idea

 

[mmoran]

Fantastic!

 

[slatroni]

Erin, Keep em coming. I always enjoy your sense of humor and your talent! Can't wait to see more!

 

[Mark Behnke]

I find all those Japanese names annoying and all the pictures, labels and quotes amusing, what's the other kind of tape?

 

[Erin Burke]

I find all those Japanese names annoying and all the pictures, labels and quotes amusing, what's the other kind of tape?

Strip of black electrical tape on the surface plate. I cut it into narrow strips with an exacto and use it to mask spacers/guards when I dial-in the handle material during final shaping. I'll try to remember to photograph that step when I get to it.

 

[exitium]

good stuff!

 

[hellokombo]

Hey. Is anyone on that can help me with my fillet knife steel? We currently use a 420 cr13c Chinese steel amd it is bending when I flex it. I was told this is normal for low carbon steel? But we need to make a flexible blade that won't bend. Any suggestions are appreciated.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Stew]

Epic WIP.

 

[Lagrange]

Love it

 

[JawJacker]

RIVETED, and I'm sure its in the fine print somewhere, you have to work non-stop, NO sleep, No rest, until finished. I clicked page 2 and almost had an anxiety attack.

 

[rhinoknives]

Erin,
Its good to see you with your nose to the grindstone once again! Just be careful you don't light that beard on fire. I am in an anti-beard phase right now because I live in a trendy place and all of the local hipster kids now have beards I decided it was time to lose the Goat & go back to clean shaven and respectable. Here is what combs the streets around here with their Starbucks Latte in hand.

Well, each to his own, and please continue with this great WIP> The kids may still be there when you are done.

 

[Erin Burke]

Here is what combs the streets around here with their Starbucks Latte in hand.

View attachment 53406 Well, each to his own, and please continue with this great WIP> The kids may still be there when you are done.

Psh... hipsters and their lattes. Losers.
I'm more of a frappuccino guy myself. :thumbup::shush:

... and if I keep to my current build pace, the kids may be graduating from college by the time I finish it.
"Cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon... Little boy blue and the man in the moon... When you coming come, dad?... I don't know when..." :sad:

 

[Erin Burke]

PHOTO 26 (Spine Cleanup)

Fresh pink filters and some cleanup on the spine… what a beautiful day.

PHOTO 27 (Back Rub)

The grinder can do the rough-cleanup of the spine fairly quickly… but it can leave a rippling unevenness to the finish. It’s like knife cellulite. hmy:

Here I’m smoothing out the spine by hand. It gets the wrinkles out.




PHOTO 28 (Habaki Mune)

In this photo, I’m starting to file the back of the habaki to make it even with the spine. I’ll further refine this in the next few shots.

PHOTO 29 (Sick)

So I called in sick today. Mainly just a nasty cough and icky sinuses, but also dealing with a kidney stone. :15:
Thanks to genetics, I seem to get one every four years or so. This one sent me to a Chula Vista emergency room over my Christmas vacation.

In these photos, I am not in the emergency room… but I do have to urinate. :les:

Most Japanese-inspired blades seem to look better with a crowned spine. For me it is easier to cut this in cleanly with stones then follow up with high-grit paper on a stick. I don't have any real shaping stones, so I use the ones from my Lansky set instead.




PHOTO 30 (Thumbs)

Doing some more cleanup and shaping on the habaki. I want to get the shape fairly dialed-in so I can use the final dimensions as guidelines for the spacer layout.

It's difficult to see in the photo, but I have an old knife blank through the middle of the habaki to help provide control against the slack belt. The belt is an A45 trizact running backwards.




PHOTO 31 (0.98”)

I think it's important that the spacer behind the guard line up in profile with the front and back of the habaki. Here I'm measuring, and will plug the information into my details of the spacer and tsuba.

These are my computer calipers. They mostly stay in my {home} office.





PHOTO 32 (CAD)

Translating measurements into eye-pleasing templates in CAD. This was my first draft. Since the blade is relatively thin and light (and I want the handle to be proportional), I thinned the spacer/handle thickness a bit more for the final printing.

(More to Follow)

 

[coldsteelburns]

Great WIP! Love the blade, the filtered pics and of course all the famous quotes One question, is there still going to be a kissaki area with the yakote (sorry if the terms aren't the correct ones) as shown in the original drawings? I only ask because it's hard to tell from the pics whether it's there or not. And PLEASE take many more pics man, I love your style and always enjoy watching your blades progress Take care, and I hope things go smoothly with that kidney stone :scared: !!!!

 

[Erin Burke]

Great WIP! Love the blade, the filtered pics and of course all the famous quotes One question, is there still going to be a kissaki area with the yakote (sorry if the terms aren't the correct ones) as shown in the original drawings? I only ask because it's hard to tell from the pics whether it's there or not. And PLEASE take many more pics man, I love your style and always enjoy watching your blades progress Take care, and I hope things go smoothly with that kidney stone :scared: !!!!

Hey Paul... thanks man.
Yeah, I'm still planning to do some sort of kissaki... similar to what I did HERE and HERE. With these long kissakis, I find that the yokote ends up being mostly cosmetic... an artifact of using two different methods for final polishing in each area. I won't be finishing out the blade polish until just before I perform final assembly.
The kidney stone passed a few weeks ago. I'm still posting some of the older photos, and still have about a dozen more before I get caught up to present.
Erin