Erin Burke
Well-Known Member
:s12137:
It's just warm vinegar and soap honey... it's like I'm cleaning and disinfecting the dish at the same time. I should be commended.
WIPstagram - American Tanto progress
- Thread starter Erin Burke
- Start date
:s12137:
It's just warm vinegar and soap honey... it's like I'm cleaning and disinfecting the dish at the same time. I should be commended.
McClellan Made Blades
Well-Known Member
Thanks guys... I'll try to keep this going.
BTW, THIS GUY UP HERE, IS CURRENTLY STRESS FREE, ( Well as of the taking of the pic anyway!)
(More to follow... assuming I can come up with some high-grit stones or another bright idea.)
Erin,
You are doing a phenomenal job on this WIP,as you have always done!!
the first thing you say on this page was? What did you say? Please refer to my tag line, that has always been my attempted approach to knife making! I say this at great risk of the rest of the world knowing what kind of geek I really am!
As far stones, I think the easiest thing to do with, (I Would think with better results), would be to use a small piece of steel, or Micarta, or better some of green G11, that so MANY of us bought a few years ago! That stuff is stiff as steel, and cheap! Messy to actually use for anything other than some strips for stuff such as this, you then customize to the size you need it to be, just some plain old mild stock would be fine (if you're using steel), you must have scraps!!! Then and here is how I personally think you can make it better than stones, you can go with the best quality paper you have, now here is where I have had people tell me, I was going too far! That all of my precautions were not necessary, I just remind them how "touched in the head I am", and I'm pretty sure they leave MY next step off. Because, I will take cut to fit, strips of Rhino Wet Red Line and spray adhesive and glue the paper to the steel or G11 in my case, I have both, the steel, in thick little chunks has the added benefit of weight, never really thought too much about it being an advantage til now. And I "think" there might be some to it. The best part about this method is that you can have as many grits as you want!
Spray Adhesive, I have 2 different kinds, one of them is a large can of 3M spray, can't recall the type, I got it at Wal Mart, I think it's for upholstery, the other is Elmer's, maybe for crafts. Another good tip, is to use the permanent method for spray adhesive, although with a 2 x 72 KMG ON HAND, WE ALL KNOW IT IS NOT PERMANENT! This is where you spray both mating surfaces and let them both dry for 5 minutes or so, depending on the temperature, I think. Then when you put the 2 together it is STUCK! You might have one, possibly 2 chances to wrap it on right, but shoot for the first time! You may not get a second with that piece. I simply do a test fit of my paper to my block, that way it usually does fit the 1st time!
Once you make one, make a place for it, you may need several grits or just a few, most of us know how well Rhino Wet paper is and that it will last a pretty good while, I know Ive used the same sanding block many times, before I had to change the paper on it.
I do believe if your goal with the stones was to have that rigid back, that this method of sanding should give you the desired look your shooting for. I seriously hope this helps, as this blade here is going to be a STUNNER, MUCH LIKE ALL THE OTHERS YOU'VE MADE! Rex
Erin Burke
Well-Known Member
Back at it with some disjointed photos.
PHOTO 59 (Wasted Photo)
After the trauma with my previous blade polish, I decided that I needed to focus in a new direction to regain my mojo.
Nothing says I can't put the blade on hold for a few days and give the handle some attention instead... so I took this photo here when I thought I was going to do some handle shaping before glue-up. I've traced the copper spacer onto the face of the handle block.
But then I changed my mind.
PHOTO 60 (Shaping Guides)
Self-explanatory, no?
Some templates for shaping the handle. The oval-like part in the middle will define the shape of the butt… with the narrow lines in the middle helping me align the template with the black G10 frame. The tapered sticks at the top and bottom will define the flats on the front and back of the handle.
The dirty keyboard proves that I’m a real manly man… who really needs to clean his keyboard.
Surprisingly, my grossest keys are the “1” and “2” keys (not shown)… which leads me to the following conclusions:
1. That I make a lot of lists.
2. That my lists are typically short.
PHOTO 61 (Getting Old)
To fit with the color palette of Karelian Birch and copper, I’m looking for a nice dark finish to the tsuba/guard. To get something that looks (at least mildly) organic, I run the steel through several baths in bleach, followed by some scrubbing with steel wool. Between some of the cycles I’ll rub with gun blue.
PHOTO 62 (What’s my name?!)
I couldn’t wrap my head around marring this type of blade with my mark… so my name is going on the underside of the tsuba.
Here I have a stencil taped to the blade and I’m etching away. One alligator clip is fastened to the bare metal and the other is fixed to the damp (damp with magical etching juice) end of a q-tip.
PHOTO 63 (Two by Two)
Here’s the bottom side of the finished tsuba/guard.
PHOTO 64 (Son, Let’s talk about protection)
So guess what… I went back to 2500-grid paper and refinished the blade. I made some minor modifications to my process to increase the definition in the grind transition… and I photographed none of it. Your welcome.
This photo, however, shows how I protect the blade for installation of the handle and fittings.
First clean thoroughly with soap & water and dry completely. Next, add blue tape and seal edges tightly. Then wrap in sufficient black electrical tape to provide physical protection against clamping.
PHOTO 65 (Maths)
In this image, I’m mixing up some Agraglas epoxy. The stuff is typically measured by volume… but weight works as well (but requires the maths).
I chose to dye the epoxy black for this knife. Acraglas epoxy dye is crazy s#!t… to turn that entire cup of epoxy pitch black, all I had to do was dip the tip of a toothpick (like maybe a 1/8”) into the dye then stir. Mind boggled.
PHOTO 66 (Glue and Tape)
This is my newest hi-tech method for applying pressure during glue-up… the rubber bands kept falling off so I had to pull out the duct tape. Take that, stupid rubber bands.!..
PHOTO 67 (Getting in Shape… aka Jane Fonda)
Now that CAD drawing from Photo 60 begins to make sense.
The spacer and guard are well taped up to protect against files and rasps. You'll note that I didn't do any handle shaping prior to glue-up... which, again, is why Photo 59 was a wasted image. It's all part of the process.
PHOTO 68 (Awesomeness Prep)
Might as well throw this photo in here as well.
In the original sketch, you'll see that a portion of the handle is wrapped. I don't want the cord to sit ON the handle, but want it slightly inset. There's still a bit of finish work to take place in the nooks and crannies... but you get the idea.
And... as of last night, this knife is basically done. The West Systems epoxy is still drying in the handle wrap (after several wrapped handles, I'm beginning to think that the 209 Extra Slow Hardener may have been a mistake), and I still need to set the final edge... but this one is essetially in-the-books.
Now, as I start thinking about taking finished photos, I find myself asking that age old questions, to sheath or not to sheath.
You know what my dream is?... It goes something like this...
PHOTO 59 (Wasted Photo)
After the trauma with my previous blade polish, I decided that I needed to focus in a new direction to regain my mojo.
Nothing says I can't put the blade on hold for a few days and give the handle some attention instead... so I took this photo here when I thought I was going to do some handle shaping before glue-up. I've traced the copper spacer onto the face of the handle block.
But then I changed my mind.
PHOTO 60 (Shaping Guides)
Self-explanatory, no?
Some templates for shaping the handle. The oval-like part in the middle will define the shape of the butt… with the narrow lines in the middle helping me align the template with the black G10 frame. The tapered sticks at the top and bottom will define the flats on the front and back of the handle.
The dirty keyboard proves that I’m a real manly man… who really needs to clean his keyboard.
Surprisingly, my grossest keys are the “1” and “2” keys (not shown)… which leads me to the following conclusions:
1. That I make a lot of lists.
2. That my lists are typically short.
PHOTO 61 (Getting Old)
To fit with the color palette of Karelian Birch and copper, I’m looking for a nice dark finish to the tsuba/guard. To get something that looks (at least mildly) organic, I run the steel through several baths in bleach, followed by some scrubbing with steel wool. Between some of the cycles I’ll rub with gun blue.
PHOTO 62 (What’s my name?!)
I couldn’t wrap my head around marring this type of blade with my mark… so my name is going on the underside of the tsuba.
Here I have a stencil taped to the blade and I’m etching away. One alligator clip is fastened to the bare metal and the other is fixed to the damp (damp with magical etching juice) end of a q-tip.
PHOTO 63 (Two by Two)
Here’s the bottom side of the finished tsuba/guard.
PHOTO 64 (Son, Let’s talk about protection)
So guess what… I went back to 2500-grid paper and refinished the blade. I made some minor modifications to my process to increase the definition in the grind transition… and I photographed none of it. Your welcome.
This photo, however, shows how I protect the blade for installation of the handle and fittings.
First clean thoroughly with soap & water and dry completely. Next, add blue tape and seal edges tightly. Then wrap in sufficient black electrical tape to provide physical protection against clamping.
PHOTO 65 (Maths)
In this image, I’m mixing up some Agraglas epoxy. The stuff is typically measured by volume… but weight works as well (but requires the maths).
I chose to dye the epoxy black for this knife. Acraglas epoxy dye is crazy s#!t… to turn that entire cup of epoxy pitch black, all I had to do was dip the tip of a toothpick (like maybe a 1/8”) into the dye then stir. Mind boggled.
PHOTO 66 (Glue and Tape)
This is my newest hi-tech method for applying pressure during glue-up… the rubber bands kept falling off so I had to pull out the duct tape. Take that, stupid rubber bands.!..
PHOTO 67 (Getting in Shape… aka Jane Fonda)
Now that CAD drawing from Photo 60 begins to make sense.
The spacer and guard are well taped up to protect against files and rasps. You'll note that I didn't do any handle shaping prior to glue-up... which, again, is why Photo 59 was a wasted image. It's all part of the process.
PHOTO 68 (Awesomeness Prep)
Might as well throw this photo in here as well.
In the original sketch, you'll see that a portion of the handle is wrapped. I don't want the cord to sit ON the handle, but want it slightly inset. There's still a bit of finish work to take place in the nooks and crannies... but you get the idea.
And... as of last night, this knife is basically done. The West Systems epoxy is still drying in the handle wrap (after several wrapped handles, I'm beginning to think that the 209 Extra Slow Hardener may have been a mistake
), and I still need to set the final edge... but this one is essetially in-the-books. Now, as I start thinking about taking finished photos, I find myself asking that age old questions, to sheath or not to sheath.
You know what my dream is?... It goes something like this...
It's a warm summer evening. I'm sitting in at a computer desk in the middle of a moonlit glade. I have just posted my recently-completed, super-awesomer-than-I-anticipated-given-all-the-problems-I-encountered knife, without a sheath, for sale on a prominent blade forum (I forget the name). A fine gentleperson has just sent me an email, asking to purchase the knife, but has requested that I ship it to another gentleman by the name of Paul Long. Who is this Long fellow?... Well, it turns out that Mr. Long is fairly handy with an awl, and is know for his fine leather goods. A warm tingle spreads through my body. Not only that, but after Mr. Long has dressed the blade in suitable attire, the entire package is then to be shipped to a really-real professional knife photographer (names are not important, but monikers rhyming with Raleb Coyer and Cim Jooper are thrown around). Next, a choir of tastefully-naked {girl} angels encircles the glade and begins sweetly singing me awake... while at the edge of my consciousness, Alice Cooper carefully packages my knife for shipping.
Justin Presson
Well-Known Member
LMAO Erin! Well done well done. I can't wait to see the final pics.
Mark Behnke
Well-Known Member
1. Where is photo #60 ?
2. I'm looking for the key to success.
3. You're sick, branding (#62) and bondage (#66) and the partial nude (#68)
2. I'm looking for the key to success.
3. You're sick, branding (#62) and bondage (#66) and the partial nude (#68)
Erin Burke
Well-Known Member
Yeah... I know. Some of the photos aren't linking reliably. All links worked yesterday... then some didn't... then they did... then others didn't. I'm thinking that the Flickr guys are throwing down keg-stands in the server room.
I don't even know what this means. I feel that maybe you need to step back from yourself for a few moments to really take a look at your life... what things are imporant to Mark? What does Mark value? Maybe then you will find that you already have the key to success... and it's in your very own heart.
How about a hug. :60:
So how was 50 Shades anyway?... :3:
Erin Burke
Well-Known Member
So you'll probably notice that I haven't posted any finished photos yet...
... I tried... I really did.
This is a cool knife in my biased opinion. I feel like it's right up there as one of my best... and I was stoked to photograph it as soon as it was complete, but...
... I spent like three hours in my basement trying to take a decent photo of it, and failed miserably. :les: Lights, white reflectors, black reflectors, scrims... nothing seemed to work. I used my wife's 5D with a fixed 50mm L lens on a tripod (so not for lack of good equipment), but couldn't take a good photo to save my life. :49: Couldn't even get a clean focus... even on manual. Not sure whether the diopter is all whacked... but I took the setback as a sign that I needed to go ahead, bite the bullet, and make a sheath.
That's is what I started to do this weekend.
I worked on this sheath, and one for an older knife. I only ended up finishing the other sheath before running out of time Sunday night.
Progress is still being made. Hoping to have photos of the finished knife (and sheath) before too long. Thanks for your patience.
Erin
... I tried... I really did.
This is a cool knife in my biased opinion. I feel like it's right up there as one of my best... and I was stoked to photograph it as soon as it was complete, but...
... I spent like three hours in my basement trying to take a decent photo of it, and failed miserably. :les: Lights, white reflectors, black reflectors, scrims... nothing seemed to work. I used my wife's 5D with a fixed 50mm L lens on a tripod (so not for lack of good equipment), but couldn't take a good photo to save my life. :49: Couldn't even get a clean focus... even on manual. Not sure whether the diopter is all whacked... but I took the setback as a sign that I needed to go ahead, bite the bullet, and make a sheath.
That's is what I started to do this weekend.
I worked on this sheath, and one for an older knife. I only ended up finishing the other sheath before running out of time Sunday night.
Progress is still being made. Hoping to have photos of the finished knife (and sheath) before too long. Thanks for your patience.
Erin
Erin Burke
Well-Known Member
Well, I finished the sheath this afternoon. This is my first stab at a final photo. I'll probably start posting images all over in a few days... but I figure that anyone who hung in there through this WIP earned the right to get a sneak peak. I'll likely try a few different shots over the next few days... but here you go.
Erin
Erin
BonhamBlades
Well-Known Member
wow is all I can say.
Justin Presson
Well-Known Member
Wohoo glad to see it done, it looks fantastic Erin!
Mark Behnke
Well-Known Member
The name says it all you really captured elements of both in a most tasteful way. I didn't get that was what you were trying to accomplish throughout the build.
Extremely well done thanks for sharing very much apreciated.
Mark
Extremely well done thanks for sharing very much apreciated.
Mark
Erin Burke
Well-Known Member
harshitgpt89
Well-Known Member
Nice description to make the best throwing knives which can be used for everyday carry to outdoors and other outdoors survival trips like camping, adventure trekking, hiking and many more.
