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Posted: 8/29/2012 4:02:29 PM EDT
I just wanted to share this here because this forum was my inspiration for trying it in the first place. With that said, I want to start off by saying I had no idea what the hell I was doing when I started this. Second, it's not 100% finished, but I don't think it'll get "looking" much better from this point on, so I decided to snap some pictures today anyways. It's far from perfect and it is certainly nowhere near the quality or beauty of the true craftsman's blades on here, but this will be a working knife anyways, and I never expected it to turn out any better than it did.
I started with a pre-made blank because I don't have access to the equipment needed to make my own from scratch. I chose a hand forged damascus blade with a wide clip point that has a shallow recurve and file work down the pommel and spine, because that's something I wouldn't have been able to make on my own even with the proper tools... I think that will keep this one special even when I do start cutting my own blanks. It measures 9-1/8" overall with a 4" blade and is 7/32" thick. The damascus is 1095HC & 15N20 with 264 layers. It looks like a wave pattern to me. It's been tempered to 58-60 HRC. Some of the layering disappeared as I polished the whole thing, so I'm going to try etching it to get those layers to pop again. I've read several places that ferric chloride etching medium from Radio Shack mixed with white vinegar and Coke works best for nickel steel damascus like the 15n20 I have here. That's next on the to-do list. "I always like to do my mirror polish a different way (directionally). After sticking the blade in the solution after every few minutes, I like to pull out the blade scrub is vigorously with a stiff nylon brush, that will help break down the carbon." 
I used walnut Dymondwood for the scales, cut down music wire for pins, and clear Devcon 2-ton epoxy for adhesive. I originally ordered 1/8" nickel silver pins to use for it, however when I received the blank it was obvious that it was not drilled to 1/8" like the seller told me it was... Using a bunch of drill bits, I determined it was drilled an odd-ball 5/32", so I had to search around for some time until I found a place that sold something that would work for pins. I didn't want to drill it out to 1/4"... Not sure why really, but I didn't. Anyways, Ace Hardware saved the day with the music wire, and now I have a lifetime supply of 5/32" handle pin material because they sold me like 3 feet of the shit for $1.50  . Also, when I got the blank, the file work on the spine was rough, and there were also several other imperfections in it such as nicks, gouges and tooling marks that I worked out as best as I could prior to putting it together. Thankfully, it came unsharpened also, which saved me some blood loss and also helped me get the hang of putting a good edge on a blade. All this made it more fun I think... I feel a little better knowing I didn't just pull it out of a box, glue some handles on it, and call it a day.
I cut the 1/4" thick Dymondwood board down to scales with my band saw using a 10tpi blade. After that, 95% of the handle work was done with my big tabletop belt sander using a 1x30" belt. This part took a LOT longer and required a LOT more skill than I ever thought it would, but given that I've pretty much never worked with wood before, that's no surprise. The follow-up sanding was done with 300, 400, and 600 grit paper (which I used wet), then I went at it with a Dremel using a cloth wheel loaded with white rouge. I buffed it all with carnuba car wax and a larger cloth wheel on my drill to finish it off. As you can probably tell, there is still some polishing, sanding, cleaning, and sharpening to be done, and I may even try to get those layers of damascus to pop a little bit more again, but I don't know how I'd go about doing that just yet. 
The sheath was also a series of firsts... I have never worked with leather or sewn anything before in my life, so this was certainly a learning experience. I used cheap leather scrap from a local furniture factory so that I could afford to screw it up... I found a couple colors I liked, and the scrap was only about $3 per pound, so I bought extra. I cut two main sections and a belt loop from a single section of scrap (which was finished on one side and unfinished on the other) with shears and used "leather weld" (which looks and smells like Elmer's glue, so I think I've been spoofed ) to put the two unfinished sides together. Then I left the two halves to dry under a big pile of heavy books over night. I folded it over like a taco shell and "borrowed" my fiancee's leather punch thingy the next day to put holes in it where I needed to stitch... I say "borrowed" because I broke the damn thing and had to buy her a new one when it was all said and done. Anyways, it was off to YouTube to learn how to stitch leather after the holes were done. I found a good how-to video, and I used what's called a "two needle saddle stitch", using wax thread and blunt needles I bought at Tandy Leather Factory. I think it turned out halfway decent. It's not too stiff or too unstable and it retains the knife well. Sheathing it isn't the most graceful but un-sheathing is nice and smooth. Looks like a steamy pile of shit but it'll work until I come up with a better idea and make a new one.
(I found the webbing, buckles, bungee, and other materials you see in that picture at a local supply store when I was shopping for leather scrap, so my next project is going to be making my own rifle slings, pistol belts, web gear, etc.) Here are some more "finished" pictures: 
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I like it, looks great.
I know what you said about the filework, but you will try it one day and realize it's not that hard. Once you start this addiction it just blows up. Just ask my wife. When I am at home I am doing something knife related, it has almost replaced BRD.
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Quoted:
I like it, looks great. I know what you said about the filework, but you will try it one day and realize it's not that hard. Once you start this addiction it just blows up. Just ask my wife. When I am at home I am doing something knife related, it has almost replaced BRD. That means a lot!  I love your work, and I'm always excited when you post something new here. You're right though, I'm sure I will try it someday... Hell, I already can't wait to start my next project. I'm unemployed right now so I'm restricted in what all I can spend, but I also have time on my hands to take on projects like these for the first time in years, so I couldn't help but spend a little on this and a couple other things I've been wanting to do. It helps clear my head and takes up some time at home in between searching for work.
I've been sitting at home on the couch here with the dogs for the last couple hours, sharpening and stropping this knife. It's taken a real nice edge, cuts paper nice and clean. I don't have a way to measure but I was shooting for about 20 degrees. I'm going to chop the veggies for tonight's dinner to see how it does. 
As I mentioned in the OP, most of the layering in the metal disappeared as I polished the whole thing around the scales, so I'm going to try etching it to get those layers to pop again. I love damascus, and I want to really see it. I've read several places that ferric chloride circuit board etching medium (whatever the hell that is) from Radio Shack, when mixed with white vinegar or white vinegar and Coke, works better than anything for nickel steel damascus like the 15n20 I have here. So that's next on the to-do list. I haven't been to a Radio Shack in 10 years, so it only figures that the only reason I'd step foot in one now would be for something totally unrelated to electronics
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Thank you both  Harry, I bought the blade from Fish Creek Cutlery in Portland. He sells on eBay. They sell a lot of junk knives and swords, but amidst all the crap they had a decent selection of blanks, and I was pleased to find this treasure among them. I talked to him for a while before buying, communication was slow and answers were rather short but I was buying the blank, not him, so I pulled the trigger. It was exactly what I was looking for and I couldn't find one like it anywhere else. He told me they were cut to his specifications and only 2 of them exist currently. They had some other nice, but small, damascus blanks also. Most were what I'd consider small game skinner size, probably 5.5"-6.5" overall and 1/8" thick or so, but many had really nice file work all the way down the spine. Others went up to around 8" or so, but were still too thin for my liking. The other non-damascus blanks they had at the time appeared to be stainless and were cheap/mass produced looking. I don't know what steels they were, didn't really have any interest in them so I didn't ask.
Well last night I volunteered to make dinner to see how it cut, which took the fiancee by surprise until she saw what I was doing. It cut meat, potatoes and chopped veggies like a champ. Both the SO and my dogs were looking at me like  but I'm real happy with how easily it cuts and slices for as wide of an angle I put on the blade. Some of the food (probably bell peppers and onions I cut) left a little bit of a silver-blue patina on it. I really love this knife. I can't wait to use it in the field to see what it can really do. 
One question for you guys... what kind of wax or oil do you keep on your blades? All I have is gun oil right now which is more for lubrication than actual protection. I've heard of a lot of folks using beeswax, but I have no idea where to get it. Others have mentioned MinWax for blades, but I thought that was for wood? Thanks for the help!
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Put Johnson's paste floor wax on the knife until you figure out whether you want to use something else.
Or even car wax for a short interim solution. I like file work, but I think there's a thing as too much, especially along the scales. I look at those recesses as traps for dirt and crud. I'm betting that if you try a simple pattern with a chainsaw file and maybe a triangular file you'll think it's pretty simply. Might take you longer to lay it out than file it in. When I sold the remnants of my dad's business, I kept the bottles of ferric chloride for gun and knife work. |
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Quoted:
Put Johnson's paste floor wax on the knife until you figure out whether you want to use something else. Or even car wax for a short interim solution. I like file work, but I think there's a thing as too much, especially along the scales. I look at those recesses as traps for dirt and crud. I'm betting that if you try a simple pattern with a chainsaw file and maybe a triangular file you'll think it's pretty simply. Might take you longer to lay it out than file it in. When I sold the remnants of my dad's business, I kept the bottles of ferric chloride for gun and knife work. Thanks for the tips! I wiped the whole thing down with alcohol and put carnuba car wax on it until I get something better. It's shiny and smells good now
And I agree with you as far as the file work being a place for collecting crud, and I thought about that before I put it all together, so what I did (forgot to mention this in the OP) is I filled in the filing somewhat with the clear epoxy that I used for the scales. I just ran a toothpick through the epoxy and layered it in the recesses so the filework looks a lot deeper than it really is now. With that said, I hope the epoxy doesn't discolor or crack over time, but I can't really see that happening since it doesn't come all the way to the surface of the spine. |
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Normally you would polish the flats and bevels and etch the blade before epoxying and pinning the scales. Once you have the etch to the depth you want it you attach the scales. If I file work the spine of the blade I will put some black dye into the epoxy and fill file work with it. Once you have everything pinned you polish the spine and the grip area to a mirror finish.
To etch a blade of 1095 and 15n20 I use an 8 parts water to 1 part ferric chloride. I hang the blade in the center of the mix for 10 min, remove and clean the blade and use 1000 grit to lightly hit the high spots. I repeat this until I have the etch and contrast I want. To get a real dark contrast after I have the blade etched I will submerge the blade in a cold gun blue and then do the 1000 grit on the high spots one last time. Lastly after all your etching is complete before you pin the scales you want to wash the blade in TSP or a baking soda solution to neutralize the ferric chloride or you may end up with rust leaching out of the blade later on. |
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